UPEI offers Mi'kmaw language course to all Indigenous community members

Starting September 7, 2022, all members of the Indigenous community on Prince Edward Island will have the opportunity to learn the Mi’kmaw language at no cost.

The UPEI Faculty of Indigenous Knowledge, Education, Research, and Applied Studies (IKERAS) will offer a section of the “Introduction to Mi’kmaw Language” course to Indigenous community members on and off reserve. The same course is offered as an elective to UPEI students as part of a minor in Indigenous Studies. 

The course will be taught online by lecturer Doris Googoo on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 6:00–7:15 pm, during the University’s fall and winter semesters. Indigenous community members who register will receive a bursary that is equivalent to the registration cost. 

Interested Indigenous community members may get more information about registering for the course by emailing IKERAS@upei.ca. 

As outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, post-secondary institutions are called to create courses and programs in Indigenous languages. UPEI is offering this course section to help Indigenous community members re-establish a link to the Mi’kmaw language. 

“Mi’kmaw language preservation and revitalization are important elements of UPEI’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation,” said Dr. Gary Evans, interim dean of the Faculty of IKERAS. “UPEI offers this course in Peace and Friendship, and we hope it will allow participants to learn and share knowledge from the comfort of their homes and Indigenous communities.”