“Even though The Beatles’ songs sound, you know, simple, there's always a hidden meaning in there. And that's what I really loved about it,” Julian says. “I had to really do it very carefully so that I got the message, the original message across in the Mi’kmaq.”

Although there is a school that teaches local kids the language, Stevens says students are not allowed to attend after a certain age. Plus many young people didn’t have the opportunity to learn Mi’kmaq. While this has made it difficult for the youth to hold on to the language, it’s also why preserving Mi’kmaq is paramount to Stevens.

Stevens and Julian are both members of the Eskasoni First Nation. In recent years, the community has developed a school and music program, something Julian didn’t have when she was Stevens’ age.

“It’s just wonderful to hear it,” she says. “And Mi’kmaq is full of emotions when it’s spoken. You know, when we speak to each other, there’s a lot of emotions that’s conveyed in the words.”

When Julian shared the video with her father, who helped her to translate it, she says he had tears in his eyes.

That emotion that can be heard in Stevens’ voice as she sings “Blackbird.” She says she feels proud to be able to sing the famous song in her language.

“There’s not a lot of people that can do that,” she says. “So it makes me feel really proud to be able to do those kinds of things.”

Jeannette Jones adapted this interview for the web.