Nisga’a (also Nisg̱a’a , Nass , Nisgha , Nishka , Niska , Nishga , Nisqa’a ) is an indigenous language of northwestern British Columbia . It is a part of the language family generally called Tsimshianic , although some Nisga'a people resent the precedence the term gives to Coast Tsimshian . Nisga’a is very closely related to Gitxsan . Indeed, many linguists regard Nisga’a and Gitksan as dialects of a single Nass–Gitksan language. The two are generally treated as distinct languages out of deference to the political separation of the two groups.
27-757: The Tsetsaut ( Nisga'a language : Jits'aawit ; in the Tsetsaut language : Wetaŀ or Wetaɬ ) were an Athabaskan -speaking group whose territory was around the head of the Portland Canal , straddling what is now the boundary between the US state of Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia . The name T'set'sa'ut , meaning "those of the Interior", was used by the Nisga'a and Gitxsan in reference to their origin as migrants into
54-400: A Language Tutor lesson, or new words and phrases can be added. The Language Tutor also offers a student tracking system that allows teachers to follow the progress of an entire classroom of students. The FirstVoices Language Lab is an iPad-based language-teaching app designed to deliver FirstVoices Language Tutor lesson content via a stand-alone portable language laboratory. No Internet access
81-509: A follow-up examination of the context presented by the 2010 report. Key findings include: In December 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government would be developing legislation to support the revitalization Indigenous languages in Canada. In his announcement, he stated that, "our government will enact an Indigenous Languages Act, co-developed with Indigenous Peoples, with
108-530: A grant writing handbook and an arts portfolio handbook. In addition to developing programs to assist language revitalization efforts and support artists in First Nations communities, the First Peoples' Cultural Council also develops resources to educate the population of British Columbia about Indigenous languages and their endangered status in B.C. 'The First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia divides
135-595: A peer assessment review. Applicants may apply for funding in the following areas: Emerging Individual Artists, Sharing Traditional Arts Across generations, Organizations and Collectives, Arts Administrator Internships and Mentorships. In partnership with Creative BC, the Indigenous Music Initiative is designed to support artists, projects and events that grow and develop British Columbia's Creative Industries. Successful ventures will increase participation of Indigenous music industry professionals and strengthen
162-648: Is a First Nations governed Crown Corporation of the province of British Columbia , Canada. It is based in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia on Tsartlip First Nation . The organization was formerly known as the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council, but shortened its name in 2012. Established in 1990 through the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Act, FPCC has been offering services and programs to support Indigenous language, arts, and culture revitalization in British Columbia. The mandate of
189-572: Is affiliated with the University of Northern British Columbia , Coast Mountain College (formerly Northwest Community College), and Royal Roads University . It is the only place where students can earn accreditation and certification of its courses and programs in Nisga'a Studies. A recent project called “Raising Nisga’a Language, Sovereignty, and Land-Based Education Through Traditional Carving Knowledge” (RNL)
216-668: Is an endangered language . In the 2018 Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages, there were 311 fluent speakers and 294 active language learners reported in a population of 6,113. Anglican missionary James Benjamin McCullagh conducted much early linguistic work in Nisga’a, preparing translations of parts of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer published in 1890, as well as a Nisga’a primer for students published in 1897. These were published by
243-431: Is an Indigenous language app available for free download on Apple and Android mobile devices. Regular keypads on mobile devices are not capable of generating many of the special characters of Indigenous languages, making texting in these languages impossible for most Indigenous people. FirstVoices Keyboards, an evolution of FirstVoices Chat, allows speakers of over 100 Indigenous languages in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
270-543: Is now in possession of the Tsetsaut legacy in native law. According to Teit , Tsetsaut territory "...lay in a strip from near Bradfield Canal and the Iskut across the streams flowing into Behm Canal perhaps to about the head of Boca de Quadra . They occupied all of the upper part of Portland Canal around the BC town of Stewart , and Salmon and Bear Rivers . They may have come down
297-657: Is required for the Language Lab to run. The First Peoples' Cultural Council's arts program supports the development of First Nations artists and arts organizations with funding through the Indigenous Arts Program, by providing mentoring, workshops, resources and organizational capacity building workshops. In partnership with BC Arts Council and the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, the arts program provides grants to Indigenous artists, organizations and collectives, through
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#1732845654950324-771: Is widely used today. In January 2012, a Nisga’a app for iPhone and iPad was released for free. Recently, the app was made available for use on Android. The Nisga'a app is a bilingual dictionary and phrase collection archived at the First Voices data base, resources include audio recordings, images and videos. Since 1990, the First Peoples' Heritage Language and Culture Council has been providing support to revitalize First Peoples' language, arts and cultures. A total of $ 20 million has been distributed to support various projects, including revitalization of Nisga'a language. In 2003, First Voices website, an online language archive
351-571: The Behm Canal , where they had been friendly with the Sanya kwaan of the Tlingit and Lakweip at which point they moved to the Portland Canal . Decimated by attacks and disease, the surviving Tsetsaut, estimated at 12 in 1895, came under the protection of the Nisga'a Eagle clan chief, Sim'oogit "Sganisim Sim'oogit" ( Sim'oogit means "chief"). Since the death of the remaining Tsetsaut, that chiefly lineage
378-574: The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). These items included some portions of Scripture. Other notable documentation of the Nisga'a language include 'A Short Practical Dictionary of the Gitksan Language' compiled by Bruce Rigsby and Lonnie Hindle, published in 1973 in Volume 7, Issue 1 of Journal of Northwest Anthropology. In this dictionary, Rigsby created a simple alphabet for Nisga'a that
405-579: The Nisga'a Community Portal at First Voices. In 1993, the Wilp Wilx̱o'oskwhl Nisg̱a'a Institute (WWNI) was established to provide post-secondary education for Nisga'a community and promote language and culture revitalization. It is the Nisga'a university-college located in the Nass Valley in Gitwinksihlkw on the northwest coast of British Columbia. The WWNI is a community driven, non-profit organization that
432-461: The Status of B.C. First Nations Languages provides concrete data on the state of B.C. First Nations languages, including the number of speakers remaining, the number of students learning the languages, the resources available for each language and information on the language revitalization work being done in the province. The key findings of the 2010 report include: The 2014 Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages, Second Edition acted as
459-679: The USA to use their mobile devices to text, email, use social media, and create documents using keyboards designed for their languages. In 2009, FirstVoices launched the FirstVoices Language Tutor, an interactive, online teaching application. The FirstVoices Language Tutor delivers graduated language exercises in vocabulary development, reading comprehension, listening and speaking. Language Tutor lessons are customizable and can be targeted to specific age groups or curriculum. Any word or phrase in an existing FirstVoices language archive can be used in
486-610: The canal as far as Maple Bay. They occupied all the White River and Meziadin Lake basins and one of their original headquarters, especially for salmon fishing, was at Meziadin Lake. They stretched across the head of the Skeena River above the Kuldo River over to Bear and Sustut lakes " Nisga%27a language Like almost all other First Nations languages of British Columbia, Nisga’a
513-714: The capacity of B.C.'s Indigenous music industry through knowledge transfer, skill development, and the creation of new business opportunities in B.C. and elsewhere. Applicants can apply for funding through the following programs: Emerging Music Industry Professional, Expanding Capacity in the Indigenous Music Recording Industry, Touring, Promotions/Marketing and Performance Initiatives, and the Indigenous Music Retreat. The online arts toolkit provides Indigenous artists with access to information and materials that can assist them in their careers, such as
540-568: The goal of ensuring the preservation, protection, and revitalization of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit languages in this country." The First Peoples' Cultural Council held regional sessions in May and June 2017 to talk about the promised Indigenous language legislation for Canada. The organization's goal was to ensure that B.C. language experts would be well-informed so that when the national Assembly of First Nations (AFN) conducted its consultations, everyone would be prepared to provide input. FPCC compiled
567-415: The language, making them distinct. In Nisga'a phonology, the voiced plosives [b, d, dz, g, gʷ, ɢ] are allophones of the unvoiced plosives /p, t, ts, k, kʷ, q/ and occur before vowels. Modern Nisga'a orthography writes the voiced plosives with their own characters b, d, j, g, gw, g̠ respectively. First Peoples%27 Heritage, Language and Culture Council The First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)
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#1732845654950594-942: The organization is to: Base funding for FPCC is provided through the BC Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and further funds are raised through partnerships with public and private agencies (including the New Relationship Trust, the BC Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage ). FPCC pursues its mandate through the following programs: FirstVoices is an online indigenous language archive that participating communities can independently develop to house their orthography, alphabet, oral dictionaries, phrases, songs and stories. It also offers an interactive language tutor system. Over 60 communities archive their languages on FirstVoices, and 35 of those are open to
621-415: The province of British Columbia by approximate language boundary. It also houses comprehensive data on the First Nations and their languages based on Language Needs Assessments, which are filled out by communities seeking language funding from the First Peoples' Cultural Council. The Language Map database continues to grow as communities update and fill out new Language Needs Assessments. The 2010 Report on
648-636: The public. FirstVoices has developed 13 interactive dictionary apps for Apple's iOS and Android. The apps contain text, audio, image and video content and are available as free downloads from the iTunes and Google Play stores. The dictionary apps include the following Indigenous languages, which are all spoken in British Columbia: Ehattesaht , Halq'eméylem , Hlg̲aagilda X̲aayda Kil , Ktunaxa , Kwak'wala , Nazko-Dakelh , Nisg̲a'a , Northern St'at'imcets , Secwepemc , SENĆOŦEN , Tla'amin , Ucwalmícwts , Xeni Gwet'in . FirstVoices Keyboards
675-536: The region from somewhere farther inland; their use of the term is not to the Tsetsaut alone but also can refer to the Tahltan and the Sekani . Other than Nisga'a stories about them, little is known about the Tsetsaut other than fragments of their language collected from two Tsetsaut slaves of the Nisga'a interviewed by Franz Boas in 1894. In 1830 their numbers were estimated to be up to 500, at which point they were living in
702-419: Was created to support language documentation, language teaching, and revitalization. The Nisga'a First Voices is publicly accessible. Information on the website is managed by the Wilp Wilx̱o'oskwhl Nisg̱a'a Institute. Resources include alphabets, online dictionary, phrasebook, songs, stories, and interactive online games with sounds, pictures and videos. A total of 6092 words and 6470 phrases have been archived on
729-636: Was started by Nisga’a professor Amy Parent at University of British Columbia working with and the Laxgalts’ap Village Government . It will run over several years and aims to combine virtual reality technology with traditional knowledge in Nisga'a. The phonology in Nisga'a is presented as follows: The high and mid short front vowels /i/ and /e/ as well as the high and mid short back vowels /u/ and /o/ are largely found to be in complementary distribution in native Nisga'a words but these pairs of sounds contrast one another in words borrowed into
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