As part of Indigenous History Month in June 2022, Xwi7xwa Library launched a new exhibit, featuring materials from their Indigenous language collection, on display in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC).
Leaving No One Behind, No One Outside, was curated by Kayla Lar-Son, Indigenous Programs and Services Librarian at Xwi7xwa Library, and student librarians Leah Vanderweide and Justina Bruns. The exhibit supports the International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022-2032), as established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
“For Indigenous Peoples Month, we were inspired by the newly launched UNESCO’s decade of Indigenous Languages. The goal for the decade of Indigenous Languages is ‘leaving no one behind and no one outside, this not only exemplifies the fact that ability to learn and speak one’s traditional language is a human right, but also highlights the importance of language revitalization programs,” says Lar-son. “For us at Xwi7xwa Library, we wanted to celebrate the diversity and complexity of Indigenous Languages in British Columbia as well as promote Indigenous Language resources and programs at UBC. For Indigenous peoples, languages are deeply rooted in culture and identity. As an Indigenous librarian, language collections are deeply personal to me as our languages encompass our worldviews, and our ways of knowing and being.”
Please visit the Library website to read the full article and to view the photo gallery highlighting the exhibit.
Under Strategy 17: Indigenous Engagement, the university is committed to supporting the objectives and actions of the Indigenous Strategic Plan.