Michif French makes a comeback in a Manitoba classroom - Action News
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Manitoba

Michif French makes a comeback in a Manitoba classroom

St. Laurent School in the Interlake has swapped out conventional French lessons for Michif French, enlisting local Mtis Elders to help pass on the endangered language.

Memayrs teach language they were punished for speaking when they were students

A young girl wearing turquoise glasses smiles at the camera, her best friend seated next to her, both girls holding pencils with worksheets on the table.
Grade 4 students Nova Coutu and Aubree Boudreau say Michif French is one of their favourite classes, and they enjoy practising the language at home with relatives. (Travis Golby/CBC)

A pair of Mtis elders stand in front of a classroom of students who call them "memayrs," or grandmothers in Michif French.

"Komaw sav aw?" one of them calls out from the front of the classroom.

The question translates to "How are you?"

"Ji bin," replies the class, a slightly different response than the "a va bien" you'd typically hear in conventional French.

"I'll see you again," the teacher continues, holding up a flash card.

The children repeat the phrase back in Michif French: "Ma twayr encore."

Connecting to Mtis language and culture is so important to the community of St. Laurent in Manitoba's Interlake,the local English-language school has stopped teaching French, teaching Michif French as a second language instead.

A woman with short grey hair holds up a card with a picture of a fish.
Debbie Lavalle holds up a card for a game of bingo in Michif French. The Mtis elder, or 'memayr,' says stigma led to generations of people in St. Laurent not learning the language of their ancestors. (Travis Golby/CBC)

The lessons aren't given by formally trained teachers, but by memayrs Denise Coutu and Debbie Lavalle.

Grade 4 student Nova Coutu said Michif French is one of her favourite classes, much to the delight of her parents.

"They like that I'm learning it," said Coutu, with a shy smile. "They start talking Michif to me, and I've got to guess what it means."

Her best friend,Aubree Boudreau, also practises with family and said she likes the way she sounds speaking Michif French.

"It feels like a different language coming out of my mouth," she said, gesturing to her throat with a chuckle.

A woman wearing a birght blue sweatshirt with the Mtis infinity symbol holds up a flash card with words in Michif French.
Denise Coutu says she's proud to learn the lessons are sticking with the students, after recent test results showed strong progress in Michif French skills. (Travis Golby/CBC)

The language spoken by the Mtis of St. Laurentis a cousin to the more widely spoken Michif Cree.

Coutu and Lavalle said it means a lot to pass their language on to the next generation.

"Sorry to say, but we are losing the language," Lavalle said. "Back when I went to school, it was a shame put on us."

Coutu faced similar experiences as a child.

"I went to a school where nuns were teaching, and the nuns were very francophone," she said.

She was once smacked with a ruler for speaking Michif French in class, she said.

"They didn't want us to speak our language. They would correct us. I didn't feel so good about my own language."

She was dismayed when, decades later, she sent her own child to kindergarten in French, only to have him face the same old attitude toward Michif French.

"The very first week he came home and said, 'Mommy, you and daddy talk funny,'" she said.

"I'm like, 'What? Already?'"

That stigma meant generations of Mtis people in the community went without learning Michif,Lavalle and Coutu said.

Statistics Canada calls the language endangered, while UNESCO categorizes it as critically endangered.

The memayrs hope to turn that around, one student at a time, using lessons that are both culturally connected and fun.

Two women stand in front of a classroom, one of them holding a flashcard.
The memayrs teach Michif French through lessons that are culturally connected and fun, like bingo games played with words familiar to many Mtis families in St. Laurent. (Travis Golby/CBC)

One popular lesson is playing bingo, using flash cards with pictures of tools and items related to ice fishing, which is still the livelihood of many Mtis families in the Interlake.

To win prizes, students have to say the words out loud in Michif French.

Grade 7 student Logan Van Dinther is a regular winner, after his family recently moved to St. Laurent from Winnipeg.

He said the memayrs quickly made him feel at home.

"They're very sweet and caring, just like a grandma should be," Van Dinther said.

A 13 year old boy grins, wearing a Manitoba Mtis Federation toque he won playing bingo.
Grade 7 student Logan Van Dinther says learning Michif French is helping him connect with the community after his family recently moved to St. Laurent from Winnipeg. (Travis Golby/CBC)

The 13-year-old said he's keen to learn languages andlikes speaking Michif French so much, he evenpractisesoutside the classroom with friends.

"It's pulling me into the community in a good way, which I really like."

St. Laurent School said a recent review of students' work revealed the lessons are sticking.

"I feel optimistic," Coutu said.

"Earlier in the term, I wasn't feeling so optimistic," she saidshe was starting to wonder whether the program was really working.

Shewas encouraged to see the tests come back with strong results.

"They ARE absorbing this. Wow!" she exclaimed, laughing cheerfully.

Lavalle is also proud of their accomplishments.

"It's very important," Lavalle said.

But there's still a lot of work to be done, she said, especially byparents and other older relatives.

"Speak to your kids [in Michif French], speak to your grandchildren," Lavalle said. "Pass it on."

Michif French makes a comeback in a Manitoba classroom

4 months ago
Duration 3:51
St. Laurent School in the Interlake has swapped out conventional French lessons for Michif French, enlisting local Mtis Elders to help pass on the endangered language.

Corrections

  • We initially reported that the teacher said "Komaw ti t'apel?" and that translates to "How are you?" In fact, the teacher said "Komaw sav aw?" and that translates to "How are you?" "Komaw ti t'apel?" translates to "What's your name?"
    May 28, 2024 9:10 AM CT