Indigenous Languages Have a Permanent Place at WAG-Qaumajuq

Final stage of Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 Experience Now Open to the Public

Winnipeg, Manitoba, March 19, 2024: The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq is pleased to announce that the Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 Experience is now open to the public. Visitors can hear directly from the Language Keepers and Language Learners who named the spaces of Qaumajuq with a new self-guided tour in the Gallery, alongside a new virtual tour platform created by Dene artist Casey Koyczan and launched last June.

The self-guided tour allows visitors to learn more about the name of each space. Tour stops display the names, their language, phonetic pronunciations, and an artwork of the person behind the name created by artist, Gayle Uyagaqi Kabloona. There are 16 stops on the self-guided tour, each offering the story behind the names through video footage of the Language Keepers and Learners. The languages featured include Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuttitut, Anishinaabemowin, Nêhiyawêwin, Dakota, Anishininimowin, Michif, and Dene. Inuit and Inuvialuit names from each dialect of Inuktitut are included, and names from all languages of Indigenous Nations in Manitoba.

The Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 project responds to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, Article 13, which states “Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons.”

As a permanent addition to WAG-Qaumajuq, this tour ensures that the Elders and Language Keepers will always have a place within the Gallery in support of Indigenous language revitalization.

Quick Facts:

• Newly installed plaques highlight names gifted to various spaces throughout the Gallery, giving Indigenous languages a permanent home in WAG-Qaumajuq.
• Spaces within the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Qaumajuq all have names in Indigenous languages, including in Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Inuttitut, Anishinaabemowin, Nêhiyawêwin, Dakota, Anishininimowin, Michif, and Dene. Inuit and Inuvialuit names from each dialect of Inuktitut are included, and names from all languages of Indigenous peoples of Manitoba.
• In August 2020, a group of Indigenous Language Keepers and Elders gathered virtually to name the Winnipeg Art Gallery and Qaumajuq, as well as the spaces within. The Language Keepers who participated in this project are asinnajaq, Byron Beardy, Holly Carpenter, Elder Dr. Mary Courchene, Elder Verna Demontigny, Diane Powderhorn, Eric Robinson, Marge Roscelli, Dr. Niiganwewidam Sinclair, Theresie Tungilik, Dr. Krista Ulujuk Zawadski, Johnny Kasudluak, and Katie Winters. The Language Learners who participated are Dr. Heather Igloliorte, Julia Lafreniere, Taqralik Partridge, and Jocelyn Piirainen. For more information about the project, please visit WAG-Qaumajuq Naming.
• The Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 responds to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, Article 13, which states “Indigenous peoples have the right to revitalize, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities, places and persons;” and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, Number 14i, which states “Aboriginal languages are a fundamental and valued element of Canadian culture and society, and there is an urgency to preserve them.”

Quotes:

“The Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 Experience has been a tremendous project to be a part of. Seeing these plaques on permanent display in WAG-Qaumajuq ensures that there will always be a place for Indigenous languages and knowledge in this building. My sincerest thanks to all who worked on this project, I encourage everyone to learn more about this Indigenous language initiative and the UNDRIP.”

— Dr. Stephen Borys, WAG-Qaumajuq Director & CEO

“This project is very special to me. To create a permanent place for Indigenous languages to be seen, heard, learned, and used daily is important. To incorporate Indigenous language and knowledge into a white colonial institution and share Indigenous ways of knowing with all who walk through these buildings, is a small step in the revitalization of these languages. I am grateful to the Language Keepers, Elders, and Language Learners who gave their time and knowledge to this project and gifted these names to the Gallery.”

— Julia Lafreniere, WAG-Qaumajuq Head of Indigenous Ways and Learning

Support

This project is supported by Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Associated Links

WAG-Qaumajuq Naming
Virtual Tour
Indigenous Language Sovereignty: Article 13 Arrives at WAG-Qaumajuq

Stay Connected

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram #atwag

-30-

For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Katryna Barske
Public Relations Officer
Winnipeg Art Gallery
204.789.1295
kbarske@wag.ca

About Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG)-Qaumajuq
WAG-Qaumajuq is a cultural advocate using art to connect, inspire, and inform. Playing a dynamic role in the community, we are a place for learning, dialogue, and enjoyment through art. Opened in 2021, Qaumajuq connects to the WAG on all levels, celebrating the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. The new WAG-Qaumajuq cultural campus is now one of the largest art museums in Canada. To learn more visit wag.ca.

Back to Media