Aboriginal Language Service

Aboriginal Language Service unit is a part of the Land Claims and Implementation Secretariat/First Nations Relations branch, which is part of the Yukon government’s Executive Council Office.

The Aboriginal Language Service unit is responsible for funding Yukon First Nations' community-based language projects that help preserve, develop and enhance the Aboriginal languages of the Yukon.

Funding is made available through the Canada-Yukon Cooperation Agreement for Aboriginal Languages, which was signed by the governments of Canada and Yukon.

Yukon First Nations Languages

All Yukon First Nation language groups are in unique situations.

Profile of Yukon First Nations Languages published May 2004, describes the state of the eight Yukon First Nation language groups and aims to provide Yukon First Nation language groups and Yukon First Nation communities with information that might assist in preserving, restoring and perpetuating their ancestral languages.

The fluency assessment involved Yukon First Nation groups, Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC), Yukon First Nation Relations/Aboriginal Language Service (ALS), the Yukon Bureau of Statistics and the Yukon Department of Education.

This assessment was undertaken by the Aboriginal Language Service unit as a means to meeting its commitments as required under the terms and conditions of the Canada-Yukon Cooperation Agreement for Aboriginal Languages, for the period of 1998-2003.

Although it was sponsored by First Nation Relations/Aboriginal Language Service, the opinions expressed were not intended to represent the view of Yukon First Nations, or the governments of Yukon and Canada.

First Voices

To further assist organizations working to sustain First Nation languages, a group called First Voices has developed web-based tools and services that are designed to support language archiving, language teaching and culture revitalization.

First Voices is becoming an important global Indigenous language resource that helps Aboriginal communities to archive and to teach their languages with multimedia language tools.

Visit the First Voices website to access the new Unicode-based font and keyboarding technologies, specifically for the Tagish, Southern Tutchone and Hän language communities in the Yukon.

Cheryl McLean
Director
First Nations Relations/
 Aboriginal Language Service
Executive Council Office
Government of Yukon
Box 2703 (A-8G)
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2C6

Phone: (867) 667-3737
Toll free (In Yukon):
1-800-661-0408,
local 3737
Fax: (867) 393-6229

cheryl.mclean@gov.yk.ca

Please visit our office at:

Closeleigh Manor
First Ave. & Elliott St.
Whitehorse