SHAWN FRANCIS – Wolastokuk and La Belle Rivière: Wolastoqey (Maliseet) Language Revitalization in a Trilingual Indigenous Community
Shawn Francis will discuss the landscape of Wolastoqey (Maliseet) language revitalization in his home community, the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation. Located in what is now Northern New Brunswick, his nation is now predominantly
French-speaking, unlike other Wolastoqey communities situated further down the Wolastoq (Saint John) river. He will illustrate the unique context and challenges of Indigenous language revitalization under a bilingual province.
Shawn serves as the cultural and linguistic coordinator for the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation. He was project manager for
the children’s book series Tama Matuwehsuwok (Where are the Porcupines?), and a four-part picture book on the seasons in Wolastokuk (Wolastoqey homeland). Shawn coordinated this rich community resource – the first piece of children’s literature written in Wolastoqey, French, and English – with Dr. Imelda Perley (Opolahsomuwehs), linguist and Wolastoqey
language keeper, and Chief Patricia Bernard, chief of the Madawaska Maliseet First Nation. Shawn continues to work with institutions like the National Language Conservancy of Canada and the University of Moncton to strengthen his community’s linguistic and cultural future as one of only two French-speaking Wolastoqey communities.
