There are 34 indigenous languages in B.C. But fluent speakers only make up four percent of the First Nations population according to a 2014 report on the status of B.C.’s First Nations languages. A story in The Vancouver Sun features Elizabeth Phillips, 77, the last fluent speaker of her Sto:lo people’s language, Halq’emeylem. She lives on the Cheam reserve. Linguists from UBC are working to record Phillips to preserve the language. They are recording her speaking in her language in various ways, from taping her in everyday conversation to making ultrasound images of her tongue movements. B.C. is home to more than half of Canada’s indigenous languages. According to the report, most languages are highly endangered. Four languages are “sleeping” meaning that there are no longer any fluent speakers. As reported in the story, Strang Burton, a Sto:lo Nation linguist and instructor at the University of British Columbia stresses that preserving a language is about more than creating a dictionary. “You need to know how to use is. The context is important,” says Burton. Up at the northern tip of Harrison Lake, earlier this year an Early Childhood Development Hub opened in the Xa’xtsa Douglas First Nation community of Tipella, BC. This childhood centre means that children of the Lower Lakes will be able to learn culture, language and go to school in their own community. The building of the centre came about in part due to the efforts of the Southern Stl’atl’imx Health Society, funded by United Way British Columbia and Success By 6 BC. 
What this early childhood centre means is that children won’t have to drive for hours back and forth along the logging road to get to school. They can attend kindergarten in Tipella. The childhood centre will also act as a community centre with drop-in programs and a community kitchen. Ramona Linger, the kindergarten teacher at the early childhood centre, is working with elders to teach the children their own language, Ucwalm’cwts, which is a dialect of the Lower St’at’imc. Families are returning home to Tipella to reclaim their heritage and embrace the future. Earlier this year, United Way British Columbia adopted a Statement of Reconciliation that recognizes the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. United Way is helping build a strong community for all.
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