Growing up in Manitoba's Hollow Water First Nation, Joy Phillips heard Ojibwe spoken on a daily basis, but the first language of her mother and grandmother wasn't passed down to her.

Now the 29-year-old, who is graduating from Red River College's Indigenous Language Program, wants to make sure the next generation has the chance to know the language.

"My mom and that entire generation attended residential school and every time they'd speak it (they'd get) the strap … that has to affect them psychologically," said Phillips at a special graduation powwow held at RRC Friday.

"I wanted to be able to speak my language that my mom and my grandma spoke — it's reclaiming what was basically taken."

Flags were carried in during the grand entry at Friday's graduation powwow at Red River College. (Shane Gibson/CBC)

Phillips, who now lives in Winnipeg, says she was driven to learn the language after graduating from the University of Manitoba in 2017 with a teaching degree.

She hopes to become an Ojibwe immersion teacher.

"I wanted to learn my language and also teach it to the next generation," she said.

"I was around it, so I knew some, but I came here to learn more … for future generations."

Learning through song

The one-year certificate program taught Phillips how to read, write and speak Ojibwe, but she and her classmates were also given the chance to do something none of them thought they would ever do — they wrote and recorded children's songs completely in Ojibwe.

She said it's a technique she hopes to use once she starts teaching Ojibwe to younger students.

Dancers take part in Red River College's graduation powwow Friday. (Shane Gibson/CBC)

"For us it helped us learn because it's catchy, as we're writing it we know what it means and it's repetitive so it's great to learn and it does work."

Phillips doesn't know if she'll ever be as fluent at Ojibwe as her mother, but with a little more work she's looking forward to being able to pass the language down.

"I'm definitely going to have to practise and now I'm going to be able to have conversations with my mom and uncles."

'A strong foundation for our students'

Friday's powwow, the 19th annual held by RRC, was an emotional way to mark her graduation, says Phillips.

She was among 83 graduates taking part.

"When you see your fellow Indigenous peers graduating from their different programs, it's celebrating their successes because it's not easy … especially for those who leave their home communities and move to large urban cities," she said.

"There's so many of us who are going through the same struggles."

Rebecca Chartrand, RRC's executive director of Indigenous strategy, says the powwow is part of the school's commitment to Indigenous learners.

Rebecca Chartrand, RRC’s executive director of Indigenous strategy, says the school's graduation powwow was started after students advocated for the event. (Walther Bernal/CBC)

"This is something that the community advocated for, it's one of the things that illuminates who we are as Indigenous peoples," she said.

"For us, Indigenous achievement isn't just about academic success, it's also about wellness, and some of that is restoring identity or helping students learn about their identity as Indigenous peoples.

"We find that the cultural piece really helps build a strong foundation for our students as it strengthens their sense of self."

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