Diigii hla k’aaygang – “Tell me a story”: Skidegate Haida language revitalization through traditional storytelling

• Other Authors: Grant, Yalhnaaw/Aaron (Author), King, Jessie (Thesis advisor), Fraser, Tina (Thesis advisor), Nyce, Deanna (Committee member), University of Northern British Columbia (Degree granting institution)
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Northern British Columbia 2021
• Subjects: haida
• Online Access: https://unbc.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/unbc%3A59222; https://doi.org/10.24124/2021/59222

This Indigenous-led master’s thesis re-search focuses on my journey of Skidegate Haida language revitalization through Traditional storytelling. Framed by my Skidegate Haida conceptual framework, Ts’uu K’waayGa – “Cedar Sister”, I draw from Jo-Ann Archibald’s (2008) Storywork methodology with the methods of autoethnography and the Mentor Apprentice (MAP) guidelines to articulate my journey. From this, thirteen audio recorded stories (five in my Nanaay’s – Grandmother’s – voice and eight in my own voice) have come from my re-search. These stories are restricted to members of my Skidegate Haida community. Through this reflective re-search, four key themes emerged: “Language Learning is Hard” is an Understatement; Displacement, Discomfort, Relentless Questioning, and Self-Discovery; Your Mind and Spirit Need Time Alone to Reflect; and It is your Responsibility to Fight for your Ancestors