About CILRR – ARC

CILRR Cluster Description

Indigenous languages are great works of art, holding philosophical teachings, cultural values and ways of living and being. Indigenous peoples have the right to hear and speak their language in the lands claimed by others. The retention and celebration of Indigenous languages is a benefit to all settler-Canadians as they work to reconcile a difficult national past and continued troubled relationship with Indigenous peoples. Genocide, which included violent cultural and linguistic erasure attempts, has created immense language disruption in territories previously occupied solely by Indigenous peoples. By building a Research Centre at UVIC in and through respectful relationships and partnerships with local (and, later, more far-reaching) communities focused on the continuation and reclamation of Indigenous languages, research can assist and accelerate Indigenous Language Revitalization (ILR) efforts and settler-allies can also play an active (and appropriate) role in the revival of Indigenous languages. The proposed Centre builds on decades of work by UVIC scholars and communities, partnerships with local communities, the strengths of existing UVIC staff and faculty specializing in ILR, and the exemplary and acclaimed research and academic ILR programs at UVIC—presenting an opportunity to consolidate efforts and foster new innovations which will directly impact and benefit society and which aligns with all five of UVIC’s Aspiration 2030 Impact Areas.

Indigenous community-led research is ‘by and with’ Indigenous peoples, not ‘about and for’ them. Therefore, this Cluster is majority Indigenous-led. UVIC has a special responsibility to the lək̓ʷəŋən and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples of the lands who therefore would be the initial (and remain the priority) focus of the Centre, before expanding to include a broader language focus. Our Centre will focus on continuing to build strong and respectful relationships between UVIC-based ILR experts and local community speakers and stakeholders, while contributing to the wider field of ILR research and practice.

The primary goals of this research cluster are to:

1. build an interdisciplinary and broader on-campus ILR research community,
2. strengthen relationships with local Nations, thereby supporting their language revival goals, and
3. fundraise towards the creation of a Centre to support this work.

Research efforts at UVIC regarding ILR will exponentially expand by enhancing structured support for this group to collaborate, and through specific support for early career scholars (i.e. course releases and mentorship from established scholars) continue building their skills and portfolios in both grant-getting and large project management.

This Centre will make significant contributions towards: realizing TRC Calls to Action (2015) focused on language (10, 13, 14 and 16) and law (27, 28); upholding the inherent rights confirmed in UNDRIP and BC DRIPA (2019); will contribute, through research, to the further roll-out of the federal Indigenous Languages Act 2019, and finally; make noteworthy contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032. The revival of Indigenous languages is closely connected to the revitalization of Indigenous laws and legal processes. As local Nations progress the revitalization of their legal orders, language and oral tradition, this cluster will play an integral part of that process. Furthermore, this cluster has the potential to support the National Centre for Indigenous Laws’ work through example for establishing and maintaining good relations with Nations as a methodology. This cluster will impact provincial and federal policymakers and funders, capacity-building within communities and contribute to the success of UVic undergraduate and graduate students.