Champlain panel highlights efforts to revitalize Indigenous tongues
By William Crooks
In a growing effort to preserve and promote Indigenous languages, Champlain College-Lennoxville will host a public panel discussion this Thursday, March 27 at 12:30 p.m. in the college lobby. The event brings together educators and learners dedicated to revitalizing the ancestral languages of Quebec and neighbouring regions, as part of the United Nations’ Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–32).
Organized by the Kchi al8msakw Indigenous Language Learning Centre—part of a collaborative project involving Bishop’s University, Université de Sherbrooke and Champlain College—the panel will feature three speakers actively engaged in Indigenous language teaching and revitalization.
“This is really a chance for people to learn what it means to teach and learn Indigenous languages in 2025,” said Andrew Fletcher, who coordinates the initiative and co-organized the panel. “We want to talk about both the challenges and the potential of these efforts.”
The event will spotlight three Algonquian languages: Abenaki, Innu, and Penobscot. Philippe Charland, a Quebecois linguist, will share insights into the revitalization of Abenaki, the original language of the Eastern Townships. Though not Indigenous himself, Charland teaches Abenaki at Bishop’s, Université de Sherbrooke, and in the community of Odanak. According to Fletcher, “There are very few people today who can speak Abenaki fluently, and no one who speaks it as a first language anymore.”
Joining him will be Gaëlle Mollen, an Innu language teacher from the Canadian Museum of History. With roots in both Innu and Chadian heritage, Mollen will speak about her experience teaching a language that, while still widely spoken in parts of Quebec’s North Shore, faces its own long-term sustainability challenges.
The third panelist, Ann Pollard-Ranco, is a Penobscot language learner from Maine. She will bring the perspective of someone immersed in revitalization from the learner’s side. “We wanted to make sure the panel represents both teaching and learning,” said Fletcher.
The format of the event is designed to foster dialogue. The panel will be divided into three thematic sections: the complexities of learning Indigenous languages, the realities and resources needed for teaching them, and how these languages can be more visibly and meaningfully integrated into everyday environments.
“Learning an Indigenous language takes longer than learning something like Spanish or German,” Fletcher explained. “Not because it’s harder, but because the reference points are fewer. There’s less material out there, and the grammatical structures can be very different.”
To help address these gaps, Fletcher and his team are developing new pedagogical tools. “We’re publishing an English–Abenaki vocabulary and an introductory grammar guide,” he said. “It’ll be the first of its kind in English, and we’re aiming to have it out before the summer.” These materials will be made available to both academic institutions and the Abenaki community itself, with copyrights held by the community for use in their own programs.
Fletcher said the revitalization effort includes plans to offer an Abenaki language course at the college level. “We’re getting quite close to finalizing it,” he noted. “The idea is to make it available not only to Champlain students but also to members of the wider community.” While an official announcement has yet to be made, the goal is to support ongoing interest in Indigenous languages through formal education and informal community workshops.
The discussion will also explore the role of language in place and identity. “We’ll talk about how language exists in the landscape—like the Kwigw8mna building here at Bishop’s,” said Fletcher, referring to the newly named building using an Abenaki word. “We want to see more of that—more Indigenous names on campus, more presence in the public space.”
Ultimately, the hope is to foster a network of learners and educators who can sustain these efforts beyond the classroom. “Success isn’t just about creating fluent speakers—though that’s certainly the dream,” said Fletcher. “It’s about creating a living connection to the language, whether through classes, conversation, signage, or simply awareness.”
The panel is open to all, and Fletcher encourages anyone curious about Indigenous languages to attend. “Even if you’re just interested or wondering what it’s all about, this is a great place to start.”
