Indigenous Languages Month

What is Indigenous Languages Month?

February is Indigenous Languages Month. This is a month to celebrate the diverse Indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories (NWT) and to encourage everyone to learn about and use them with pride.

To reverse the loss of language and culture and to keep Indigenous languages alive and thriving, they need to be spoken in homes, and communities so that intergenerational transmission can be restored. During this month take time to learn about the Indigenous languages of the NWT and how you can ensure their survival.

Learning about Indigenous languages is a step forward that each Canadian can take on the path to reconciliation and reclamation. Taking part in Indigenous Languages Month is one way to ensure NWT’s official Indigenous languages flourish for generations to come.

What led to the creation of Indigenous Languages Month?

National Aboriginal Languages Day (now National Indigenous Languages Day) was created by Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in 1989 to create awareness across Canada of the languages of the First Peoples, and to build support for their preservation.

National Aboriginal Languages Day was first celebrated on March 31, 1993. Since then, this day celebrates and encourages Indigenous language speakers, elders, knowledge keepers and youth across the country to live and learn in their mother tongue.

In 1993, Betty Harnum, the first Languages Commissioner of the NWT, on the recommendation of NWT residents, asked the AFN to devote more than one day to celebrate the importance of language and culture in our lives. The AFN agreed and declared the entire month of March as Aboriginal Languages Month.

In 2018, based on recommendation of the official language boards, February was declared the new Indigenous Languages Month in the NWT.

Indigenous Languages Month Toolkit

Celebrate Indigenous Languages Month with this year's theme: Languages Work! Throughout the month, residents are encouraged to recognize the important role Indigenous languages play in the workplace and how they contribute to rewarding and successful careers.

Indigenous language skills can open doors to a variety of careers in the NWT including roles as public servants, translators, interpreters, language instructors, and various program coordinators. Supporting people in learning and using Indigenous languages creates pathways for meaningful and rewarding careers. With nine of the NWT's official languages being Indigenous, the GNWT is committed to preserving and promoting these languages, while working to ensure that residents can use them in everyday life -including when accessing government programs and services.

This spring, the GNWT will begin rolling out Indigenous Languages Service Standards, starting with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE). As part of the initial rollout, front-line staff will receive training, tools, and resources to support service delivery in Indigenous languages, whether by email, voicemail, or in person at government service offices.

This is a new initiative, and it will be rolled out gradually as we learn how to improve and strengthen it, while ensuring Indigenous language speakers are supported both within the public service and when accessing government programs and services. Making services accessible in Indigenous languages is a central part of the GNWT's commitment to providing equitable, person-centred, and trauma-informed support to all residents in the NWT.

The GNWT also continues to support language revitalization through programs such as the Mentor-Apprentice Program, the Indigenous Languages Revitalization Scholarship, and Indigenous Languages Programming in Schools and the Indigenous Language Instructor Employment Plan. These Initiatives aim to increase the number of Indigenous language speakers who can then use their language in schools, workplaces, and communities, or teach their language to others.

By committing to creating more opportunities for Indigenous language speakers and learners in the workplace, we as a territory can contribute to true, meaningful Indigenous language revitalization. This Indigenous Languages Month, we are celebrating Indigenous langages and the many ways they enrich NWT communities and workplaces.

Hashtags
  • #IndigenousLanguagesMonth
  • #IndigenousLanguages
  • #LanguageRevitalization
Indigenous Languages Sheets
Community event and activity ideas
  • Host an Indigenous language coffee and tea chat where people can get together to practice their language skills in a casual setting over coffee.
  • Host an outdoor walk, ski or snowmobile ride on the land and try to name landmarks and natural features in the local Indigenous language.
  • Host a games night at your local community centre and play UNO, Go Fish, or the Memory Game in an Indigenous language.
  • Get a group together and collect wood, go trapping or go to camp with a language speaker while immersing yourself in the language.
  • Label items in your office or school in an Indigenous language and try to only use that word for the month of February.
  • Host a sewing circle and immerse yourself in the language.
  • Put on an event to celebrate Indigenous languages through the arts.
Updated: Jun 08, 2026