Below is a paragraph from my Journey Towards Reconciliation Essay
In September 2022 we went to Saskatoon where we attended Metis Day at the Western Development Museum. I learnt a lot more about our culture as well and I got to hear the stories of Elders and have conversations with them. Some traditions that I learned were jigging, fiddlers, square dancing, art and so much more. When looking for a language class to take during my first year I knew that I wanted to take an Indigenous language. I decided to take Cree and it was the best choice I had made. Research states that, “Cree is one of the most widely spoken Indigenous languages in Canada” (Filice, 2006). It made me more aware of what I was learning and more interested in the Indigenous culture as well as considering how their culture got stripped from them. Cree is becoming a dying language like many Indigenous languages, “Many cultural and educational institutions strive to preserve and promote the language” (Filice, 2006). I chose to include a little dialogue of the Cree language. When sharing my aesthetic representation, I spoke a little in Cree. I did make a couple of little mistakes that I noticed, but no one else did. This shows that I am still learning. I made it a goal of mine when I first took Cree to keep learning about the language and practicing after the course ended. I still am working on Cree, and I meet with an elder every week on Zoom where she helps me develop my skills.