Sylix carving on UBCO campus (Photo/UBCO)

By Kevin Rothwell

Degree program in Sylix language

UBCO first to offer degree in Indigenous language fluency

Mar 29, 2021 | 12:51 PM

UBC-Okanagan(UBCO) is set to become the first university in Canada and one of the first in the world, to offer a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous language fluency.

The UBCO campus is located in the territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation,

The Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNLF) program, created in collaboration with the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) and the En’owkin Centre, is designed to work closely with the community to provide a comprehensive and high-quality education in Nsyilxcn—the language spoken by members of the Syilx Okanagan Nation—and to promote new, fluent speakers with a deep understanding of the language, culture, and customs.

“The idea that there’s only knowledge in English or French is absolutely not true,” Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at UBC Okanagan and academic lead on the BNLF said. “Language is identity. Indigenous knowledge systems and an Indigenous paradigm—how we view the world and how we interact—is deeply rooted in language.”

Dr. Jeannette Armstrong, associate professor of Indigenous Studies at UBC Okanagan. (Photo/UBCO)

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She adds that the transfer of Indigenous ideas and consciousness can only happen through the knowledge systems that are resident in the language.

“We hope to help foster a revitalization of the Nsyilxcn language in our communities and to see it spread across all domains of community life,” says Dr. Armstrong. “This is an important step in acting on Indigenous peoples’ rights to develop and transmit their languages, knowledge, and oral traditions.”

The four-year Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency (BNLF) will see students complete the first two in a certificate and diploma program in Nsyilxcn Language Fluency from NVIT and finish the last two at UBC Okanagan in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It will feature a mix of on-campus, classroom learning and working directly with the community.

The BC Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training provided $2 million towards the ‘Indigenous Language Proficiency and Fluency Degree Framework’ for six communities and first nations-mandated institutes to partner with post-secondary institutions to develop and deliver language degrees.

The program piloted last year in three communities and there are already 15 students set to graduate from the NVIT certificate. Those students can continue their studies with UBC Okanagan when it accepts its first incoming class in September 2021.

There are several potential career paths leading from the program in education, tourism, recreation, culture, healthcare and social services.