Rare Indigenous sign language revival takes centre stage at Poundmaker Cree Nation festival

Favel estimates there are now only about 1,000 to 1,500 users of Plains Indian Sign Language across North America. He said the workshop is unique because it teaches Plains Indian Sign Language both as its own language and as a practical way to learn Cree.

Participants learn about 50 words and signs each day before immediately using them to communicate with one another. By the end of the three-day workshop, Favel said they typically know between 100 and 150 words and signs.

“It’s the most effective method to teach Indigenous languages,” he said.

Participants attend the inaugural Plains Indian Sign Language workshop in 2019. (Image Credit: Floyd Favel)

Favel said the hands-on approach makes language learning more accessible at a time when many Indigenous communities are working to strengthen and preserve their languages.

The workshop is free and open to everyone, regardless of background.

“I think also any non-Indigenous person who is working within their Indigenous community in health or education, they should also learn the rudiments of sign language, because that’s the communities you work for.”

While language revitalization forms the centrepiece of the event, the festival also showcases contemporary Indigenous arts and culture.

This year’s featured guests include Innu poet and singer Natasha Kanapé Fontaine of Quebec, who will open the festival’s public performances at 2 p.m. on July 21, and Māori performer Charles Coroneho of New Zealand, alongside local poets, writers and storytellers. Members of the public are also invited to share their own poetry or readings.

Favel said hosting the festival on Poundmaker Cree Nation rather than in a major city is intentional.

“I always say it’s bringing language back into the hands of the community,” he said.

“So it’s not removed from our people by taking place in a big city, in a hotel, paying conference fees. That makes it inaccessible for the common person.”

He said the event also benefits the community by attracting visitors who support local businesses while promoting what he describes as educational tourism.

The festival’s work has recently reached beyond Saskatchewan. Favel said organizers presented their language research and performances in Poland earlier this year, but their focus remains rooted at home.

“So from our international successes, we begin in our community, and that’s where we always start, and that’s where we always end,” he said. “We always come back to it, our own communities.”

The Plains Indian Sign Language workshop runs daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Poundmaker Museum, followed by readings and performances from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the festival’s culture site. The event is free and open to the public.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Rare Indigenous sign language revival takes centre stage at Poundmaker Cree Nation festival

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