Onion Lake revitalizes its radio station to preserve Cree language and empower next generation

“Non-stop, over 60 hours of broadcasting, and more than anything, just to reintroduce ourselves to the community here at Onion Lake, as we did some changes on radio… and make sure the community is proud of what we’re doing.”

The broadcast ran from Feb. 14 to 16 and featured new and longtime staff, music, live engagement and overnight programming – something the community had not heard in years.

Fraser Heathen, director of public relations for Onion Lake Cree Nation, said the station now sits within a broader communications network.

“So that includes the Onion Lake radio, our 7th Generation mobile live streaming, our 7th Generation Podcast, our Onion Lake social media pages, community events, digital marketing.”

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For interim broadcasting manager Jessie Lachance, the station’s revival carries cultural weight.

“Ultimately, what I would love to see is a lot more Cree speaking,” LaChance said.

“I myself, I hardly know any of my own language, which really sucks. And it’s just the more generations come, the less and less our language is being spoken.”

She said the team hopes to bring elders and fluent speakers on air more regularly, potentially introducing a Cree “sentence of the day” to help listeners reconnect with the language.

Beyond language, the station is also being positioned as a training ground for youth interested in media careers. Buchanan, who has decades of broadcasting experience, said mentoring young announcers is central to the station’s future.

“These are young Onion Lake Cree Nation band members and they’re into an industry that they might really find that they really like,” he said.

“So the goal for me is to bring some of those young ones, develop their skill set here… and maybe broadcasting schools in Calgary, Edmonton or out in B.C., could be their future.”

“Here’s a great opportunity for some young band members to see that and experience that, and go out and be a broadcaster and throw a pin on the map. They also could bring it back to here, and they could do my job, which would be great.”

“One of the fastest growing broadcast industries in North America is First Nation radio stations,” Buchanan said.

For Heathen, stronger local media is also about shaping the community narrative and keeping members informed.

“When we’re not occupying space with the airwaves and the internet… it makes way for negative publicity,” he said.

“So one thing with our program is it allows us to shed light on the positive work that happens in our communities.”

The station is now accessible online and through the Onion Lake Community App, allowing listeners to tune in beyond the reserve.

“It’s not just open to everybody here… it’s open to anybody across the land,” Buchanan said.

At its core, leaders say the station’s revival is about connection – between elders and youth, culture and technology, and community members near and far.

“It’s their voice to their people,” Buchanan said. “So the voice of the people, from their people.”

Click here to listen to the radio station.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Onion Lake revitalizes its radio station to preserve Cree language and empower next generation

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