Projects/Aboriginal communities outreach/List of Canadian Aboriginal languages
Knowing the exact number of Aboriginal languages across Canada is almost impossible especially since many Natives speak English or French as a mother tongue and most of them have only a limited passive knowledge of their ancestral languages. The task is even more difficult since the majority of languages has many dialects. Ethnologue lists 63 languages for Canada. Below is the most exhaustive list of indigenous languages of Canada.
| Language | Speakers[1] | Location | ISO 639[2] (Wikipedia link if existing) |
Organizations Bands Communities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abenaki | 20 | Quebec | abe | Abénakis d'Odanak Koasek Traditional Abenaki Band Grand Conseil de la Nation Waban-Aki |
| Algonquin | 2,275 | Quebec and Ontario | alq | Algonquin Tribal Council Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn |
| Assiniboine | 200 | Saskatchewan | asb | |
| Atikamekw | 3,995 | Quebec | atj | Conseil de la nation Atikamekw Communauté Atikamekw de Manawan Nation Atikamekw de Manawan Opitciwan |
| Babine | 1,600 | British Columbia | bcr | |
| Beaver | 300 | Alberta and British Columbia | bea | |
| Bella Coola | 200 | British Columbia | blc | |
| Blackfoot | 4,745 | Alberta | bla | |
| Carrier | 2,000 | British Columbia | crx, caf | |
| Cayuga | 360 | Ontario | cay | |
| Chilcotin | 705 | British Columbia | clc | |
| Chinook Wawa | 83 | British Columbia | chn | |
| Chipewyan (Dene) | 4,000 | Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Northwest Territories | chp | Chipewyan Prairie First Nation Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation |
| Comox | 400 | British Columbia | coo | |
| Moose Cree | 4,500 | Ontario | crm | Moose Cree First Nation |
| Northeastern Cree | 5,308 | Quebec | crl (cr) | Cree Cultural Institute |
| Plains Cree | 34,000 | Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba | crk (cr) | Western Cree Tribal Council |
| Southeastern Cree | 7,306 | Quebec | crj (cr) | |
| Swampy Cree | 4,500 | Ontario | csw (cr) | |
| Woods Cree | 4,500 | Ontario | cwd (cr) | |
| Dakota (Sioux) | 2,085 | Manitoba and Saskatchewan | dak | |
| Dogrib | 2,085 | Northwest Territories | dgr | |
| Northern Haida | 30 | British Columbia | hdn (hai) | Council of the Haida Nation |
| Southern Haida | 10 | British Columbia | hax (hai) | Council of the Haida Nation |
| Haisla | 25 | British Columbia | has | Haisla First Nation |
| Halkomelem | 200 | British Columbia | hur | |
| Han | 7 | Yukon | haa | |
| Heiltsuk | 300 | British Columbia | hei | Heiltsuk Tribal Council Heiltsuk Cultural Education Centre |
| Eastern Inuktitut | 14,000 | Quebec and Labrador | ike (iu) | Avataq Cultural Institute |
| Western Inuktitut | 4,000 | Nunavut | ikt (iu) | |
| Kaska | 400 | British Columbia | kkz | Kaska Dena Council Kaska Language Website (UBC) |
| Kutenai | 120 | British Columbia | kut | Ktunaxa Nation |
| Kwakiutl | 250 | British Columbia | kwk | Kwakiutl Indian Band |
| Lillooet | 400 | British Columbia | lil | |
| Gitxsan | 1,330 | British Columbia | git | |
| Gwich'in (Loucheux) | 430 | Northwest Territories | gwi | Gwich'in Social & Cultural Institute |
| Malecite-Passamaquoddy | 655 | Quebec and New Brunswick | pqm | |
| Michif | 840 | Manitoba | crg | |
| Micmac | 7,310 | Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland | mic | Migmawei Mawiomi Secretariat Listuguj Mi'gmaq Government Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation Band Mi'kmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island Jilaptoq Mi'kmaw Language Center The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq Mi'kmaq Resource Centre (Cape Breton U) |
| Mohawk | 350 | Ontario and Quebec | moh | Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Mohawks of the Bay of Quint - Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory Ohwejagehká: Ha`degaenage: Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Onkwawenna Kentyohkwa |
| Montagnais (Innu) | 8,483 | Quebec and Labrador | moe | Innu Nation Innu Language Website (Memorial U) Innu School Board Institut Tshakapesh Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Namatau Innu |
| Munsee | 7 | Ontario | umu | |
| Naskapi | 1,177 | Quebec and Labrador | nsk (cr) | Naskapi Community |
| Niska (Nisga'a) | 2,000 | British Columbia | ncg | Nisga'a Lisims Government School District 92 (Nisga'a) Wilp Wilxo'oskwhl Nisga'a Institute Nisga'a Nation Knowledge Network |
| Nootka (nuu-chah-nulth) | 590 | British Columbia | noo | Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation |
| Northern Ojibway (Oji-Cree) | 8,000 | Manitoba and Ontario | ojb (oji) | |
| Ojibway (Saulteux) | 35,000 | British Columbia and Saskatchewan | ojc, ojg, ojs, ojw (oji) | |
| Okanagan (N'syilxcen) | 500 | British Columbia | oka | En'owkin Centre |
| Oneida | 200 | Ontario | one | Oneida Nation of the Thames Oneida Indian Nation |
| Onondaga | 100 | Ontario | ono | Onondaga Nation |
| Ottawa (Odawa, Nishnaabemwin) | 7,100 | Ontario | otw | |
| Potawatomi | 1,250 | Ontario | pot | Citizen Potawatomi Nation Forest Country Potawatomi Prairie Band of the Potawatomi Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi |
| Salish Straits | 30 | British Columbia | str | Lummi Nation Lummi Indian Business Council Lummi Nation Schools Samish Indian Nation |
| Sarsi (Tsuu T'ina) | 50 | Alberta | srs | Tsuu T'ina Nation |
| Sechelt (Shíshálh) | 40 | British Columbia | sec | Shíshálh First Nation |
| Sekani | 500 | British Columbia | sek | Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Takla Lake First Nation |
| Seneca | 25 | Ontario | see | Seneca Nation of Indians |
| Shuswap (Secwepemc) | 745 | British Columbia | shs | Secwepemc Cultural Education Society |
| North Slavey | 290 | Northwest Territories | scs (den) | |
| South Slavey | 2,620 | Northwest Territories | xsl (den) | |
| Squamish | 20 | British Columbia | squ | Coast Salish First Nation Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre |
| Stoney (Nakota) | 1,500 | Alberta | sto | Stoney Nakota First Nation Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation |
| Tagish | 2 | British Columbia | tgx | Carcross/Tagist First Nation |
| Tahltan | 40 | Yukon | tht | Tahltan Central Council Tahltan Band Council |
| Tanana | 10 | Yukon | tau | |
| Thompson | 595 | British Columbia | thp | |
| Tlingit | 145 | British Columbia and Yukon | tli | Teslin Tlingit Council Taku River Tlingit First Nation |
| Tuscarora | 8 | Ontario | tus | |
| Tsimshian | 432 | British Columbia | tsi | Kitsumkalum First Nation Ketchikan Indian Community Gitga'at |
| Northern Tutchone | 800 | Yukon | ttm | First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun |
| Southern Tutchone | 1,000 | Yukon | tce | Ta'an Kwäch'än Council |
Non-community-specific possible partners edit
- Assembly of First Nations
- First Nation Confederacy of Cultural Education Centres
- First Nations University of Canada
- First Voices
- Nunavut Arctic College
- Nunavut Literacy Council
- Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre
Cree edit
Inuit edit
Notes and references edit
- ↑ Numbers vary a lot between sources, real numbers are probably lower than the ones indicated.
- ↑ Languages Codes by Ethnologue