64) (inscription in Akkadian, notes in English Leiden: Late E.
Haida Texts and Myths, Skidegate Dialect (Smithsonian Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin #29 Washington: GPO, 1905), by John Reed Swanton.Haida Songs, by John Reed Swanton (HTML at ).
See also what's at your library, or elsewhere. You can also browse an alphabetical list from this subject or from: Haida language - Texts “Long live the Haida language,” Jiixa said.Browse subject: Haida language - Texts | The Online Books Page The Online Books Pageīrowsing subject area: Haida language - Texts ( Include extended shelves) The message is about sharing the Haida language with more people. She is also a much-respected Haida matriarch, Weder said.įame or notoriety is not the message that matters for the pair. The recent spotlight on the pair is nothing new for Jiixa who is a master weaver and has toured the world with her craft. It really is heart-warming to see the response,” Weder said. We’ve gotten a lot of positive community responses every time we post a new video. Weder is responsible for mixing the music then editing the audio and video together. After the track is ready to record, they film the music videos with whatever is on hand, often filming in their living room or on an iPhone while on the road. Weder takes the lead signing, and Jiixa corrects pronunciation and intonation. Their musical process is honed with Jiixa writing the lyrics and Weder transcribing them. When the two first began recoding rap tracks, it was very rough around the edge, but once the pair became comfortable on camera the raps began to flow, Weder said. “My adoption was a transformative moment in my life, and I carry the gift of responsibility with me wherever I go.” It also fills me with a sense of responsibility to the people and the land of the Haida Nation,” she said. “I see my adoption as, first of all, an enormous honour and a gift not to be taken for granted. Weder has since been adopted into a Skidegate Eagle clan Naa ‘Yuuwans X̲aaydaG̲aay (Big House People). She’s such a giving person and willing teacher.” “I started learning it by just being around Jiixa because she teaches her helpers. I think we each sort of adopted each other as a family member,” Weder said. Making the songs is a team effort that started when Jiixa and Weder met volunteering at the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program, where Elders come together to record and preserve the Haida language. “I think it’s really cute that she put her mind to, and then they just made it happen,” her daughter said.
She said they are reviving the Haida language by passing it to the next generation. They got their honorary doctorate through the language program because they put so much work into preserving the Haida language,” Vandal said. “They actually got honoured through VIU (Vancouver Island University), which was really special. We have to get the language out somehow,” Jiixa said.Īlong with the few remaining Elders who can pass the language on, Jiixa teaches traditional songs and also translates modern English songs into Haida. “So many people are interested, and I’m sad for that because there are only a few of us fluent Elders left. Teaching the language to the next generation is her life’s work, Vandal said. “The Haida language is very important to me, and I like to get it out there somehow so the younger kids will get involved,” Jiixa told The Northern View on March 24. The Elder first learned about the popularity of the rap genre through her five grandchildren.
Jiixa, 84, was born and raised in Skidegate and has been a teacher of the Haida language for more than 25 years, her daughter, Brenda Vandal, said. “I just burst into laughter yes absolutely. “The idea sprouted from watching a New Year’s Eve special show a couple of years ago where someone was rapping, and Jiixa turned to me on the couch and said, ‘hey, we should write a rap,’” Weder said. A musical duo from Haida Gwaii is passing on the traditional language to the next generation by rapping.Įlder Jiixa (Gladys Vandal) and Julia Weder formed the rap group Siijuu Jaadas, meaning cool ladies in Haida, just over a year ago.