Westbank First Nation councillor Jordan Coble is featured in a series of online language lessons that will teach the basics of the traditional syilx language.

Image Credit: Westbank First Nation/Darren Hull

A Westbank First Nation councillor says learning nsyilxcen, the traditional language of the syilx people, is a crucial step toward decolonization.

Jordan Coble grew up learning the language but only at a basic level. As he got older, he wanted to learn the language so he could speak to the elders in his community.

Unfortunately, as he learned, some of the elders died and his priorities changed.

Now, the Westbank First Nation councillor learns and practices so he can teach his children.

"It's the source of our identity, what we know to be true and our laws," Coble said. "Learning our language is an act of decolonizing. It opens up your heart, your mind, your spirit to so many curiosities."

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A new nsyilxcen online learning tool launched on the Westbank First Nation website, Sept. 30. Coble hopes to help anyone learning the basics of the language, but he does have apprehensions.

"If people have this tool, that turns language into a commodity that can really quickly turn into misappropriation," he said. "Language is like a fire, but as we know, fire can get away from us very quickly. If we don't control this language fire, there's potential for it to spread and cause damage."

It's important for students of the language program to know that it simply brings people to a "baby talk" level of comprehension, he said. In order to properly learn and use the language, students should speak with elders and learn from their mistakes.

Like many Indigenous languages, there are fewer and fewer nsyilxcen speakers left.

While there are roughly a dozen language speakers left in the Okanagan Nation Alliance, Coble said there are many more new learners working to revitalize the language in recent years.

However, many of those new learners take their lessons in a classroom setting. Coble said that while that is normal in modern society, nsyilxcen is much more "conversational" and is best to be learned from elders and fluent speakers rather than translation.

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There's a difference between learning the mechanics of the language and learning to have conversations.

"Our language is a beautiful melody of sounds that come together to create meaning," he said. "(The online resource) is just a tool. What really needs to happen is our people need to come together and create that meaning within themselves."

Coble now teaches his own children their traditional language, but not through translations. Instead, he'll use games like charades to act out the meaning for his kids, effectively leaving the English translation out of the process.

Although the learning resource was launched on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Coble is hesitant to say efforts to recognize the statutory holiday should rest on Westbank First Nation's shoulders, or any Indigenous communities for that matter.

"We already know aspects that we need to address. Non-Indigenous governments can be leading the charge and taking action," Coble said, adding that wearing orange shirts and land acknowledgements are an important first step, but not without criticism.

"It's one thing to say, 'Oh, we took your land,' but that's not returning the land," he said.

The online language program, in which he is featured some of the 45 video lessons, is a way for Westbank First Nation to both help their members learn their traditional language, but also offer insight into their culture to the rest of the public.

"Providing this language tool is our efforts to open the doorways to our community and culture. We want you to understand who we are, where we come from and what's been taken from us," Coble said. "We want to do it with love and compassion."

More information about the Westbank First Nation online learning program can be found here.

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