Dave Swanson
Dave Swanson was born in Norway House, Manitoba and is a fluent Ininímowin (Cree) speaker. As a teacher, he has taught Ininímowin in schools and uses the language to promote its use to the youth. Dave desires to see young people learning the language, as it gives rise to an appreciation for the ancestor’s way of life and it carries the history of the people. The Speak Indigenous campaign encourages not just Indigenous people but all treaty people to be aware of the history of the people and land and to acknowledge the original inhabitants of these territories.
Dave believes that learning and relearning the languages creates opportunities to learn Indigenous histories, stories, and many other aspects of the Inini (Cree) way of life; in fact, the language contains all that we need to know to live a good life. Dave asserts that the ideal way to revitalize Indigenous language learning is to creative spaces where learners are be immersed in the language on a daily basis.
