Our Ancestors Are Happy

This chapter explores the correlation between language revival and wellbeing. It suggests that there is an urgent need to systematically assess quantitatively the mental health impact of language reclamation on indigenous communities. The primary hypothesis is that there will be significant improvements in mental health during the language revival process, reduced suicide ideation (i.e. people would be less likely to come up with the idea of suicide as a possibility), reduced self-harm, and reduced instances of suicide. Language is postulated as core to a people’s wellbeing and mental health. The link between poor mental health and suicide has been clearly demonstrated. But it is one thing to have a statement about the importance of language and mental health; it is another to have the statistical evidence that governments often require to implement policies that will affect personal, community and social wellbeing. Hallett, Chandler, and Lalonde (2007) report a clear correlation between youth suicide and lack of conversational knowledge in the native language in British Columbia, Canada. However, there has been no systematic study of the impact of language revival on mental health and suicide, partly because language reclamation is still rare. This chapter suggests that just as language loss increases suicidal ideation and depression, language gain reduces ill mental health.