Native Montreal introduces new Anishinaabemowin class taught in English

A Montreal friendship centre has added Anishinaabemowin with English instruction to its language class offerings this fall.

Native Montreal began offering free language classes in 2015 as part of its mandate to have a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous people living in or around Montreal.

Sarah Paul, the centre's Indigenous languages program co-ordinator, said many students seek out these classes as a way to connect with their community and culture.

"We get lots of requests for all of the languages within Quebec, from the 11 nations," said Paul.

"They're looking for community, connection to culture, and language, of course, is connection to land."

Native Montreal also offers classes in Abenaki, Inuktitut, Innu, Kanien'kéha, Mi'kmaw and Naskapi, with English or French instruction, funded by the Government of Quebec and McConnell Foundation.

According to their annual report, a total of 286 people registered for their language classes in 2022/2023. 

Arlo Price, who is from Kitigan Zibi, an Algonquin community about 150 km north of Ottawa, teaches the Algonquin dialect of Anishinaabemowin.

"I came here for school in Montreal and one of the things that I had a hard time with was that I wasn't in my community, and I felt disconnected from my language," Price said.

After finishing school, Price returned home and took a position as a teacher's assistant in the same Algonquin immersion program they had attended as a child.

They remember the Algonquin language being spoken in their home and fondly remember learning it from their grandmother. Price said they're losing many of the elders who speak their language and due to "a lot of trauma associated with it, they didn't pass it on to a lot of their kids." Price decided to pass on what they had learned.

Mike Paulin, who is Anishinaabe from Sudbury, Ont., is in Price's class and said it helps him maintain a link with his home even though he is far from his family.

Paulin said he isn't fluent but he knows some words.

"I know when I'm being disciplined by the aunts," he chuckled.

Paulin added that the classes also help him to practice. "Not having enough people to speak with," is one of the challenges he said he faces in his language learning journey.

Price said worrying about being fluent shouldn't hold you back.

"I definitely still consider myself a learner and a student of the language, but whatever I have is a lot more than a lot of people have, and so that means I have something to give," Price said.

"This whole idea of fluency, that kind of holds people back from learning their own language. Whatever you have is important and good to spread."

The class continues until November.