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In episode 12, RPM looks at language revitalization. Half of the world’s languages have dissapeared in the past 500 years and today a language goes extinct every two weeks on average. Indigenous languages are the ones most at risk - which has inspired Indigenous musicians to take up the struggle to save them.
Our host Ostwelve speaks with three artists who are working on revitilizing their ancestral languages. Miss Christie Lee of the Musqueam Nation raps in Hun’qumi’num’ and shares what her culture means to her and how she sought guidance from her elders on creating music in her language. Tall Paul, of Point of Contact, raps in Anishnaabemowin. Tall Paul describes discovering more of his culture through his college language course and using hip-hop to adapt Indigenous languages to new avenues. Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, who sings in the language of Haida, hopes listeners can get to a different place, even if they don’t understand the words, and she shares how by singing in our Indigenous lanugage we are connecting with our ancestors.
DOWNLOAD: RPM Podcast #012 - “Revitalization”
RPM Podcast #012 - “Revitalization” by RPMfm
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For more on language revitalization, see:
- “Our Mother Tongues” celebrating indigenous languages: http://www.ourmothertongues.org
- The Young Ancestors: http://intercontinentalcry.org/the-young-ancestors/
- FirstVoices: http://firstvoices.ca
- Cree language television show on APTN “Tansi! Nehiyawetan” has a website: http://www.tansi.tv
- RPM content on Revitalization: http://rpm.fm/tag/language/
The RPM podcast is produced & engineered by the amazing Paolo Pietropaolo. Photo illustration created by the talented Joi Arcand.
