Listen up! New audio series spotlights passion of Indigenous language speakers

A new audio project called Words and Culture will expose listeners to a variety of Indigenous languages including Haudenosaunee, Cree, Athabaskan, Anishinaabe and Inuktitut.

Learning any language is hard, but imagine trying to learn a language without access to fluent speakers or tools like Duolingo at your fingertips.

Well, that’s what its like for many Indigenous people trying to reconnect with their culture and learn their language.

A new audio project called Words and Culture hopes to expose listeners to a variety of Indigenous languages and make that learning a little easier.

“Shows like this will introduce audiences to those language keepers, those speakers and hopefully it will make more people willing to reach out,” said Kim Wheeler, the shows executive producer.

“Learning language is really scary, right? It’s frightening! People will tell stories like ‘I’m learning to speak, people are laughing at me’ which makes them not want to do it.

“But here we have an offering where you can listen and get some basics in the privacy of your home.”

The show tackles five different language groups in its first season — Haudenosaunee, Cree, Athabaskan, Anishinaabe and Inuktitut — with six episodes dedicated to each language group and a new episode airing each week — online and on the radio.

The episodes are approachable, with language learners of all levels at the helm, each week focusing on a different topic with words and phrases you can learn and practice.