Glenn Tssessaze
Glenn Tssessaze was born in La Ronge, Saskatchewan but raised in the Denesuline communities of Wollaston Lake, Saskatchewan and La Brochet, Manitoba. Glenn’s first language is Denesuline, the only language spoken in the household in which he lived. Glenn conversed in Denesuline with other community members until he was a teenager. His mother, who is in spirit world, was bilingual, fluent in both Cree and Denesuline. Through her, Glenn learned to speak a few Cree words as a child. Glenn spoke English out of necessity in the school context. Glenn is grateful to have had the opportunity to interview some of the community members in the Denesuline language for his graduate studies and during his tenure as a school teacher in his home community.
Through the Speak Indigenous initiative, he hopes to inspire Denesuline young people to connect with the beauty of their language. Denesuline allows Glenn to connect with his family, the people of his community, the culture and the land in a beautiful way. Glenn believes that languages can heal, and that reclaiming and speaking our languages plays a key role in re-learning our land-based knowledge.
