Episode 91 with Simon Bird from #CreeSimonSays

Rue Atateken

This week we welcome Simon Bird. A father of two and husband of 23 years to Naomi Bird of the Thunderchild First Nation, Simon is Rock Cree member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in north east saskatchewan. Nīhithaw, asinīskāk oci, a "th" dialect Rock Cree, Simon is a language advocate and fluent speaker of the "Y", "Th" and "N" dialects of Cree, Simon is also a learner of the "L" dialect and anishinabemowin. Simon has a background in the field of education, First Nations politics and is currently working in policy development in the area of governance at the Assembly of First Nations. Simon’s goal in his research is to highlight and combine traditional governance systems and the Cree language. Simon is pursuing a PHD in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria. Simon is also a content creator sharing ways to engage learners using social media. Check out Facebook groups with the other 26,000 + members on #CreeSimonSays. As a result of using social media to promote and teach the Cree language, Simon has been invited to many schools, education conferences and language gatherings as a facilitator and key note speaker. #CreeSimonSays Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/380099328844547/