First Languages

September 19 to December 3

Two exhibitions from The Canadian Language Museum

Cree: The People’s Language

Get inspired by this fascinating story of the Cree language. Spoken across a vast area, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains, Cree is the most widely spoken Canadian Aboriginal language. Featuring maps and images, the exhibition explores the syllabic writing system, word formation, animacy, and the future of Cree.

Beyond Words: Dictionaries and Indigenous Languages 

This exhibition highlights the complex relationship between Indigenous languages and dictionaries over several centuries. From the earliest contact, wordlists, phrasebooks, and dictionaries have been more than neutral bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous languages. Dictionaries are not just lists of vocabulary; they are artifacts of the time and place they are made and reflect the goals of the people who create them.

Images: Inuktitut Syllabics; “Proof Close Up” by Christopher Chen (Cree); Cree Dictionary.