Language, Knowledge, & The Grasslands: An Audio Discussion of Climate Change in the Alberta Grasslands - Kal Denby

“Oki. Niisto Ahnakok Kal.

Taanishi Kal dishinihkaashoon.

Hello. I’m Kal. I am a Metis undergrad student here at the University of Calgary, and I study Anthropology and Archaeology. I have lived here in Mohkinstis, Calgary Alberta, since I was a kid and recently I participated in the field course ANTH: 541: Alberta Grasslands.

This is a podcast medium that I am doing this on, and I’m titling it “Language, Knowledge, & The Grasslands: An Audio Discussion of Climate Change in the Alberta Grasslands”. And really what this podcast aims to do is to speak about, sort of my reflections and my learnings from ANTH 541, from all the speakers and different people we got to speak with and talk about climate change here in Alberta.

The reason I introduce myself in Blackfoot first and then in Michif and then English is because what I am going to be talking about in this short discussion today is language, and language is something I found myself thinking about a lot throughout my time out there, so, I was documenting my thoughts in these short audio-logs every night, every time we came back to camp, and I realized while I was making them that whether it was conscious or subconsciously, but I was uh, constantly focused about how language really is ultimately a knowledge holder in the discussion of climate change, and I’ll get into more what I mean by that in a moment, and where I sort of, took away from all these different speakers, and how I started getting that idea of language.

But this audio log I hope to use to explain about my thoughts on language which I had been thinking about all throughout the trip. And I’m using this format as I think it brings focus on hearing and listening really, and that's a great way to emphasize language, because you’re listening to me speak.

So, yeah, I’m gonna format this so I talk about this idea of knowledge and language as I explain what we did out there in the Pincher Creek area, so let me first explain sort of what we were doing out there, the schedule, so, it was pretty packed, but y’know it never felt overwhelming so, Tuesday we gathered with Dr. Mike Bruised Head at the Old Man Dam Provincial Recreation place. And Wednesday we first met with folks from Buffalo Rock Tipi camp in the morning, and then in the afternoon we went to the Piikani secondary there to learn about their Sweetgrass project. On Thursday, our last day out there, we drove out to Naapi’s Garden and then we spoke with Api’soomahka about grasslands. And finally in the afternoon the last thing we did there is we spoke to some conservationists and ranchers at the Waldron ranch, and got to know a little bit about their project, as well.”