It’s an honour to be here at kâniyâsihk today to help celebrate 24 women (one of them a Dene speaker, and another two not present, to be followed by another 37 next year) who have completed the two-year Indigenous Languages Certificate program through the University of Saskatchewan, led by Dr Kevin Lewis. This is a powerful cohort to celebrate, and this beautiful camp at Ministikwan Lake is a powerful place to acknowledge the blood, sweat and tears each one committed to the program over the last two years. It was an honour just to see each one presented with a well deserved eagle feather, lovingly prayed and sung over by Knowledge Keeper Wes Fineday. I know these educators will spread out and carry their training and their blessings with honour. On behalf of everyone who reads this post, I send our collective congratulations to each and every one, along with wishes for a long, happy, rewarding career, helping to guide others in the cultural and linguistic reclamation they all deserve.
