The Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation (PQCF) is supporting a Ucluelet youth as he aims to revitalize his Indigenous language.
As the PQCF looks to build permanent legacies that support local causes, one cause that holds deep meaning for the Indigenous people of Vancouver Island is the revitalization of Indigenous languages.
One 17-year-old man, Tim Masso, is championing that cause with support of the PQCF.
With a scholarship established by the Elm Family Foundation and facilitated through PQCF, Masso is close to completing his Bachelor of Education through the University of Victoria with a specialization in Indigenous language revitalization.
READ MORE: Language efforts have Ucluelet teen halfway to a UVic degree before he’s done high school
“We are pleased to have recognized and supported this cause in the early years of Masso’s educational aspirations,” said Lawrence Jacobson of the Elm Family Foundation.
What began in his childhood as recognition of the power behind Indigenous healing practices and Coast Salish songs sung during his brother’s brain surgery recovery, became the foundation for Masso’s mission to save the languages of their ancestors and spread his dialect of Nuu-chah-nulth.
Both Masso and his older brother, Hjalmer Wenstob, have joined committees representing their Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, near Tofino, and advocated to all levels of government for language-revitalization funding. The brothers are collaborating to add new elements to their culture, writing modern songs in Nuu-chah-nulth so they can dance, sing, and celebrate in their own language.
The PQCF website, www.parksvillequalicumfoundation.com, has information on how donors’ funds continue to respond to the charitable needs of the community for generations to come.
– NEWS Staff, submitted