 My name is Delina Hadea, and I'm presently in St. George's because we are offering five-day camp programs in Newfoundland to bring back the language. I've been very successful. And where I'm from, my father says, I'm from Indian Rock, Muscovite. Yes, that's where I'm from. So, to tell you something about the program, I'll just say that Miigama Heritage Research and Restoration Association is a not-for-profit society registered in Nova Scotia since 2004. The board is made up of five directors, which includes also a chair. I'm the chair and director of the Miigama Language programs, culture programs, Miigama Language and Culture programs. All MHRA boards positions are volunteer. We're not for profit. However, the directors and chair are reimbursed for travel that is specific to delivering our programs. Ten years ago, in a visioning workshop, we decided to focus on bringing Miigama Language and Culture camps to the communities. To do this, the first step was to create a cohesive team guided by the director from MHRA's Language and Culture programs. We approached some of the best in the field. Dr. Bernard Francis and Curtis Michael came on board for they believed in the importance of teaching families together. When families learn at camp, they go home and they speak together. And so we began to deliver five-day Miigama Language and Culture programs throughout Miigama. Dr. Francis is a linguist who worked to complete an orthography system known as Smith Francis. And this orthography is recognized as a language learning system in Nova Scotia and other Atlantic provinces. Dr. Francis has written several books on culture and our spirituality. And of course language that goes without saying because he is the linguist such as Francis. He is well respected in Miigama communities and the academic world, well respected. He is an accomplishment musician and advocates for social justice also. It's wonderful to have him on board with us. From his youth, Curtis Michael has devoted his life in teaching our precious Miigama Language and he has developed an expertise in Smith Francis orthography. Curtis won an Inspire Award for Miigama Education a few years ago. He continues to be passionately devoted to teaching Miigama. His down-to-earth demeanor gives him the ability to teach all age groups. MHR, I should say because we are an association, has several Miigama under their wing. They are passionate in their apprenticeship through the language culture camps and continue to teach basics in Smith Francis orthography and daily expressions. In Nova Scotia, we have Heather Knockwood and Simon Francis from Subnaugedy. And in Newfoundland, we have Marcel Williams from St. George's, Shane Snook from Flat Bay, Indian Bend and Gail Hickey from St. George's. When I arrived here a few years back, there was such a rumbling about learning the languages and I would visit some of the homes and they had wallpaper studio and Miigama Expressions all over the living room and the kitchen, you name it, it was all over the place. That's so great. So I'll just continue here because there's a lot to say. We hire a manager and coordinator every camp season and they work alongside the chair, director of programs in guiding optimum quality delivery of the MHRA Miigama language culture camps. These people are, they're so wonderful, they just know what to do and the energy is so great, you know, it just works very well. Additionally, there are many volunteer hours that go into planning and helping delivery of the camps. MHRA's first camp was in Bear River in Nova Scotia. Participants were from Bear River, of course. And some were from Bridgewater, Newenburg area. MHRA receives requests every year to deliver five-day camps. We received a request from Elder Victor Muse, who lives, who was born and lives in Newfoundland. So in 2014, with funding in place, we came to St. George's, Newfoundland. And I can remember of some of the people that were involved in that that came over to teach and they looked at me and they said, thank you for allowing me to be part of making history because we brought the language back. So that was, it was wonderful. Since then, MHRA has delivered five-day camps in different communities. Flat Bay, the Flat Bay Indian Bay. And then we went on to DeGraw, the MHRA First Nation, to Cornerbrook and exploits Grand Falls. Additionally, in Nova Scotia last year, we had a five-day camp in Debert and also Shubinagadie. In 2018, we applied for funding to continue requests in Stephenville, Newfoundland. And in Nova Scotia, Milford First Nation, Acadia First Nation and Pictu Landing First Nation. Also, in 2014, we created an online Megamot language site and was administered by me up until two years ago because we had so many irons in the fire that we approached Chief Lisa Saga. She was Chief of the Flat Bay Band at that time. And we said, we invite you to take it over because we had people in place by that time that could do that. And so she said yes. Her vision is very, very astute for moving forward with the language, so it's wonderful. Since then, we oversee, like I do it on little smidgens, right, in little smidgens. And Shane Snook, who is a member of the Flat Bay Band, administers the site, administers the site. So there are about 800 people. Through the work I've done in social media, we try to really do a stat. And, you know, just to be fair, there's probably about 15,000 people that are tapped into the work we do worldwide. So anyone that wants to learn Megamot are able to do that now through our work and many others. I mean, we have to understand there are others doing good work. So also, we had a practicum last year that was online. And there were participants from all over the Atlantic that participated in that. So they had to complete a video to show they could teach the basics of Smith Francis' orthography and speak to some daily expressions. And then, you know, they go out into the community. It's like maybe talking about what Jesus said, go do your thing, right? So that's how we see as soon as you learn the basics and you can do some daily expressions, and then by all means go do it. And, you know, be with your family, be with your friends. Have, you know, potluck get-togethers. We promote all that and it's working. It's just a wonderful thing. And then we did a Mother Rees program in Subinagogy. And we did that. We lost Elin Siliboy and it was hard on many of us. And she was just such an instrumental, you know, in helping anytime. You called upon her, she was there. And so we did it. We did the Mother Rees and the video is done in honor of her with the children, you know, the babies and little tots, you know, speaking their language and dancing and singing. So that was a very positive thing and very nice to honor someone who had done so much for the Miigamon language. As a young woman, I was an entrepreneur. I had coffee shops, eateries. And I also had an office overload where I did income tax for entrepreneurs in small business, unincorporated small business and personally income taxes. And there was a life change that happened for me. And so what I did is I sat for a time and decided how I would move forward with my life. And I had really, I'm a lifelong learner and I want to tell you I'm 73 years young too. So at I was in my mid fifties, I think when I decided to, you know, kind of do some training, although that I had been trained in alternative counseling and child abuse and different things. And, you know, that that was one of my fortes. I decided that I would go back to school and, you know, get some academics. And so I went to the Justice Institute and became a certified family mediator. And also through Simon Fraser University, I did a professional course and became a community economic development officer. So it really complimented my lifelong learning, right? It gave me some credentials to when I spoke, you know, people kind of would listen, right? So in my off time in winter right now, I presently take online courses with Memorial University. So basically that's kind of something about me. One of my hobbies is that I administer and facilitate an online traditional knowledge site that has about 1,800 people participating. Yeah. So yeah. So that's what I do. So I just want to paraphrase Elder Dr. Brittany Francis. And what he says is it's important to learn Megama. However, it's just as important to know about our language. And its relationship to our spirituality. From my perspective, my involvement with the Megama language culture programs is a breath in my heart. That's what it is. It is part of my every morning and night prayer. And I'm going to say something in Megama. And it's un kalamundi, un kalamun, which means the breath in the heart go together. So really knowing about your language and learning about your language is un kalamundi, un kalamun. So from MHRA's perspective, there are several initiatives that are essential for indigenous education to thrive. First, we must discard books that are written from an about indigenous history from a lopsided non-indigenous perspective. And I'll repeat that. The first most essential thing that we discuss is the books that have been written from a lopsided non-indigenous perspective need to be discarded. Second, it is essential for indigenous education to have its very own primary education in the immediacy of each First Nation community and funded on basis of optimum quality results. For capita systems are a miss to what is necessary to achieve best results from a healthy community perspective. In fact, in a recent CBC article, Andrea Bear Nicholas emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus emeritus. I think it is at St. Thomas University who spent most of her career as the chair of native studies at St. Thomas University says, and I'll put my glasses on to read this and I'm quoting her directly, no paraphrase. If Canada says it really cares about languages, the idea of immersion schooling or of schooling conducted entirely in our language is really the Cadillac of how one will revive and revitalize a language. And then the third point, indigenous education is also indigenizing our colleges and universities on an equal footing and we'll put a fourth one, how to do that. To do this on equal footing, it is essential for lens of indigenous knowledge to be directed by indigenous scholars, grandmothers and knowledge keepers. Over the next 10 years, MHRR aspires, indigenous education moving forward on an equal footing with other educational systems. Indigenous nations are astute in making decisions for themselves. Moreover, it is incumbent upon Canadians to let go of a myth created over 500 years ago at the Doctrine of Discovery. Indigenous nations never needed fixing or wanted to be controlled by another nation. They were thriving nations who had successful governing systems in place before Columbus and Cartier set foot ashore in the North Americas. It is incumbent upon Canada to take a backbench approach and controlling what inherently belongs to indigenous peoples. And absolutely, it is totally unnecessary for Canada to make decisions for indigenous nations. Indigenous peoples know how to do this for themselves. Indigenous nations have a tried and true system of governing themselves. This system worked for thousands of years and some indigenous scholars such as Victoria University's professor, Taya Taya K. Alfred thinks part of these systems must be revived. MHRA would like to give honorable mention to Band Manager, Liz Lasaga of Flat Bay Indian Band, Chief Bob Glode of Indian Brook, First Nation Band, and Chief Mike Sack of Subnaugedy First Nation. Their support has been heartfelt in our continued work.