But here in the North, all you have to do is turn on the radio.

CKLB hosts have been offering news, weather and conversation in the territory’s five regional Dene languages of Denesuline Yati (Chipewyan), North and South Slavey, Tlicho Yati and Gwich’in since the station’s inception in 1982, eventually upping the broadcasted Dene language content to 75 per cent in 1996.

Denesuline host Marlene Grooms, the longest serving host at the station, has been delivering programming in Chipewyan since 2006.

Though she began her journalism career in English in the ‘90s, she eventually moved toward reporting in her first language because of the sense of urgency she felt around its survival.

“The Chipewyan language is dying,” she said. “So I thought it would be important to do it and get stories out there to people and that way some of the non-speaking Chipewyan people would be interested in re-learning their language.”

It’s working, Grooms said, as her show is quite popular – not just with Denesuline people from the NWT, but throughout northern Alberta and Saskatchewan, where people can access CKLB programs online.

“This Monday, I had people from Black Lake and Fond du Lac (Saskatchewan) visit me unexpectedly,” she said. “They came to Yellowknife to see me and said they listen to me on the internet…So I know I’ve been listened to all over.”

Grooms grew up speaking Chipewyan and, even though she no longer lives in her home community of Lutsel K’e, continues to speak it with her family and friends in Yellowknife.

“For me, it’s more meaningful to speak in your language than English, because when people speak the language and people tell stories in the language, you can’t really translate it effectively into English…In Chipewyan it’s more meaningful.”

While she said radio has an important role in preserving and promoting the language, more work needs to be done in the home and at schools to ensure younger generations aren’t losing out.

Lawrence Nayally, one of the younger radio hosts at CKLB, agreed. Though South Slavey was his first language growing up in Wrigley, Nayally said Aboriginal languages are often put aside by youth in order to prioritize English in school.

It was his family that kept him speaking and understanding Slavey.

“My grandparents encouraged me to come back and live with them for a couple years, and in that time I relearned the language,” Nayally said. “Then they passed away and I thought, what do I do now? Who will I speak Dene with?”

Nayally then moved into radio in Yellowknife where he is excited to be promoting the language to people across the territory, including classrooms, on his “Deh Cho on the Go” show.

“I think radio has a big role,” he said. “You can hear it daily on CKLB and CBC and it maintains that flow of information in terms of stories. A lot of people want to learn. There are young people interested in learning who tune into the station.”

He said the station plugs into Aboriginal Language Month every March by teaching words of the day and having language exchanges between different hosts.

Recently, the station secured a fluent Gwich’in announcer for the first time in over 20 years. Evelyne Parry of Fort McPherson is now on the air daily.

“I want to share and speak my Gwich’in language as much as I can,” Parry said.

CKLB’s radio director Deneze Nakehk’o said having a Gwich’in voice back on the air is a relief, as the language has the fewest native speakers left in the territory.

“We are so happy Evelyne has joined us here at the station,” he said. “Out of all the languages, Gwich’in is in the most dire situation, so it’s so important we have it on the radio every day.”

March is Aboriginal Languages Month in Canada.