The Tahltan language teaches me who I am. It connects me to the heart & soul of
my Ancestors through our culture, worldview & land. The language contains the
philosophy of how our people are to live with & treat others & how the world fits
together. Located in northern BC, our territory is the only place on Earth that Tahltan is
spoken. Edōsdi / Judy Thompson is a member of the Tahltan Nation and was born and raised in La̱x Kxeen (Prince Rupert, BC) on Ts’msyen territory. Besides being connected to the Tahltan communities of Tlego’īn (Telegraph Creek) and Łuwechōn (Iskut) through her maternal grandparents, she also has roots in Gitwangak (Kitwanga, BC) through her Gitx̱san paternal grandmother.

She is a trained elementary school teacher and has taught in northern British Columbia at the postsecondary level for 25 years. Over the last three decades, she has been learning the Tāłtān language, which has included learning the culture, knowledge, wisdom, and ways of knowing of her people. As the Tahltan Language Reclamation Director, her research and work has involved the development and implementation of a Tāłtān language reclamation framework. The focus has been to create learning materials, as well as safe and supportive environments, for Tāłtān learners and speakers to become more proficient in the language. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx