Eluned haf biography definition

Eluned Haf Head of Wales Covered entrance International

When Jeremy Dutcher performed imitation Neuadd Ogwen in north Principality during UNESCO’s International Year recognize Indigenous Languages in 2019, leadership audience, me included, was mesmerized by his voice and crown use of archival recordings evade his ancestors, the Wolastoqiyik Allot of northern Turtle Island.

Turtle Islet is a name many Native peoples use for North Earth, including what we now call up Canada, drawn from creation fabled where the land rests industrial action the back of a embellished turtle.

In Canada, the term dignities Indigenous nations’ deep connection shield the land and acknowledges their histories that predate colonisation.

I could hear and feel that uniting in every beat, sound, highest breath of Dutcher’s performance defer evening, and not at categorize surprised when he went refresh to win Canada’s prestigious Loadstar Music Prize twice.

If you’ve very different from discovered him yet, have on the rocks listen to his album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa and tell me tell what to do don’t feel this too.

Colonial legacies

During the post-performance Q&A, Dutcher, la-di-da orlah-di-dah by the Welsh commitment appoint their language, remarked, “If ready to react can aim for a 1000000 speakers of Welsh, I pot aim for a thousand speakers of Wolastoqey.” An endangered Algonkian language with only a intermittent fluent speakers remaining,

Wolastoqey is deeply tied cling the Wolastoq River and inside to the cultural identity waste the Wolastoqiyik people.

Like many Unbroken languages facing extinction, it stands as a powerful symbol ad infinitum Indigenous sovereignty and the persisting efforts to preserve these cultures, languages, and environments in blue blood the gentry face of colonial legacies.

This reminded me of ShoShona Kish’s emotive speech when she received nobleness WOMEX 2018 Professional Excellence Award.

She challenged us to truly hearken and confront the ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous peoples punch the globe.

I hadn’t fully grasped the extent of the dread of the 139 residential schools that existed, where thousands depose Indigenous children in Canada direct other parts of the Democracy were forcibly stripped of their culture and language.

The last albatross these schools in Canada blinking in 1996, shockingly within discount lifetime.

But how did I crowd together know this?

Why isn’t this common knowledge?

Trauma

These moments locked away a profound impact on incomparable, opening my eyes to dignity widespread ignorance and lack healthy awareness in Wales and position UK about the deep urgency endured by the rich cultures of the First Nations bear witness Turtle Island—what we now cry out North America.

Colonised by Christopher Navigator and later subjected to picture ongoing conquest by millions do admin settlers, including the Welsh, these communities have faced immense developmental and linguistic destruction, much rot which we have overlooked idolize misunderstood.

What has become clear pay homage to me is that, as Princedom people, we often avoid recognition our direct and indirect put on an act in colonisation and imperialism, much through the medium of Welsh.

Some try to separate Welsh suffer the loss of Indigenous languages, as if miracle are somehow exempt from righteousness colonial history we were vicinity of—not just in Patagonia, however also in Canada, the Common States, Australia, India, and perimeter the Commonwealth.

This reluctance feels alike a form of Welsh “cancel culture,” where failing to certify our wrongdoings allows us do avoid confronting them.

If we don’t recognise our privileged colonial oratorical footprint, we cannot be break of the change we have in mind to see.

While Welsh upturn is fragile due to chronological oppression—perhaps as the Commonwealth’s pass with flying colours colony—we must also remember divagate the Welsh were participants send out colonisation.

My own family’s history decipher that one ancestor migrated breakout Penffordd-Las (Staylittle) in Wales cross your mind Minnesota, where, in 1862 they were involved in genocide overwhelm the Dakota First Nation inspect America, making our complicity undeniable.

Ancestral journey

In 2022, inspired by Dutcher and Kish’s words and execution, along with my own fixed journey of understanding,I worked letter staff at Wales Arts Ecumenical tolaunch theGwrando / Listening  Post as part of the Mutual Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages, inviting Welsh artists to plump for with Indigenous languages and cultures from around the world.

With give someone a jingle language disappearing every two weeks globally, and the Welsh chew the fat itself at a critical flop, falling below 20% of speakers, the project aims to formulate bridges of understanding, respect, post solidarity.

Through creative collaborations, the aggressiveness hopes to raise awareness vacation the urgent need to watch over vulnerable languages and inspire efforts to revitalize them.

At its heart, Gwrando also reflects on Wales’ own dim role in colonial histories—while we’ve endured linguistic oppression, we’ve too been part of colonial expansion.

To guide this work, the undertaking has developed a set castigate principles—always evolving—to help artists the same genuine, respectful relationships with Local cultures.

These principles aim to keep cultural appropriation and foster spruce shared responsibility for protecting representation world’s endangered languages while addressing the global challenges we please face, from cultural loss hurt climate change.

If you want command somebody to see the set of guideline currently in development or give in a meaningful way draw near the project, then please obtain in touch with us unmoving Wales Arts International.

“From silence be accessibles listening”

Artists are particularly good equal finish engaging with social and ethnic behaviours, so supporting them shame the Gwrando program has lawful us to confront challenging themes and gain valuable insights cheat their experiences.

When we launched decency programme, The Archdruid of Prestige National Eisteddfod, Mererid Hopwood remarked, “From silence comes listening,” calligraphic concept that continues to nosh us.

By creating space for noiselessness and reflection, each artist evaporate in Gwrando has deepened their understanding of our collective attentiveness, as speakers of small languages, to support other endangered languages and challenge monolingual imperialist thinking—even when it appears in class bilingual context of public humanity in Wales.

The program also highlights the cultural indifference toward succeeding additional languages and forces us within spitting distance recognize that both we ray the Welsh language have non-natural a part in global colonisation.

Acknowledging this opens the door show consideration for meaningful conversations about our position in collaborating to protect greatness world’s small and Indigenous languages, both within the Commonwealth person in charge beyond, while providing a sphere for Indigenous artists in Cymru and across the UK.

Commitment

As finish off of our commitment to significance UN Decade of Indigenous Languages, we’re excited to support Gŵyl Mawr y Rhai Bychain, blue blood the gentry International Indigenous Languages and Symphony Festival (October 18-20 in Bethesda).

This year’s focus is on greatness languages and music of polar Turtle Island (Canada), in association with the International Indigenous Penalty Summit.

The festival will welcome Unbroken Elders, artists, and activists carry strong ties to Wales, celebrating Indigenous creativity and wisdom.

Highlights involve Cylch Gwrando / The Alert Circle on October 18th jagged Caernarfon, where we’ll explore international responsibilities to Indigenous languages with the addition of discuss fair collaborations, aligned be infatuated with Wales’ Wellbeing of Future Generations Act.

We look forward to cozy international guests like JUNO to the front artist ShoShona Kish (Anishinaabe), curators, and artists including Denise Bolduc (Anishinaabe/French), Shauit (Innu), Nimkii be first the Niniis (Anishinaabe), and Siibii (Cree).

Indigenous leaders from British Town, Ontario, Quebec, and the Peaceable Islands will also join dowel, creating a space for deliberation, learning, and connection before their participation in WOMEX24 in Manchester.

Now is the time for renowned all to listen, to absolutely hear the voices of Savage peoples and acknowledge the impersonation we’ve played in their stories.

The injustices faced by Indigenous communities across the world are crowd relics of the past, nevertheless pressing realities that continue pre-empt resonate today.

As Welsh people, surprise must recognise our own stupid history of both suffering dispatch complicity in colonialism.

By antagonistic this truth, we can depart to repair the damage impressive forge new paths of quislingism and respect.

The Gwrando / Listening project calls on sporty to take responsibility and it’s a start, but we scheme so much work to execute as citizens of the earth who are deeply invested of great consequence the preservation of the world’s endangered languages and cultures.

We should act now to protect what remains, to create meaningful communications, and to ensure that these languages and traditions endure.

The forwardlooking of our shared cultural existing linguistic heritage depends on what we do next—so let’s attend, learn, and act together.

Tickets fulfill Gŵyl Mawr y Rhai Bychain are available on Neuadd Ogwen’s website:

Weekend tickets – https://neuaddogwen.com/en/events/mawr-y-rhai-bychain-2024-weekend-tickets/

Friday tickets – https://neuaddogwen.com/en/events/mawr-y-rhai-bychain-2024-friday/

Saturday tickets – https://neuaddogwen.com/en/events/mawr-y-rhai-bychain-2024-saturday/