We have always embraced technology. Indigenous technologies grow from all aspects of life and rely on skill, creative thinking and a deep understanding of our environment.
First Peoples’ Cultural Council partnered with communities to create FirstVoices.com, a free online environment that connects the knowledge carried in our languages to modern digital technology. This community-led platform supports collaboration with Elders. Language teams can upload dictionaries, alphabets, songs, stories, words and phrases as well as audio and video to their community sites.
For details, access to tools, games, sites and more, visit our website.
Benefits
FirstVoices is a secure, central online platform for language revitalization. Benefits include:
- Open source, free for B.C. communities.
- Data is owned by communities. Your language team has full control of access and data management.
- Increases collaboration on language documentation. Youth and Elders can work together to record audio, stories, images, video and build dictionaries.
- Includes support, training and documentation for First Nations communities in B.C.
- Serves as a curated, searchable reference and educational tool for you to learn your language.
FirstVoices Mobile Apps and Keyboards
- In addition to the online platform, FirstVoices also includes mobile apps and keyboards.
- Each application is an interactive dictionary that brings FirstVoices sites to the user’s fingertips. They are available for iOS and Android platforms.
- The apps are free to download and contain dictionary data that is available offline in addition to audio and images. Users can bookmark favourite words, practice with flashcards and browse words/phrases from a variety of subjects and categories.
- FirstVoices keyboards are an important tool for recording and revitalizing languages. Based on Keyman technology, the FirstVoices Keyboards app includes support for 100+ First Nations languages in B.C., Canada and around the world.
- Once the FirstVoices Keyboard app is installed on a mobile phone or tablet, any one of the 100+ custom keyboards can be activated. Users are able to select their keyboard(s) of choice within their email, social media, word processing or other apps, enabling unlimited communication in their mother language.
- To learn more about our apps visit: FirstVoices Android/iOS dictionary apps and keyboards.
Educational Games for Kids
- Data uploaded to FirstVoices powers auto-generated games and an interface designed specifically for kids.
- A set of interactive online games providing pre-readers with access to the language resources is available here.
Our Technology
- FirstVoices is hosted on secure Canadian cloud infrastructure using open-source software that is able to scale to millions of files.
- The platform provides advanced data management features specifically tailored for language revitalization work, based on research and ongoing feedback from communities.
- FirstVoices provides authorization and authentication features that allow for the creation of public and private archives.
- We believe in partnering with the communities we serve to improve and maintain FirstVoices as an important resource for Indigenous people in B.C. and around the world.
- To learn more about FirstVoices visit the FirstVoices Knowledge Base
Program Contact
FirstVoices Help Desk
If you have any questions or feedback regarding the FirstVoices website, keyboards or apps, send us an email. Our team of technology experts is also happy to assist you with questions related to the digital representation of Indigenous languages.
We’re here to help!