An upcoming language summit on Six Nations hopes to stimulate dialogue and action in preserving languages and fluency.

But only two of the six languages on Six Nations, Mohawk and Cayuga, are commonly heard while Seneca, Tuscaroro, Oneida and Onondaga struggle to remain alive.

Michael Hill, the Education Policy and Research Analyst for Six Nations Lifelong Learning, the organization hosting this weekend's event, says the question for council and the community is, "what’s being done to preserve and prioritize languages?"

The summit is being held in partnership with several Six Nations organizations, including Grand River Employment and Training (GREAT), Six Nations Polytechnic, the Six Nations Language Commission and McMaster University.

Laurie Froman, CEO of GREAT, says they have several new initiatives starting in the fall of 2023, including one that can run up to five years.

Rick Monture is an Associate professor with McMaster University and involved with the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute. He says the Indigenous Studies department at McMaster started a language course some 30 years ago when the department was first established and they hope to assist with post secondary language learning.

The Six Nations Language Summit takes place on Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 at the Six Nations Community Hall and is expected to be live streamed for those who cannot attend in person.

Listen to the full report below: