PEIEfforts to revitalize the Mi’kmaw language have been growing on Lennox Island First Nation through multiple initiatives in the community. Some of those include a language curriculum in John J. Sark Memorial School and a Mi’kmaw language course offered by UPEI. ‘It is just a whole other level of intergenerational love,’ says program participantJenna Banfield · CBC News · Posted: Dec 09, 2025 2:46 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.On Lennox Island, rediscovery of Mi’kmaw language gains momentumThe Mi’kmaw language is growing on Lennox Island — there are now classes for people of all ages, as well as signs and learning prompts in community buildings. Officials with the First Nation say increasing the number of fluent speakers in the community is a top priority. CBC’s Delaney Kelly reports.Efforts to revitalize the Mi’kmaw language have been growing on Lennox Island First Nation through multiple initiatives in the community.Some of those include a language curriculum in John J. Sark Memorial School and a Mi’kmaw course offered by UPEI.There are QR codes at the store Jake’s Place that, when scanned by a cellphone, will display the name of an item in Mi’kmaw.Alyssa Jo Bernard is taking a language course with her grandmother, who is a residential school survivor. Bernard said it’s difficult to put into words what it means to learn alongside her family member, but that it feels empowering to see her grandmother enhance her own knowledge.Alyssa Jo Bernard says learning the Mi’kmaw language with her grandmother was a form of intergenerational love. She hopes to pass the language down to her own children. (Jane Robertson/CBC)”When she was younger, she did lose her language and she now cannot speak fully in the Mi’kmaw [language],” Bernard said, “But we are working on that, and she is more than full steam ahead on her way to speaking Mi’kmaw more and more each day.”Bernard said she also practises the language with her two kids, and that her ultimate goal is to be able to teach others how to speak it.”Advancing my knowledge when it comes to my culture with my grandmother is not only a level of resilience, but it is just a whole other level of intergenerational love,” she said. “I hope one day my kids will be able to speak in full terminology in Mi’kmaw or be able to say the prayer in Mi’kmaw.”From songs to slangGrade 6 student Lyla Mitchell has been learning Mi’kmaw in school for about seven years. She’ll even teach her parents some of the Mi’kmaw terminology she’s learned, including the slang term “6-7.”She’s also learning songs in Mi’kmaw for an upcoming Christmas concert, and said she likes seeing people sing along and enjoy themselves.Grade 6 student Lyla Mitchell is learning songs in Mi’kmaw for an upcoming Christmas concert. She says she wants to ensure residential school survivors feel comfortable speaking the language again. (Jane Robertson/CBC)”My goal is to make sure that the people, the survivors that went to the residential school, get to feel welcome to speak their language again and that more people can learn it again so it can revive,” she said. Sarah Myers, the project manager with the Lennox Island Mi’kmaq Culture Centre, said there aren’t many fluent speakers in the community right now, but the language has been growing over the past couple of years.”I have a three-year-old…. Since it’s so strong in our daycare system right now, she teaches me almost just as much as I teach her,” Myers said. “Having it so prevalent in our daycare system, in our school system and our band owned and operated entities, seeing it on a daily basis really helps the growth.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJenna Banfield is an associate producer for CBC Prince Edward Island. She can be reached at jenna.banfield@cbc.caWith files from Delaney Kelly
Mi’kmaw language renewal in Lennox Island reaching generations both new and old
