In the heart of the University of Alberta, a transformative project is unfolding, one that challenges conventional research paradigms and champions Indigenous knowledge systems and practices. Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SILR), established in 2021, is more than just a research initiative; it's a movement dedicated to fostering connections between Indigenous Graduate Research Assistants, language learners and Knowledge Holders, ensuring the vitality and continuity of Ancestral languages.
At the core of SILR is a dynamic research team, a collective of passionate Indigenous graduate research assistants: Crystal Wood, Velvalee Georges, Joline Bull and Sherryl Sewepegaham, alongside their ally and research lead, Dr. Davina Rousell. They took part in a searching process to gain an understanding of the profound relationship between Ancestral languages and individual and communal well-being.
Challenging the limitations of Western research
The project began with a systematic literature review, a standard academic practice. However, the team quickly recognized its inherent limitations. The review, while revealing correlations between language use and health, predominantly relied on western frameworks and measurements, failing to capture the nuanced, holistic understanding of well-being within Indigenous communities and Nations.
"We realized that the literature could only take us so far," reflects one team member. "The knowledge is rightfully held by Ancestral Language Speakers and Knowledge Holders."
This realization prompted a pivotal shift. The team understood that to truly honour and understand the relationship between Ancestral languages and individual and communal well-being, they needed to move beyond traditional research methods and embrace a relational approach — one that prioritized listening and learning directly from Ancestral Language Speakers and Knowledge Holders.
Seeking wisdom: The guidance of the Indigenous Advisory Council
Recognizing the necessity of Indigenous guidance, the team sought counsel from SILR's esteemed Indigenous Advisory Council: Elder Dr. Elmer Ghostkeeper, Language Holder Doreen Frencheater, Elder Molly Chisaakay and Elder Mary Cardinal-Collins. Grounded in ceremony, the council provided invaluable direction, challenging the team to redefine research practices.
The council responded with a powerful mandate: to conduct the study in a way that sets new international standards, avoiding Roman Orthography and text and prioritizing an Indigenous research paradigm and data sovereignty practices.
The council gifted the research team with a framework built on five core principles:
- Engage in a "searching process," moving away from the colonial connotations of "research."
- Honouring relationality, building accountable and respectful relationships with participants.
- Honouring orature, emphasizing oral traditions and visual representation.
- Giving back, ensuring reciprocal benefits for participants.
- Assert Indigenous data sovereignty, placing control of data in the hands of the participants today, tomorrow and in perpetuity.
A relational approach
Council guidance transformed the project, shifting it from a fact-finding exercise to a deeply respectful, relational journey of knowledge sharing and preservation.
With ethical approval secured from the U of A’s research ethics board, the team embarked on a searching process rooted in relationality. Their commitment was clear: to conduct their work without causing harm, to give back to each participant, and to ensure the enduring protection of the knowledge shared.
Visual storytelling and the findings video
In response to the council's directive to move away from text, the team embraced visual and orature practices. Video recordings of visits with 23 Ancestral Language Keepers (speaking Nehiyawewin, Michif, Dene Tha’ and Anishinaabe) were collectively viewed followed by talking circles. These sessions yielded hand-drawn visuals capturing key themes, teachings and practices.
Building upon this process, the team collaborated with Indigenous graphic recorder Michelle Buchholz to create a comprehensive pictograph that invited viewers on a journey of searching and self-reflection, emphasizing that language revitalization is a lifelong process toward well-being. This visual synthesis of the findings was then shared with and verified by each Ancestral Language Speaker and Knowledge Holder, ensuring accuracy and respect.
The challenge of sharing findings without relying on text led the team to create a findings video. This innovative approach allowed the Ancestral Language Speakers and Knowledge Holders to share their stories in their own words, preserving their voices and languages and allowing viewers to truly see, hear and feel the wisdom of the participants.
Giving back and data sovereignty
Central to the project was the commitment to give back. The team gifted each participant a professionally edited recording of their visit. Understanding the importance of music as part of Ancestral Languages and well-being, music of local Indigenous artists (Nehiyawewin, Michif and Dene Tha’) was braided into each recording.
Guided by the council, the team developed a Data Sovereignty Declaration and Care Taking Directive — a signed agreement that places ownership of the recordings in the hands of the participants, ensuring their control in the present, future and perpetuity, and honouring their responsibility to pass the information on to the next generation.
Implementing Indigenous data sovereignty rights aligns with the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, established best practice principles (e.g., CARE, OCAP), as well as the U of A’s Braiding Past, Present and Future: Indigenous Strategic Plan and Forward with Purpose: A Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation.
This work represents a landmark achievement, demonstrating how post-secondary institutions can move beyond theoretical discussions of Indigenous data sovereignty and implement concrete practices.
The SILR team hopes the findings video is shared widely and invites Indigenous youth, adults and Elders on the path of connecting with and learning their Ancestral Language(s), thereby beginning a lifelong journey of discovery toward experiencing a good life that is interconnected with the land, ceremony, all our relations and a continual praxis of agency.