There are currently only about 1,800 Michif speakers in the world, according to a 2021 study by Statistics Canada.
The language is listed as endangered, and experts warn the number of fluent speakers may now be fewer than 1,000.
But one Métis video game developer is working to change that — using an unconventional approach to connect with a new generation.
Josh Nilson, founder of East Side Games and co-founder of MiskwaĚ„ Games and MétisLife, is using the popular gaming platform Roblox to teach Michif through a new game called Michif RP.
Roblox, a platform with more than 202 million monthly users, is the second-largest gaming platform in the world. Much of its success comes from the fact that the majority of its content is user-generated, allowing players to build and host their own game worlds with unique rules and themes.
Nilson has developed Michif RP as a way to teach both youth and adults the Michif language — starting with the Northern Michif dialect.
“With Roblox, you can get started right away,” said Nilson, who is from Willow River, in an interview with The Citizen. “They just need a laptop or a phone and an email address. The barrier to entry is really low. People don’t need a lot of tools — it’s all there for collaboration and creation.”
Michif RP currently focuses on Northern Michif but aims to expand to include additional dialects and Indigenous languages as the game grows.
“We’re focusing on Northern Michif,” said Nilson. “It has fewer than 200 speakers, and it’s a very difficult language if you’ve never heard it before. My generation and the one above us didn’t really speak it — we were labelled the forgotten generation.
“When you take away someone’s language, that’s how you colonize them. So we’re trying to take that back. Traditional language apps and books aren’t always engaging, and you might not retain what you learn. But kids learn by playing.”
Nilson said the first phase of the game already includes three to four hours of content, with plans for more.
“In phase two, we’re going to build out more storytelling and interactivity so people can play even more,” he said. “My vision is — wouldn’t it be great if not only could people play this game, but every museum in BC and across Turtle Island had a tablet where people could learn the language?
“We’re starting with Northern Michif, but we’d like to expand to Southern Michif and eventually other First Nations languages and communities. What began as a language-learning app is also becoming a tool to learn about culture.”
In Michif RP, players begin the game by speaking with Amelia Douglas, a Métis matriarch in BC. She guides players through the first section of the game, set in a traditional fort.
Players can learn Michif by taking part in in-game activities such as horse riding, earning badges and completing quests — all designed to make language learning interactive and memorable.
Nilson said the project is deeply personal, representing a way for him and others to reconnect with a cultural identity that was often inaccessible.
“It’s our language,” he said. “I think it’s a really good reconnection to our past. We weren’t brought up in households that spoke it, but it’s still our language.
“It’s important for young people to be exposed to the fact that as Indigenous people, we do have our own languages. This is just another tool to explore that — and to start having conversations with kids.”
