Reclaiming our Aboriginal Languages
Forum Theatre
in which Aboriginal people
from many different First Nations across Canada
have come together to create audience-interactive plays
that bring out issues at the core of their struggles
with the loss of their traditional Aboriginal languages,
and the challenges of reclamation.
The 2006 ALLI Forum Theatre piece, Reclaiming our Aboriginal Languages, was performed on July 4th at the UBC First Nations House of Learning at First Nations Longhouse. Six days of workshop prepared participants for the event.
About Forum Theatre
Forum Theatre is a unique type of participatory theatre. The issues related to language loss and the challenges of reclamation are very complex, and impact on all generations in Aboriginal communities and, by extension, all communities. The plays that have been developed by the workshop participants are quite short. Each play is run once, all the way through, so the audience can see the situation and the problems presented. The play builds to a crisis and stops there, offering no solutions.
The play is then run again, and you as audience members are invited to participate. You can “freeze” the action at any point where you see a character struggling with a problem. When an audience member yells ” stop! “, s/he then comes into the playing area to replace one of the characters whose struggle they understand. The audience member engages in the character’s struggle, and tries out his/her idea of how that character might make different choices or of how to help move the situation to a more positive and empowering outcome.
Program
Welcome: Musqueam Elder Larry Grant
Opening remarks: Patricia A. Shaw, Director, ALLI
Headlines Theatre Director: David Diamond
Participants and their Aboriginal language heritage
- Betsy Ludwig: Gitxsan
- Carrielynn Victor: Halq’emeylem, Pilalt, Sto:lo
- Dale Steinhauer: Saddle Lake Cree Nation
- Diana Steinhauer: Saddle Lake Cree Nation
- Dustin Rivers: Skwxwu’7mesh snichem
- Herb Varley: Nuu-chah-nulth
- Jean Cheekie: Sayisi Dene, Tadoule Lake
- Larry Grant: Musqueam hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓
- Laura Cranmer: Kwak’wala, ’Namgis
- Louis Esme’ Cruz: Mi’kmaq
- Minetta McNaughton: Onondaga, Haudenosaunee/Six Nations
- Nadia Joe: Champagne Aishihik (S.Tutchone) / Nłeʔkepmxcin
- Sarah Spence: Cree, Sandy Bay First Nation
- Sean John: Halq’emeylem, Chawathil / Cree / Anishnabe
- Stephen Lytton: Nłeʔkepmxcin, Thompson Interior Salish
- Theresa Point: Halq’emeylem, Skowkale-Sto:lo
Closing remarks: Gitxsan Elder Doreen Jensen
Closing circle and smudge: Allanah E. Young
“A very moving experience that contributed on my overall understanding of the issues presented in the class.” – FNLG 448H student
STUDENT REVIEWS SOON TO BE AVAILABLE HERE!!!
Acknowledgements
This special event is presented as part of the UBC Aboriginal Languages and Literacy Institute. ALLI is a collaborative initiative of the First Nations and Endangered Languages Program (FNEL), First Nations and Indigenous Studies Program (FNIS), and Department of Language and Literacy Education (LLED).
Special thanks to:
Patricia A. Shaw, Director, ALLI- Michelle La Flamme, ALLI-Headlines Project Coordinator
- Dafne Blanco, Community Outreach, Headlines Theatre
- Ralph Frank, Workshop Counsellor
- Allanah E. Young, Counsellor, FNHL
- Dolly Watts & Annie Watts, Liliget Catering
- Robert Gardiner & Jay Henrickson, UBC Theatre Dept
- Christine Wasiak, UBC First Nations Longhouse
- Linc Kesler, FNIS
We gratefully acknowledge the support of:
The BC Ministry of Advanced Education- Aboriginal Special Projects Fund
- The First Nations House of Learning, UBC
- The Department of Theatre, UBC
- The Faculty of Arts, UBC
- The Faculty of Education, UBC
Click here to see the call for participants.
