Speech at International Mother Language Day, International Students’ Union of Tromsø, Tromsø 22.02.2019
Lill Tove Fredriksen
“Mii dáhpáhuvvá leaikkain, go ii oktage šat dan gula?” Dán jearai almmái, okta ovcci potawatomi eatnigiela hálliin gii lei báhcán olles máilmmis. Potawatomi čearda lea okta USA álgoálbmogiin. Son jearai dán gažaldaga muhtin giellakurssas, iežas gillii, maŋŋil go lei muitalan somás muitalusa. Dušše gávcci eatnigielhálli reške.
«What will happen to a joke when no one can hear it anymore?» This is the question a man from the Potawatomi people asked in a language class where the last nine remaining fluent speakers of the potawatomi language were gathered for the first time, as teachers. He asked the question after he first had told a story. Only the other eight speakers of potawatomi laughed. The Potawatomi is one of the Indigenous peoples in the USA. This year, 2019, UNESCO has dedicated to the International Year of Indigenous languages. Of the among 6.000-7.000 languages in the world today, about 97% of the world’s population speaks only 4 % of these languages. A great majority of the remaining 96% of the languages are spoken mainly by indigenous peoples, and they will continue to disappear at an alarming rate. This due to imperial history, fear, racism, ignorance and a notion of some peoples being superior, others inferior.
The Sámi languages are among these threatened Indigenous languages. Therefore, I feel privileged and very lucky, to be able to have the Sámi language, not only as the language I speak at home, but also as my working language here at the university, working with Sámi literature. This is something UiT The Arctic University of Norway should be proud of and value highly, and continue to support and develop further the Sámi language and literature courses at all levels, and the Sámi languages as scientific languages. This implies supporting it with the commitments, the status, the diversity, the pride and the acknowledgment of the history and the land where the University is situated. Preserving a language, nursing it and keeping it safe for future generations is hard work, and great love. After all, our Mother Language is the place where we create our realities, the home of our thoughts and memories, our way of seeing the world, the bridge into mutual understanding and unity. This is the place where stories are told and jokes are heard. The heart of our culture, the place where I am who I am.
Lihkku eatnigiel beaivái! Feliz día del idioma materno! Happy Mother Language Day!