Mi'kmaq Language Dispute
Mi’kmaq language dispute erupts at Membertou
Store manager, band part ways after employees told not to speak native tongue at work
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Fri, Aug 6 - 4:53 AM
A store manager in Membertou has left his job in the wake of a language flap this summer between staffers at the workplace.
Chief Terry Paul said Thursday a lack of understanding about the use of the Mi’kmaq language led to the manager, a Membertou First Nation employee, and the band council agreeing to part ways.
The language dispute happened at the community-owned Membertou Market in Cape Breton last month and involved two native workers speaking Mi’kmaq within earshot of a third who is non-native.
Paul said the non-native worker was worried the other employees were possibly talking about the individual.
That worker complained to the manager and asked him to order the employees not to speak Mi’kmaq at the market, said Paul.
He said the incident prompted a recent advisory from band officials to all band workers.
The memo indicates that "the Mi’kmaq language is allowed to be used anywhere in Membertou," Paul said.
In an interview with The Chronicle Herald, the chief said "this is our language and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using it."
"There’s very few of us who do speak it, and we welcome anyone to speak their language in our community."
He acknowledged that the supervisor, after hearing from the non-native complainant, "went to the employees and asked them not to speak the language while at work."
Paul said the aboriginal workers then complained to the band council.
He said the band council discussed the language issue at a meeting last week after "we heard feedback on this."
"As a result, we decided to send a memo to all our employees indicating that the use" of Mi’kmaq in the community should never be banned, Paul said.
He said as far as he knows, the two workers speaking their native language weren’t talking about the non-native staffer.
"The person just suspected that they were being talked about. We’re not going to stop people from speaking the language because somebody thinks there’s gossip going on."
Paul said the incident showed there was "a lack of understanding" of First Nations history, language and culture that day at the market.
Paul said the market manager’s position is vacant. He said the band council and former manager "all agreed it was the best thing" for him to move on.
The Mi’kmaq language is a dialect of the family of Algonquin languages. Paul said he can’t recall there ever being an issue with the use of the native language in a workplace in Membertou prior to this case.
"People need to get educated about the different languages that are in this country," he said, adding that "it would be like someone asking a person that lives in Quebec City to stop speaking French."
Situated on Maillard Street, the market opened in 2001 and is a convenience store and takeout located next to a gas station.
It is owned by the Membertou band and store personnel are band employees.
I don't see a lot of postings here about Native Americans and I wanted to post this when it came into my feed over at FB. I personally feel that the owners were well within their rights to not deny the speaking of their native tongue on many reasons. The store is band owned and operated, which meant that the non-native speaker was most likely a non-native and for a small moment a 'minority' there and felt, as usual when that happens, uncomfortable and demanding the minority change to suit their needs. On top of everything the native people of North America have had to go through (systematic genocide, assimilation, chemical castration to name a few) this might seem like a small thing, but on the grand scale of things, it's another means of someone trying to stifle a race of people that have been slowly trying to rebuild themselves since they were finally allowed to raise their own children.
(And mods, is it possible I'm labeling it wrong? I'm not seeing a Native tag.)
Reposted from Nova Scotia Newspaper, The Chronicle Herald
Store manager, band part ways after employees told not to speak native tongue at work
By MICHAEL LIGHTSTONE Staff Reporter
Fri, Aug 6 - 4:53 AM
A store manager in Membertou has left his job in the wake of a language flap this summer between staffers at the workplace.
Chief Terry Paul said Thursday a lack of understanding about the use of the Mi’kmaq language led to the manager, a Membertou First Nation employee, and the band council agreeing to part ways.
The language dispute happened at the community-owned Membertou Market in Cape Breton last month and involved two native workers speaking Mi’kmaq within earshot of a third who is non-native.
Paul said the non-native worker was worried the other employees were possibly talking about the individual.
That worker complained to the manager and asked him to order the employees not to speak Mi’kmaq at the market, said Paul.
He said the incident prompted a recent advisory from band officials to all band workers.
The memo indicates that "the Mi’kmaq language is allowed to be used anywhere in Membertou," Paul said.
In an interview with The Chronicle Herald, the chief said "this is our language and there is absolutely nothing wrong with using it."
"There’s very few of us who do speak it, and we welcome anyone to speak their language in our community."
He acknowledged that the supervisor, after hearing from the non-native complainant, "went to the employees and asked them not to speak the language while at work."
Paul said the aboriginal workers then complained to the band council.
He said the band council discussed the language issue at a meeting last week after "we heard feedback on this."
"As a result, we decided to send a memo to all our employees indicating that the use" of Mi’kmaq in the community should never be banned, Paul said.
He said as far as he knows, the two workers speaking their native language weren’t talking about the non-native staffer.
"The person just suspected that they were being talked about. We’re not going to stop people from speaking the language because somebody thinks there’s gossip going on."
Paul said the incident showed there was "a lack of understanding" of First Nations history, language and culture that day at the market.
Paul said the market manager’s position is vacant. He said the band council and former manager "all agreed it was the best thing" for him to move on.
The Mi’kmaq language is a dialect of the family of Algonquin languages. Paul said he can’t recall there ever being an issue with the use of the native language in a workplace in Membertou prior to this case.
"People need to get educated about the different languages that are in this country," he said, adding that "it would be like someone asking a person that lives in Quebec City to stop speaking French."
Situated on Maillard Street, the market opened in 2001 and is a convenience store and takeout located next to a gas station.
It is owned by the Membertou band and store personnel are band employees.
I don't see a lot of postings here about Native Americans and I wanted to post this when it came into my feed over at FB. I personally feel that the owners were well within their rights to not deny the speaking of their native tongue on many reasons. The store is band owned and operated, which meant that the non-native speaker was most likely a non-native and for a small moment a 'minority' there and felt, as usual when that happens, uncomfortable and demanding the minority change to suit their needs. On top of everything the native people of North America have had to go through (systematic genocide, assimilation, chemical castration to name a few) this might seem like a small thing, but on the grand scale of things, it's another means of someone trying to stifle a race of people that have been slowly trying to rebuild themselves since they were finally allowed to raise their own children.
(And mods, is it possible I'm labeling it wrong? I'm not seeing a Native tag.)
Reposted from Nova Scotia Newspaper, The Chronicle Herald