Charlotte Ross
Charlotte was born into and speaks the Woodland Cree TH-dialect and understands the Plains Cree Y-dialect and the Swampy Cree N-dialect. For many years, she has worked to create change within institutions of higher learning. In the past decade, she has focused on building capacity within First Nation communities with a focus on Indigenous language revitalization. She is a PhD candidate in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria sharing the experiences of adult Cree silent speakers.
Areas of Interest
Charlotte’s primary area of interest is learning about the experiences of adult Cree silent speakers who are defined as individuals who were raised hearing the language, understand some or all of it but do not speak the language. Their experiences are similar yet unique as fragments of intergenerational systemic trauma have contributed to language shift. She’s interested in the intersection of technology and the impact of language learning on health and wellbeing for silent speakers. The foundation of thriving language communities is a solid community language plan hence my interest in community language planning.
Scholarship
Language Community
Charlotte co-leads a weekly online adult Cree language learning group called Cree & Tea with Senapan Thunder.
Charlotte hosts monthly online Cree & Nahkawe Language Teacher PD sessions and supports the categorization of Indigenous language recordings to the Circle of Indigenous Languages website.
Charlotte co-hosted a bi-monthly Cree language podcast called ‘Cree & Coffee with the Crazy Crees’ hosted by First Nations University of Canada.
Working with her nation, Charlotte established a Cree Language Project committee with Elders and language keepers developing a language app using the Lifespark app builder.
Academic Community
Ross, C., Greyeyes, J., & McIvor, O. (2021). Breathing life back into the stories: Creating the circle of Indigenous languages website. WINHEC: International Journal of Indigenous Education Scholarship, 16(1), 302-333. https://doi.org/10.18357/wj161202120290
Ross, C. (2004). Charlotte Ross. In C. Thompson (Ed.), Saskatchewan First Nations: Lives past and present (pp. 114-117). University of Regina Press.
Ross, C. (2011). Beginning, Work and Spirit. In P. Settee, P., The strength of women : Âhkamêyimowak, (pp. 15-18, 23-27, 44-45, 79-85). Coteau Books. https://canadacommons.ca/artifacts/1875441/the-strength-of-women/2624370/ CID: 20.500.12592/zm4xc7.
