'It's not reconciliation but it's reclamation': Cree language expert wants to see more traditional names reclaimed
A Cree language expert in Saskatchewan is hopeful the provincial government will allow Indigenous people to apply to reclaim their traditional names on government identification after the federal government committed to a similar plan on Monday.
The Government of Canada announced Monday that Indigenous people may apply to reclaim their traditional names on passports and other government ID. The move comes in response to a call to action from the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The call to action demanded governments allow survivors and their families to restore names changed by the residential school system.
After graduating with a bachelor of arts in Cree Language and Literacy, Darian Âcikahtê said he now understands how to pronounce his name properly.
“I’m trying to even teach myself, cause it’s been 23 years of saying Agecoutay. Now that I know the language, I know how it sounds, Âcikahtê, so now I’m trying to teach myself,” Darian Âcikahtê said.
Maintaining traditional languages is crucial to keeping a culture alive, according to Âcikahtê.
On his home reserve of Cowessess First Nation, only a handful of members still have their traditional names. He said this is a result of the work done to assimilate Indigenous children in residential schools.
“Last names at the time of treaty signings that have been lost, like ê-kwêkwânâpê, nîkânikwânâpê, nîpâpinês, all those names, you don’t hear them anymore on my reserve,” Âcikahtê said.
Many from Cowessess now have french last names, or their Indigenous names have been anglicized.
Âcikahtê said he’s thankful Indigenous people can reclaim their traditional names on federal IDs, and said it's important the province offers the same opportunity.
The Government of Saskatchewan said in an email to CTV News it is aware of the announcement made by the federal government, and it has yet to determine whether there is any impact to the current process for Saskatchewan residents.
All fees will be waived for the name-changing process, which pertains to passports, citizenship certificates and permanent resident cards.
“That’s reclamation you know? It’s not reconciliation but it’s reclamation, and that’s what we kind of need,” he said.
Not everyone will be interested in reclaiming their traditional name, Âcikahtê said, but he explained it’s critical for Indigenous people to have the option to chose for themselves.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.