Tahltan Language Revitalization in the Face of Resource Development in Northern British Columbia

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Dr. Judy Thompson (Edōsdi) is presenting March 21st at the annual Society for Applied Anthropology annual meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She will be part of the Globalization, Resistance, and Ethnography: Indigenous alternatives to neo-liberalism session with a group of researchers from Northern BC. Her presentation is titled Tahltan Language Revitalization in the Face of Resource Development in Northern British Columbia – the abstract can be found below:

In 2011, the Tahltan Nation agreed to the building of a transmission line and the electrification of its territory. In dealing with this challenge, the Nation has developed a strategic process to improve governance, economy, environmental management, and social/cultural well-being. In terms of social and cultural issues, language revitalization is one of the Nation’s priorities. This paper discusses methodological and practical issues regarding Tahltan language revitalization. The first part focuses on the development of a methodology, Tahltan Voiceability, which is embedded in a Tahltan worldview that honours all voices. The second part focuses on Tahltan community experiences of language revitalization.