Indigenous Languages and Education Secretariat

Activities and Events

In this section

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What's New?

Stay up to date with Indigenous languages and education information and activities by checking out our NWT Indigenous Languages Facebook page.

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Upcoming Meetings and Conferences

  • On February 4-5, 2020, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment is offering a Community Indigenous Language Instructor training program to language partners and advocates from across the territory.
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Annual Activities and Events 

Indigenous Languages Month

​February is Indigenous Languages Month in the Northwest Territories!

The theme of Indigenous Languages Month 2020 is "Say It With Me" and is being celebrated in partnership with the NWT Literacy Council.

Indigenous Languages Month provides an opportunity for all language groups across the NWT to celebrate their languages and culture, and is a great opportunity to encourage people to learn about and use the NWT's nine official Indigenous languages with pride. 

During the month of February, we encourage everyone to do what they can to celebrate Indigenous languages and cultures in their community.

  • The NWT Literacy Council has come up with a great resource section for ideas on how to celebrate Indigenous Languages Month. Follow their Facebook page for more throughout the month!
  • Check out and share these Valentine's Day cards in Indigenous languages.
  • Regional Indigenous Governments have been provided with funding to host 'Bannock and Tea' events in their communities to celebrate Indigenous Languages Month. Contact your Regional Indigenous Government or Regional Indigenous Language Coordinator for more information on events happening near you!

“Hi, my name is…” Campaign

The “Hi, my name is…” (HMNI) Sticker Campaign kicked off alongside Indigenous Languages Month in 2016. These name-tag stickers translate the common English phrase “Hello, my name is…” into the nine official Indigenous languages of the NWT. We thought this would be a great first step towards language learning: introducing ourselves to people in our communities! ILES created these stickers to mark the common purpose as partners in language revitalization across the territory. This theme was chosen to enable us to introduce ourselves to the people we serve in our communities and to symbolize the shared responsibility for language revitalization our government shares in partnership with Indigenous governments. We hope that these stickers and phrases will contribute to building relationships with one another!

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