By Steve Hubrecht
Last week the Outdoor Learning Store hosted a digital celebration for the launch of ?Akisq’nuk elder Alfred Joseph’s new book ‘Ktunaxa Nature Walk: Alfred Joseph’s Walkabout’.
The book includes 150 Ktunaxa words or phrases for local Columbia Valley plants or natural features, along with photos and QR codes. Readers can scan the QR codes with their phones to listen to an audio recording of Alfred pronouncing each word or phrase.
The virtual celebration for the book launch was held on Tuesday, June 18. Joseph explained to those joining in digitally about his decades of trying to help preserve the Ktunaxa language, stretching all the way back to the 1970s and 1980s.
Back then “the challenge was to keep interest in the language . . . there weren’t a lot of people wanting to learn it,” he said. “I was very concerned about the language.”
A while back, he went out on a walking trail near his home. He began to write down the Ktunaxa words for the plants and natural phenomenon he saw. Eventually he had enough words or phrases to fill four or five sheets of paper.
He showed this “walkabout paper” to his Tuesday night Ktunaxa language class.
“The group decided this would make a good book,” explained Joseph.
Invermere resident Nadine Hale, who passed away earlier this month, was a student in the class and took a leading role in creating the book.
There was an initial printing of 200 copies, and then a second printing of 1,000 more. Of those, 800 have already ended up in the hands of people keen to enhance their understanding of Ktunaxa language.
The book is small enough that it can be easily taken on a trip into the woods and is purposefully made from durable materials.
“These are meant to be taken with you when you’re out hiking or on your camping trip,” said Joseph, adding that the intention of the book “is to preserve and make our Ktunaxa people realize the importance of our language.”
The Tuesday night language group has expressed interest in creating a second book about birds and animals, although Joseph said he wasn’t sure if it will happen or not.
Joseph noted that right now there is a lot of activity happening around Ktunaxa language and said “I hope it continues.”
During the first part of the celebration, Joseph paid tribute to Hale, noting her keen interest and dedicated efforts to promote Ktunaxa language learning. “She really tried to make things fun and acceptable to everyone,” said Joseph.