Original
Voices

Language is more than what we use to communicate. It is our identity. It is our ancestry. It is our legacy.

Explore the many diverse Indigenous languages that exist across the country.

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Click on a region to learn about its languages. Zoom in and Click on a language to learn more:

agadewayęsdǫhǫgyeˀ Play or pause the audio

my learning is ongoing
aw - gaw- day - wa - yes - dough - ho - gay
Lunaape

New Phrase

Produced by CBC Indigenous, Original Voices was launched as a celebration of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, a United Nations observance to raise awareness of the consequences of the endangerment of Indigenous languages across the world in 2019.

There are over 80 Indigenous languages across the country and while Original Voices currently features over 30 of them, this list will grow. This is the hub for all CBC Indigenous language content and new, original stories will be added going forward.

The design of our map borrows from the work of Native Land to visually represent the diverse and numerous languages that exist across the country. To read more about their project and methods please consult their page.

The numbers of language speakers referenced in this project are approximate, gathered from census data, the First Peoples Cultural Council and language experts from the nations themselves.

We welcome all feedback and your story ideas for Original Voices. You can get in touch with us by emailing indigenous@cbc.ca.

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