Ets’ulah is Dene Love Song, a neglected musical form that Laura Tutcho argues can be used to revitalize the Sahtúgotı̨nę language. Ets’ulah is “one of the oldest traditions for representing kinship links, family legacies, and ties to the land and life on the land.” (6) Laura Tutcho begins by presenting an overview of Dene history, and the importance of Dene language to knowing “who we are as people” (9) today. The history of the residential schools and the different attitudes of traders, missionaries, and teachers towards Dene language and culture are also presented. Next, the author talks about the current status of language teaching in Délı̨nę, making some key points:

• She recommends a bilingual upbringing that teaches children the language and also encourages graduation.
• She talks about a “cultural inclusion program” (12) that teaches children to drum, sing Slavey songs, sew, and survive on the land.
• She identifies a dire need for more Sahtú Dene teachers and recommends that the Délı̨nę Self Government priorities include a “strong position about how our children and people should be taught.” (13)
• She comments that Canadian laws, mǫ́la ɂeɂá, “can never do justice to our way of knowing.” (17)

The author talks about her own story, moving from the land to a formidable English day school at the age of 8 and needing to speak English to avoid the strap. She talks about the lessons she learned in her community and some of the traditions she remembers about hunting, taboos, and other teachings. One central question she addresses is how to engage youth in learning the same knowledge, particularly their Dene language. She sees ets’ulah as one way to get youth interested in Dene Kedǝ and Dene Ts’ı̨lı̨.

From Abstract: "My project is about how ets’ulah (Dene love song) can contribute to the revitalization of Sahtúgot’ı̨nę language. The Sahtúgot’ı̨nę language is spoken in the community of Délı̨ ne, Northwest Territories. My research highlights the Sahtúgot'ine tradition of ets'ulah, a musical form that will entice young people to use their language. Ets'ulah is the most neglected of the musical expressions of culture, yet one of the oldest traditions for representing kinship links, family legacies, and ties to the land and life on the land. I provide a study of noted singer the late Eliza Blondin to help revitalize Sahtúgot’ı̨ nę language through the value of ets'ulah, for as Besha Blondin, Eliza’s daughter, says, “the language is like ets’ulah”."

Read other University of Victoria Language Revitalization MA Theses from Susan Saunders and Fibbie Tatti.

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This thesis has been made available open access by the University of Victoria: https://www.uvic.ca/education/indigenous/assets/docs/Tutcho_Laura_MEd_2016.pdf

Read more Masters in Indigenous Languages Revitalization Theses and Projects from UVic here: https://www.uvic.ca/education/indigenous/research/graduate/index.php

Tutcho, Laura. Ets’ulah: “The language is like ets’ulah.” Master’s Thesis, University of Victoria, 2016.