Weyt-kp xwexwéytep (hello everyone). The Simpcw people speak a variation of the western dialect of Secwepemctsín (the language of the Secwepemc or Shuswap people) which has been passed down from generation to generation. Secwepemctsín belongs to the Interior Salish language family. It is through the language that the Simpcw are tied so closely to the land and to each other. Our people were united by our common language and shared values based on resource gathering and the maintenance of communal ties. The written system (orthography) was only developed in the 1970s by Dutch linguist Aert Kuipers.

The Secwepemc language is one of Canada’s endangered First Nation’s languages and is in jeopardy of being lost due to the loss of Elders and the impacts of residential schooling systems of the mid-1900s. However, the Simpcw people have been working to revive the language through various methods and programs. Neqweyqwelsten School incorporates language and culture into their everyday learning. A Secwepemctsín block is taught five days a week, where the students learn various topics such as: family, weather/calendar, animals, stories, prayers, and traditional hand drum songs. The teachers and staff also work hard to utilize basic commands in the classroom.

Through the annual Simpcw Comprehensive Community Planning, language and culture continued to surface as a priority. In 2011 a Language Coordinator was hired. The program expanded in September 2020 to become a fully functioning Language Department. The staff now includes:

·         Language Manager – Charli Fortier

·         Cultural Coordinator – Rachael Bowser

·         Language Teacher (school) – Angie Rainer

·         Language Assistant – Tiffany Bowser

·         Language Tech – Jacob Sterling

Simpcw fluent Elders William Pete and Dr. Mona Jules also assist with the language programming through mentoring, documentation and translations. The Language and Culture department is responsible for planning and delivering cultural and language activities for the Simpcw community. Language learning resources are readily available for on and off reserve Simpcwemc upon request.

 

For further information, please feel free to contact:

Charli Fortier
Language Manager
Phone: 250.672.9995 ext. 265
Language.Manager@Simpcw.com

 

Eng-Sec Dictionary 3.pdf

Color Alphabets 5 (003).pdf