It was deemed extinct. But now pentl’ach has been declared a living language thanks to Qualicum researchers

Long considered extinct, pentl’ach has now been declared a living language and added to British Columbia’s official list of First Nations languages. 

The reclassification of pentl’ach (pronounced “PUNT-lutch”) was the result of both linguistic and administrative work by the Qualicum First Nation on Vancouver Island’s east coast, with support from the First Peoples’ Cultural Council. 

The Coast Salish language had been considered extinct because the last well known fluent speaker died in the 1940s. 

But Mathew Andreatta, a Qualicum member and researcher with the pentl’ach revitalization project, said the language was never truly gone. 

A healing affirmation

Andreatta called the reclassification “an affirmation of something that we’ve always known and that we’ve always felt.”

He said the move is important because it is healing for his people, but also because it opens more doors to continue revitalizing the language. 

Andreatta noted the language was under threat because of explicit attempts to get rid of it, through policies like residential schools. 

The reclassification recognizes “the truths of the harms that were done to not have that language anymore, and the hard work that is being done now by our communities to reclaim them,” said Andreatta.

Administrative barriers, such as the language not appearing on drop-down menus when applying for grants, are one problem that will be solved with pentl’ach’s new official status. 

Careful reconstruction

Jessie Recalma, a cultural language researcher for the project and member of Qualicum First Nation, has been digging through documents and recordings that were made before the 1940s to reconstruct grammar and vocabulary for the language. 

Revitalization work also included studying neighbouring languages to search for similarities. 

As Recalma found more evidence of pentl’ach, he said it got harder to accept that it was extinct. 

He said the work to revitalize the language happened slowly, but steadily, and that it was only when looking back and comparing where they’d been 10 years before that he realized how far they had come. 

The revitalization of pentl’ach was helped by its historical connections to Éy7á7juuthem and similarities to Hul’q’umi’num’ both neighbouring languages that are already on the province’s list of First Nations languages. 

Éy7á7juuthem (pronounced EYE-a-jooth-um) is spoken by the K’omoks, Homalco, Klahoose and Tla’amin First Nations to the north of Qualicum, while the K’omoks also have connections to pentl’ach. 

Hul’q’umi’num’ (pronounced HALK-uh-ME-num) is spoken by many nations including the Cowichan and Snuneymuxw on Vancouver Island and the Tsawwassen, Tsleil-Waututh and Sumas on the mainland. The language name is spelled and pronounced slightly differently depending on its location.

Despite the similarities to other languages, Recalma said it’s important that pentl’ach exists in its own right.

“It’s very strongly connected to our own personal identity and our history and it’s a way of us being able to connect with ourselves and our ancestors and the land that we live on,” he said. 

Proof that it’s possible

Aliana Parker, language program director at the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, called the reclassification “fantastic news.” 

The council supports language revitalization projects across B.C. through funding, planning and advocacy. 

Parker said Qualicum First Nation’s success with pentl’ach provides a message to others: “Language revitalization, language awakening really is possible.”

But everyone involved agrees there is still work to be done and it will take time to further revitalize pentl’ach.