New Indigenous language greetings now part of Region headquarters2 min read
Reading Time: 2 minutesVisitors will now be greeted in 15 Indigenous languages when they enter the Region of Waterloo’s headquarters.
The big welcome messages were added to the lobby wall at 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener. They represent Indigenous languages in Waterloo Region, and languages currently spoken by Indigenous communities. Check out the list below.
“This sign carries a message of change,” says Paula Whitlow, Director of Truth and Reconciliation at the Region of Waterloo. “Away from a history where not all were allowed or welcomed in formal government spaces or where speaking Indigenous languages were frowned upon, to a new era where doors are open with an explicit welcome to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.”
These greetings are one way the Region of Waterloo is advancing Truth and Reconciliation in this community.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada issued 94 Calls to Action to address the legacy of residential schools and to progress the journey of reconciliation in Canada. Five of those actions are directly related to language and culture. For example, Call 14.i says that “Aboriginal languages are a fundamental and valued element of Canadian culture and society, and there is an urgency to preserve them.”
Truth and Reconciliation is an ongoing journey. This is the first phase of the project, and similar signs are also planned for other Region of Waterloo buildings.
The Region of Waterloo is situated on the lands within the Haldimand Treaty of 1784, a formally ratified agreement acknowledging six miles on either side of the Grand River as treaty territory belonging to Six Nations of the Grand River.
The Region of Waterloo serves an area within the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Chonnonton and Haudenosaunee peoples. This territory is within the lands protected by the Dish with One Spoon wampum.
| Greeting | Indigenous language | English meaning |
| Aanii | Anishinaabemowin | Friend greeting – Hello / how are you / how is life going |
| Biindigen | Anishinaabemowin | Welcome, come in |
| Boozhoo | Anishinaabemowin | Formal greeting – Hello |
| Cwe:’n | Tuscarora | Hello |
| Sge’:no | Cayuga | Hello |
| Sgë:nö | Seneca | Hello |
| Segoli | Onondaga | Hello |
| Halu | Inuktitut | Hello / Greetings |
| Kwey Kwey | Oji-Cree | Hello |
| Oki | Blackfoot | Welcome / Greetings |
| Pusu’l (pronounced Bu-suul) | Mi’kmaq | Hello / Greetings |
| She:koli | Oneida | Hello / Greetings |
| She:kon | Mohawk | Hello / Greetings |
| Tansi | Cree | Friendly greeting |
| Tawnshi | Métis (Michif) | Hello |
| Tawow | Plains Cree | Welcome / there’s always room |
| Tunngasugit | Inuktitut | Welcome |
| Wachay | Swampy Cree | Hello / Goodbye |