Scientific Communication in a Vulnerable Language

Authored by: William Chapman (ECAB summer student), with guidance from Elder Gordon Francis

Mi'kmaw is an Indigenous language in the Algonquian language family and is spoken in regions of Atlantic Canada and the United States. In 2021, Mi'kmaw had over 9,000 speakers, a 6% increase from 2016, which bucks the trend of many Indigenous languages. While there is a notable and growing number of speakers, language resources remain scant, and talking about science in Mi'kmaw involves often coining new terms to describe concepts, processes, and tools. In this post, I have collaborated with Language Keeper Gordon Francis to bring together two of my areas of interest in describing the work I do as a research assistant in the ECAB Lab at Mount Allison in Mi’kmaw. Gordon Francis has been an invaluable colleague for supporting my journey in learning the language and making this kind of scientific communication possible.

Scientific communication in English generally uses words derived from Latin or Greek, and these can be somewhat opaque in their meanings — see: paleolimnology, the study of past lake environments using physical, chemical, and biological information contained in sediments. In Mi'kmaw, perhaps kekina'masuti (a study) ukjit sa'qewe’l (for things that were long ago) qospeml aqq lampo’ql (lakes and lakebeds). So more broadly, kekina'masiyek (we study) sisku (sediment).

To do this, we collect (ketalqa'tuek) a cylindrical core (piptoqwa'qewey) of sediment (sisku) from the bottom (lampo’q maqamikek) of the lake and we examine it (aqq mili-ankaptmek, ”we look at it from all different angles”). The sediment contains an amazing variety of physical, chemical, and biological information. For example, invertebrate larvae, which we study (kekina'masiyek juji'ji'jk sisku-iktuk, “we study small bugs in the sediment”), are affected because of what is in the sediment (natala’lukwitij nat koqoey etek sisku-iktuk), and these effects are what we investigate (na nike’ nekmewe’l etli-ankaptmek). When we examine the bugs, they show us (muska’tuksiyek) what is in the sediment at that time, which could be years (te’sipunqe’k, “so many years ago”), decades (te’s metlasipunqe’k, “tens of years ago”), centuries (te’s kaskɨptɨlnaqanipunqe’k, “hundreds of years ago”), or millennia ago (te’s pituiptɨlnaqanipunqe’k, “thousands of years ago”). We can study pollution (winjik samqwan) from DDT (wel-ne’pa’ji juji’jk, “kills bugs very well”), or microplastics (nukikewey wessami-apje'jk mu nemitasinuk, “plastics that are so small that you cannot see them”). The current ECAB Lab research using invertebrates in the soil is funded by NSERC Discovery.

Ketalqa’tuek piptoqwa’qewey sisku. We collect cylindrical cores of sediment.

To be able to use the sediment, we separate it into layers (sisku tetapu'smek) and dissolve and/or sieve the sediment (keskamukwa'tuek aqq sinqamistuek sisku) to make it easier to measure archived environmental signals, like the bugs, algae, or pollution markers present in the lake sediments. We can look back in time (kisi-etetekjita’sultiyek ta’n teliaqɨpnek) because the new sediment (piley sisku) is laid on top of the old sediment (ke'kwisma'sik sa'qewey sisku-iktuk). This is referred to as the Law of Superposition and is fundamental to geoscience and the understanding of Earth’s geological history.

Na sisku tetapu’smek, mɨta piley sisku ke’kwisma’sik sa’qewey sisku-iktuk. Ula na ta’n Tel-ke’kwisma’sikewey Tplutaqan. We section the sediment core into layers, because newer sediment is laid on top of older sediment following the Law of Superposition.

This summer, I have also helped the ECAB Lab in studying fish (kekina'masiyek nme'jk), specifically brook trout (atoqwa'su'k), looking at their mercury (alitkewey qasawo’q) levels in various lakes (qospeml) surveyed in 1994 and again through our study in 2023, supported by the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. To determine the mercury content, we cut off some of the flesh (mensmek ise’ji’j wius), we freeze it (keljistuek), and we dry it (kispasmek). We crush it into a powder (nujjaqakiputuek), and we put it in acid (sewkwapu’-iktuk, “in sour liquid”). It is then analyzed by specialized equipment at the University of Moncton.

Mensmek ise’ji’j atoqwa’suey wius, toqojiw mili-ankaptɨtesnen. We cut off some of the trout flesh so that we can study it.

When we have finished studying (elmiaq kaqi-kina'masultiyek), we write up our findings (na wikɨtesnen we'jitekemkewe'l) in reports and BSc Hons and MSc theses. Then, peers (nuji-ilkitmuejik) from the scientific community who are experts in their respective disciplines review our work (apoqonmuksiyekik, “they help us”) and critique it. If our findings are sound and supported well with scientific evidence, then the paper is published (wi’katikn kaqi-wi’kasik). Our findings help us learn more about the world (keknu’tmasiyek uksɨtqamu), especially as it relates to pollution and environmental change over long periods of time.

For more information on what Will is up to please see https://wills-corner.com/