Indigenous languages of Canada

E58054

language family grouping

Indigenous languages of Canada are the diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis languages spoken across the country, many of which are endangered but central to Indigenous cultures, identities, and knowledge systems.

Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form	Occurrences
First Nations languages of Canada	1

Statements (107)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	language family grouping ⓘ
affectedBy	colonial policies ⓘ day schools ⓘ language suppression laws and practices ⓘ residential school system ⓘ
country	Canada ⓘ
hasImportantRoleIn	community cohesion ⓘ cultural identity ⓘ oral traditions ⓘ place-based knowledge ⓘ spiritual practices ⓘ traditional knowledge transmission ⓘ
hasLanguageIsolate	Haida ⓘ Kutenai (Ktunaxa) ⓘ Tlingit ⓘ surface form: Tlingit (in Canadian context)
hasProperty	central to Indigenous self-determination ⓘ encode kinship and governance systems ⓘ encode land-based and ecological knowledge ⓘ increasing documentation and standardization efforts ⓘ many languages are endangered ⓘ many languages historically oral ⓘ several languages are critically endangered ⓘ some languages are undergoing revitalization ⓘ some languages have growing numbers of second-language learners ⓘ some languages have no remaining fluent first-language speakers ⓘ
hasRightRecognizedIn	Indigenous Languages Act (Canada) ⓘ United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ⓘ surface form: UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
hasType	Algonquian languages ⓘ Na-Dene ⓘ surface form: Athabaskan (Dene) languages First Nations languages ⓘ Inuit languages ⓘ Eskimo–Aleut languages ⓘ surface form: Inuit-Yupik-Unangan languages Iroquoian languages ⓘ Métis languages ⓘ Salishan languages ⓘ Tsimshianic languages ⓘ Wakashan languages ⓘ language isolates ⓘ
hasWritingSystem	Canadian Aboriginal syllabics ⓘ Canadian Aboriginal syllabics ⓘ surface form: Inuktitut syllabics Latin alphabet ⓘ surface form: Latin alphabet (for many languages) community-specific orthographies ⓘ
includesLanguage	Ojibwe ⓘ surface form: Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe dialects) Atikamekw ⓘ Blackfoot ⓘ surface form: Blackfoot (Siksiká) Bungee (Bungi) ⓘ Cree ⓘ Dene ⓘ surface form: Dakelh (Carrier) Dene Suline (Chipewyan) ⓘ Gitxsan ⓘ Gwich’in ⓘ surface form: Gwichʼin Haida ⓘ Haisla ⓘ Halkomelem ⓘ surface form: Hul’q’umi’num’ Inuinnaqtun ⓘ Inuktitut ⓘ Inuit languages ⓘ surface form: Inuktut (umbrella term for Inuit languages in Canada) Inuvialuktun ⓘ Mohawk ⓘ surface form: Kanien’kéha (Mohawk) Mohawk ⓘ surface form: Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk) Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwak’wala) ⓘ Michif ⓘ Mi’kmaq ⓘ surface form: Mi’kmaw (Mi’kmaq) Mohawk ⓘ Naskapi ⓘ Nisga’a ⓘ Nuu-chah-nulth peoples ⓘ surface form: Nuu-chah-nulth Oji-Cree ⓘ Ojibwe ⓘ Plains Cree ⓘ Anishinabek ⓘ surface form: Saulteaux Secwepemctsín (Shuswap) ⓘ Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim) ⓘ Stoney Nakoda ⓘ Swampy Cree ⓘ Tsilhqot’in (Chilcotin) ⓘ Tsimshian ⓘ Tłı̨chǫ ⓘ surface form: Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib) Maliseet ⓘ surface form: Wolastoqey (Maliseet) Woods Cree ⓘ
legalStatus	not official languages at the federal level ⓘ recognized as Aboriginal languages in the Constitution Act, 1982 (section 35) ⓘ
partOf	Indigenous cultures in Canada ⓘ
protectedBy	Indigenous Languages Act (Canada) ⓘ
recognizedBy	Canadian federal government (Ottawa) ⓘ surface form: Government of Canada
relatedTo	Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada ⓘ surface form: Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples ⓘ surface form: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
spokenBy	First Nations ⓘ surface form: First Nations peoples Inuit ⓘ Métis ⓘ
subjectOf	language revitalization programs ⓘ
supportedBy	Indigenous communities ⓘ Inuit organizations ⓘ Métis ⓘ surface form: Métis organizations federal funding programs ⓘ provincial and territorial initiatives ⓘ tribal councils ⓘ
usedIn	ceremonies and cultural events ⓘ community schools ⓘ community signage ⓘ digital media and apps ⓘ immersion programs ⓘ language nests ⓘ media and broadcasting ⓘ post-secondary Indigenous studies programs ⓘ radio programming ⓘ television programming ⓘ

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Canadian English → coexistsWith → Indigenous languages of Canada ⓘ

Atikamekw language → isPartOf → Indigenous languages of Canada ⓘ

this entity surface form: First Nations languages of Canada

Western Canada → language → Indigenous languages of Canada ⓘ