Sung around the world in various languages, the Christmas tune “Jingle Bells” has now been translated into a local first nations language thanks to Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation youth representative Devin Pielle and elders.
With the help of Betty Wilson and Elsie Paul, as well as linguistics experts Marianne Huijsmans and Su Urbanczyk, Pielle has translated “Jingle Bells” into Ayahjuthum, the traditional language spoken by Tla’amin, Klahoose, Comox and Homalco First Nations.
The effort is part of the Dictionary Project, a University of British Columbia language-revitalization project. The five-year endeavour has Pielle and the group working to document, record and keep alive the traditional Ayahjuthum language in collaboration with other First Nations teams.
“Another language group shared something like this with me on social media and challenged me,” said Pielle.
Pielle started the project in late summer and has worked previously to document the language as part of the FirstVoices system, an interactive online language archive.
“We meet once or twice a month,” she said. “We edit words that we have recorded and now have a database of about 834 words.”
Pielle said they record around 200 to 500 words a session and there can be a lot of back and forth discussion around what certain words mean.
“It can be really hard to translate something,” said Pielle. “One time an elder acted out a word by putting her hands up and opening her eyes wide, and it meant being caught off guard or surprised, but not shocked.”
She said the recording of traditional words add richness to the language and passes it on to the next generation.
“It’s a different thought process, this language,” said Pielle. “I’m doing this so my daughter can learn.“
The difference between English and Ayahjuthum was apparent for Pielle in translating “Jingle Bells,” and she said some phrases in the popular Christmas carol, such as, “Oh, what fun it is to ride,” just don’t translate.
“It’s fun, the elders make it fun for us and we all laugh together,” she said. “I’m honoured, not a lot of youth get to just hang out with their elders.”
To watch a video featuring Pielle and members of the language revitalization team singing “Jingle Bells,” go to prpeak.com.
