A key pillar for our TKL team is to revitalize our language through planning, teaching and learning, while also preserving and sharing our knowledge through gatherings and research.
See the menu below to learn more about some of the projects and initiatives our sector is undertaking:
Transcription Project
The Huȼ ʔituq̓ⱡiⱡqanaⱡaʔni ʔa·kⱡukaqwumʔis Project is a significant language revitalization initiative focused on transcribing and translating approximately 150 Ktunaxa recordings from the California Language Archive.
With funding from Library and Archives Canada and Columbia
Basin Trust, the project is helping to preserve vital linguistic knowledge through the dedicated work of nine Ktunaxa contractors.
Kilulu Project
The Kulilu Project is an initiative focused on preserving the memories of Ktunaxa Elders and Knowledge Holders.
The project involves creating a book of elder biographies, commissioning portrait paintings to be displayed in the Ktunaxa Nation Government Building (KNGB).
Language Learning & Courses
Language learning sessions are facilitated throughout the year, allowing language learners to practice their skills in an informal and supportive environment.
Check out our Language Learning page to learn more.
Trails Project
Ktunaxa Knowledge Holder, horseman and language expert, Alfred Joseph, leads a team of Ktunaxa ʔa·knusti (guardians) who are working to document traditional trails in new ways, so Ktunaxa now and in the future can find their way safely through the homelands.
Want to learn more? Visit Ktunaxa Hakq̓yit.
Signage Projects
TKL is working on a variety of signage projects aimed at sharing Ktunaxa language and cultural knowledge across ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.
Key projects include:
• Kicking Horse Canyon signage
• Alkaline Lake and Peckem’s Range
• Columbia River Treaty (CRT) Heritage signage project, involving 13 sites, including the Waldo location.
• B.C. Parks’ Columbia Lake Provincial Park
• FW Green Clinic in Cranbrook
• Elk River locations such as Hosmer (yaqakqaki kⱡitqⱡiⱡ), Morrissey
(kak̓qaʔit), and Elko (ktunwakanmituk ʔakaⱡha·k)
• Golden Sky Bridge
• Marble Canyon
• Teck (EVR) Lands rest areas
• Akamina – Kishinena Provincial Park
FirstVoices & Ktunaxa Language App
FirstVoices hosts a Ktunaxa language site, offering an online dictionary, audio recordings, stories songs an more. It’s even offered in app form!
Download the Ktunaxa Language & Ktunaxa Grammar app, available on the App Store & Google Play.
Ktunaxa Literacy Day
Recognized annually each October 24, Ktunaxa Literacy Day reinforces Nation-wide support for language learning and
strengthens intergenerational knowledge transmission.
