Reconciliation, one keystroke at a time

A new font to typeset Salish languages is the result of a unique collaboration between UBC, Musqueam and Syilx

What does reconciliation actually look like in practice? It’s often seen through policies, ceremonies or strategic plans. But in practice, it’s a process that unfolds slowly, through a whole lot of emails, phone calls, knowledge sharing and taking the time to get the small things right.

In this case, it was a years-long process to create something that many people don’t think much about: the design of letters, called a typeface.

It started with the need for UBC to respectfully express hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the traditional language of the Musqueam peoples, in a written form. The UBC Vancouver campus is situated within the ancestral, unceded territory of Musqueam. Expressing the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language with respect is an important step in UBC and Musqueam’s relationship, and in moving forward a shared goal of increasing awareness about the land that the university is on.

But because hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ is traditionally only an oral language, rendering it in writing is challenging—especially in this new digital age.

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