The mood in the Mitchuap Celebration Hall in Chisasibi was taut with friendly competition the evening of April 16, 2019, as students poured over their cue cards in preparation for their big moment at the podium. The theme for the 2019 CSB Regional Public Speaking Contest, hosted this year by James Bay Eeyou School, was "Honouring the International Year of Indigenous Languages."
Isabelle Dixon of Waswanipi won first place in both the Cree and English categories; Ritvisha Gobin (Chisasibi) won first place in the French category.
Students could choose from four questions:
- How do elders use the Cree language to teach you about life, culture and the land?
- Is it important for someone to know more than one language?
- English and French are the official languages of Canada. How do you keep the Cree language alive?
- What is beautiful about your language?
Presentations focused on the importance of language to one's identity and offered ideas about how to preserve the Cree language. Many students touched on the residential school era as proof of the resilience of Cree language.
