Page 43 March 26, 2008 CAMPUS UPEI] looks to rejuvenate the language of the Mi’kmaq

School is now offering a course of a languagewhich now has only about 100 fluent speakers

By Lucas Mcinnis Editor-in-Chief

Prince Edward Island a half-mil-

lennia ago was a far different place. Trees surrounded the grassy land, and the people, known as the Mi’kmagq, enjoyed everything the island could offer with a language they could call their own.

Today, much has_ changed. Highways cut through much of what is now a province of Canada. Highways and buildings engage the eye and languages from all over the globe engage the ear. At least, for the most part.

The Mi’kmaq language, which could be declared the language of the original Islanders, has been pushed away at a steady pace to the

What’s all the buzz about?

Florida law-makers look to make salvia illegal, and Cadre reporter Jarrod Yeo wonders where the sense is

By Jarrod Yeo UPEI Cadre

I was surfing the net the other night when I stumbled across a story that caught my eye. “Lawmakers Consider Outlawing “Next Marijuana’” the headline read. The next marijuana? Could they be seri- ous? There was something out there that might dethrone weed as the No.1 illegally recreationally used drug? After opening the link, I was disappointed to read the drug it was referring to was nothing more than salvia divinorum. For all those straight edges out there, salvia is a hallucinogenic herb from Mexico and South America that is legal it Canada. Smoking leaves gives users an out-of-body sense of traveling through time and space.

I know this first hand. A couple of years ago, some friends and I picked up a small amount from a local bodega. After smoking it, I recall a general sense of well-being, my peripheral vision being altered and giddiness in general.

Its effects peaked after only a minute or so and slowly faded. Overall, it was a somewhat unmem-

orable experience. For $40, I would much rather go to a bar or a movie.

But that’s not how Florida state leg- islators are viewing it. Republican Mary Brandenburg has introduced a bill to make possession of salvia a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

"As soon as we make one drug ille- gal, kids start looking around for other drugs they can buy legally. This is just the next one," she said in the article.

Brilliant. When marijuana was out- lawed, did people stop smoking it? No. They continued. When heroin was banned, did people stop shoot- ing up?

Again, it’s a resounding no. I would suggest drugs approved by the state exact a far greater toll on society than salvia ever will. One needs to look no further than the prescription drug problem plaguing many areas of rural PEI.

That said, I would say if you’re an adventurous or rebellious type and have some cash to burn, try it out. I’m fairly certain you’ll enjoy it but you'll be left expecting more. And do it now while you still can, we all know how Harper likes to mimic the Republicans.

point where there is now fewer than

100 people fluent in the Mi’kmaq language. UPEI has decided to try to change that. The school has begun a course with the intention of teaching the language, slightly different to that taught by Tracadie Cross Consolidated who also teaches its students basics of the language.

To teach such a course they’ve brought in Lennox Island resident Nellie Wysote.

Wysote may seem like the perfect candidate for such a position. Not only is she one of the hundred, or “maybe less” who can speak the

UPEI Cadre

Mi’kmaq language, she’s also a teacher by trade. Just the notion of teaching the language has built up quite a bit of interest amongst many individuals, like on Lennox Island, she said.

“Especially the Mi’kmagq (are inter- ested),” she said. “If they want to know something they come to me.”

The increased interest in the lan- guage could be enough incentive to bring forth another semester.

Wysote hopes the interest keeps up.

“There has been interest and I’m hoping it will continue.”

Thinking about grad school?

Think about UNB...

We offer:

individual attention from world-class researchers. a rich choice of programs in more than 30 fields. a small, friendly supportive atmosphere.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW. BRUNSWICK Graduate Studies

Come find out why so many graduate students choose UNB.

Holiday Inn Express Charlottetown - Library Room 200 Trans-Canada Highway Thursday, March 6, 2008, from 7 pm to 9 pm (information session)