Speaking Each Other’s Language

The IISD Experimental Lakes Area produced a six-minute animated video in Ojibwe to communicate the risks of mercury poisoning in freshwater fish to First Nations communities in Canada. The project involved collaborating with language experts and Elders from the Nigigoonsiminikaaning (Red Gut) and Couchiching First Nations to develop new terms for scientific concepts, such as 'liquid metal that shines' for mercury. The initiative aims to make science accessible, support Ojibwe language revitalization, and eventually integrate these findings into Canadian school curricula through a free lesson plan.

• First Nations people in Canada face a high risk of mercury poisoning, also known as Minamata disease, due to their traditional reliance on freshwater fish for sustenance.
• The IISD Experimental Lakes Area conducted whole-ecosystem experiments in Ontario, Canada, demonstrating that mercury levels in fish increase when mercury is introduced to a lake and decrease when the addition stops.
• To bridge the gap in communication, a six-minute animated video was created in Ojibwe, requiring the development of neologisms for scientific terms lacking equivalents, such as "Biiwaabikowaabo gaa-waawaageshkaag" for mercury.
• The project collaborated with members of the Nigigoonsiminikaaning (Red Gut) and Couchiching First Nations to ensure the inclusion of young First Nations voices and to support the preservation of the Ojibwe language.
• Future goals for the project include the creation of a free lesson plan featuring transcripts and neologisms to integrate the research into Canadian school curricula.

APA

Yunus,, D. (2021). Speaking Each Other’s Language. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/speaking-each-others-language

Chicago

Yunus,, Dilber. Speaking Each Other’s Language. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/speaking-each-others-language.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yunus, |first1=Dilber |title=Speaking Each Other’s Language |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=19 January 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/speaking-each-others-language |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yunus2021speaking, author = {Yunus,, Dilber}, title = {{Speaking Each Other’s Language}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/speaking-each-others-language}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }