(Photo: Left to Right, Dominic Lee and Andrew Thunder, employees of The North West Company welcoming event participants to their booth at APTN’s Indigenous Day Live)

Oranges and bananas are helping The North West Company spread the word about its role in preserving Indigenous languages.

The North West Company celebrated Indigenous Day this year at the largest national celebration event in Canada. As a sponsor, The North West Company provided support for the event and had a booth set up during the day on June 23 to share information on the company’s role in preserving Indigenous languages.

Participants of the event were welcomed to the booth with free fruit along with a translation of the products in an Indigenous language. People were encouraged to scan sample QR code shelf strips to hear the translation of the products pronounced in Oji-Cree.

These demonstrations show how the North West Company’s Indigenous Language program for shoppers works. The program is aimed at communicating in the language actively used in the community to enhance customers’ shopping experiences, as well as promote the use and learning of Indigenous languages. Rolled out last October, it is believed to be the first offered by a major Canadian retailer.