[Some] people are scared to make a mistake or fear being laughed at. I just encourage people: don’t worry about it, keep trying, keep trying. I start off any conversation with the language to promote safety and to recognize and honour the language
- Tanya Dawn McDougall
Tanya Dawn McDougall
Tanya Dawn McDougall is Nelliane Cromarty’s daughter and the granddaughter of Kathleen Mason, the first female councillor in the region. Tanya was born during her mother’s post-secondary training, thus beginning her journey as a lifelong scholar from birth. Tanya speaks Anisinineemowin, although not as fluently as she would like, and she holds two master’s degrees, one in Educational Administration from the University of Manitoba and one in School and Applied Child Psychology from the University of Calgary. She is the first female certified member of the Island Lake Search and Rescue Dive Team, referred to as Oogoogeek, and she Tanya dances for healing (jingle dress and Sundance).
For Tanya, the language is the crucial holder and conveyor of the knowledge and values of her community. Tanya fears that if her community loses its language, which is on the verge of extinction, the people risk losing their identity. Tanya hopes that through the Speak Indigenous campaign, she can help build capacity and inspire a new generation of language speakers. For Tanya, the key to promoting Indigenous language learning is to value the language, encourage people, and create opportunities to learn and use the language.
