The new signpost will be erected near the intersection of Central Ave. and River St. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

New signage

River Street to be named in multiple languages

Nov 14, 2019 | 5:38 PM

Residents of Prince Albert will soon have a chance to see the first results of the city’s Indigenous naming initiative.

Expected by the end of the year, a new signpost will be erected at the intersection of Central Avenue and River Street.

The top will read River Street in English, followed by translations into six local Indigenous languages. Three blades will feature Swampy Cree, Plains Cree and Woodland Cree, while another three will have Dene, Michif and Dakota translations.

“The goal is that we have more Indigenous and diverse naming of the different places and spaces in our city to reflect our population,” P.A. Arts and Culture Co-ordinator Judy Macleod Campbell told paNOW.

When she began working with Knowledge Keepers from the Prince Albert Historical Society on the project, one of the first things they did was conduct an inventory of the existing names of places in the city including parks, streets and buildings.

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“When you look at our population we’re 42 per cent Indigenous, but yet when we did the inventory of ‘OK, what do we currently have named in Indigenous languages, we have nine names,’” she said.

Looking ahead

In the future the initiative will see more places in Prince Albert officially given Indigenous names, including signage at the entrances of the city. But Macleod Campbell said River St. was a natural place for the project to start.

“The river was always the meeting point for all Indigenous groups, the first people that were here” she said.

City administration is currently waiting for the final mock-up of the new signpost, which will feature the same white on black style as the new downtown street signs. Dependant on the final cost, new blades could be installed at up to three locations along River Street.

Attached to the unveiling, the city hopes to record a Knowledge Keeper representing each of the six cultures reading the label in their language. The video can then be used as an educational tool to teach pronunciation.

The Indigenous naming initiative builds on recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to restore Indigenous place names. Macleod Campbell said the new signage is also subtle way make the city more inclusive.

“For example, we have some youth who move to Prince Albert from some Northern communities for university next year and they’re walking down Central Avenue and they see ‘Wow, there’s River Street in Dene, in my language,’” she explained.

“I think it builds that sense of community, pride and belonging which is really important.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom