It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of T’łat’laḵuł Trish (Patricia) Rosborough on August 15, 2019. 

Dr. Rosborough, from the Kwakiutl First Nation, was an Associate Professor in UVic’s Department of Indigenous Education and the former Director of Aboriginal Education for the BC Ministry of Education.

Trish was passionate about working in community and bringing Indigenous language revitalization methods and models to the communities where the language lives. An adult learner of her late mother’s first language, Kwak’wala, Trish often used a narrative approach to her research, sharing stories of her personal journey as a language learner, teacher and researcher.

Her research project, Beautiful Words: Enriching and Indigenizing Language Revitalization though Understandings of Linguistic Structure, stemmed from her view that it is important to consider both how to retain Indigenous languages and the rich worldview understandings within the languages.

As a co-Principal Investigator on NEȾOLṈEW̱, Trish worked with Onowa McIvor, Peter Jacobs and Indigenous community partners across Canada to deepen the understanding of best practices in adult Indigenous language learning. 

Trish was a dear colleague, friend and mentor to many and her contributions to community knowledge and Indigenous language recovery and revitalization will continue to have an impact on the field of Indigenous education well into the future.

—Submitted by Jean-Paul Restoule, Chair of Indigenous Education