Embracing Language and Culture
Ä́yínzhi Änikhįą ùye, My traditional name is Änikhįą,
Guch’än Kʼe Erin Jim ùye, My English name is Erin Jim,
Kajet íchʼe, I am part of the crow clan,
Ä́mą Karin Svec ùye, My mother’s name is Karin Svec,
Ä́tà Mike Jim ùye, My father’s name is Mike Jim,
Ä́tsųą Martha Smith ùye, My grandmother’s name is Martha Smith,
Ä́tsìa Fred Jim ùye, My grandfather’s name is Fred Jim,
Däkwäkäda yū nínje, I live in Haines Junction,
Däkwäkäda ketsʼädän kų yū ndasídla, I work at the school in Haines Junction,
Dän Kʼe kenádän íchʼe, I am a Southern Tutchone teacher,
Dunena K4 ye Grade tayke ye ndasídla. I work with kids in K4 to Grade 3.
I am a member of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) and have always been passionate about my language and culture. I graduated from CAFN’s Southern Tutchone Language Intensive program in 2023. Since then, I have been pursuing my language journey through teaching, taking classes, talking with others, and creating shareable resources. This is my second-year teaching at St. Elias Community School, and it has been a great experience.
I began my language journey after returning home to Haines Junction in 2021 to begin CAFN’s Southern Tutchone Language Intensive program. I applied when I was down south for school and realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. When I started learning the Southern Tutchone language and culture, I felt very connected and inspired. There are a good number of learners now and it is amazing to be a part of but with the amount of people learning we are still vulnerable.
In my second year of the program, some people from my class and I were contacted by St. Elias Community School to come in and shadow a lesson. After watching the shadow lesson, I felt amazing. It was so cool to see the children in the school participate and learn Southern Tutchone. After being contacted a couple more times I decided to swallow my anxiety and accept the job! After my first day I left with the biggest smile and such a full heart. I quickly realized that teaching my language and culture to others, especially children is very healing and I was committed. Now I’m in my second year of teaching and I will definitely be continuing for a while. I enjoy being able to teach children my traditional language and feel very lucky to be where I am in life.
What does the Southern Tutchone language mean to me, both personally and culturally?
When I started my language journey I wasn’t in the best spot in life. I was down south attending a large university disconnected from my family, friends, culture and traditional lands. Then one day I saw that CAFN was accepting applications for the second cohort of the Southern Tutchone Language Intensive program. Since I didn’t have much language, I wasn’t sure if I’d get in but I knew I needed a change, so I applied.
When I got in, it changed my life. I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am today without my language and culture. I believe connecting or reconnecting with your own language and culture is incredibly powerful, healing, and grounding. Now that I am a few years into my language journey it’s really evident how learning and reconnecting to my traditional roots has changed how I think, my perspectives, and how I understand the world.
Traditional languages are so beautiful and so complex, it is so amazing that what you’re talking about could change depending on who you’re talking to, the direction you're facing, how well you know that person. It’s a beautiful thing. When I am at a loss for English words, I find that Southern Tutchone can grasp it all. I am very excited to continue my journey and continue to grow as a person with my traditional roots, to be Dän Shäwthän (a good person).
What advice would I give to people who want to connect with their language and culture more deeply?
I would say just go for it. I understand it can be nerve racking, putting yourself in a vulnerable spot, if you’ve had hard experiences in the past, or speaking a language you may not be familiar with. I know that’s how I felt when I started but we are all learners and have to take it easy on ourselves. When I was in the CAFN cohort we were told we are just babies in Dän Kʼe and we have to work our way up just like a kid learning their first language. Anything you can produce is amazing! I still consider myself a toddler / preschool age in my language even though that might not be the case, I have a tendency to undervalue myself. And through teaching and sharing my language and culture it gets easier to become more confident in the language.
One beautiful thing about language and culture is that you don’t have to be perfect, trying your best is all you can ever do. When I started, I kept getting hung up on the little things and I would tell myself that’s my English brain trying to mess me up. Because when you learn another language, you are developing a brain for that way of life. So, take it easy on yourself, you’re growing your traditional brain and that’s amazing! Any way you can connect or go out on the land would be a great opportunity to practice that. If you are unsure, you can always ask a family member or an elder to go out with you to do something. Even just taking some family berry picking is a great way to connect with your roots.