The Lheidli T’enneh Nation is mourning the loss of an elder and one of the few remaining speakers of its language.
Students, colleagues, and Indigenous leaders are remembering Mary Gouchie for her efforts to ensure the language lives on.
Gouchie passed away last Thursday, just weeks shy of her 98th birthday.
Flags were lowered at Prince George City Hall and the College of New Caledonia in her honour.
The Lheidli T’enneh elder was a teacher and keeper of the Lheidli dialect, and was best known as the driving force behind courses offered at the college on the Carrier language.
Fellow teacher Marlene Erickson says Gouchie’s insights about the course curriculum and revitalization of the language were immeasurable.
Terry Teegee, regional chief for the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, is calling Gouchie’s death a huge loss because only a handful of Lheidli dialect speakers remain.
(CKPG)
