The Importance of Speaking Our Language
By Bill LeBlanc

The soul of the tribe and the sovereignty of the Indian nation is in its adherence to culture and its language, while at the same time becoming attuned to the educational and economic values in the predominant social system. In the 1920s, Bay Mills Indian Community as it’s now knows, was subjected to a certain amount of isolation and segregation from communities as close as Brimley. Brimley was only occasionally visited to take advantage of slightly bigger markets available there. Many of the Bay Mills people walked to the store and carried their purchases home in a pack usually made out of a burlap bag.

Despite this isolation, it seemed to the people of that day that they must become adapted to the language of the broader community. The only nearby schools available were taught only in English. The Indian day and boarding schools minimized references to Native cultural values and language.

The elders of the late 1920s were the last tribal members who regularly spoke the Ojibwe language (Anishinaabemowin). Many of them lost their language when they were sent away to federally mandated boarding schools, such as the Mt. Pleasant Indian School my mother and her siblings attended in the early 1900s. Native languages were still banned when I went there and to Haskell a generation later from (DATES). My generation and those that came before me had to know English in order to succeed in the logging camps and mills, and to market their furs and other gathered forest foods. They needed it to read the local newspapers, legal documents, treaties, and many other important documents.

This is why I so value the Bay Mills Community College Anishinaabemowin program. I see these classes as a link to the past and the means by which a firm step may be made into the future.

The language studies are being conducted under a format called “immersion.” Generally, that means surrounding yourself with the sounds and meaning of a mode of communication. Immersion studies are based on a concept of hearing over and over again various subjects and stories with the premise that so many hours of familiarization will bring the student to the state of understanding. Ultimately, it enables the student to speak. Students are encouraged to read other materials and to become familiar with Indian words. Teachers utilize skits to give the student an opportunity to relate the words to actions and to learn the body language important to the communicative process. A general precept of the learning process is to make the study as near like that which a child would encounter in his or her home.

The child goes through several stages that include hearing, exploratory sounds, interaction with a family member, and eventually the use of simple words to initiate the actual communication. It is of course difficult to imitate the child’s learning methods in a classroom, but the fact that you can converse and even read this essay proves how successful it is.

To learn the language today, it is important to stay at it. Try to find someone who speaks and then practice some dialogue like what Kyle offers us here. Take a class, or start one. There are so many websites and books available with easy-to-learn lessons in them. Powwows are a great place to find them, or go online to anishinaabemowinpane.com. We have students who’ve been at it for a number of years who can carry on simple conversations. Some are actually teaching children how to speak.

It is the hope of the founders of the Bay Mills Community College Language Program that many of the students will eventually become teachers of the language. As the program says about its approach: “The teaching and learning process of these programs are developed in a manner that is unique and dynamic, Nishnaabe driven, and attempts to make a difference in the lives of the learners. In past history, the educational experiences of Nishnaabe people have not been pleasant and their rich culture largely unappreciated. This has changed dramatically in the past few years with the ever increasing awareness and enhancement of pride in this rich heritage. “

It should be noted that in addition to the importance of the Native language classes, they are really fun! DO YOU HAVE A STORY??

Each learning experience brings about a great deal of satisfaction. (Find out more at the program website: http://bmcc.edu/ProgramsFaculty/certificateprograms.html#nls)

Language studies have always been a part of the successful college program and the reinstitution of Ojibwe as our first language should give our young people the confidence and pride they need to handle the challenges of higher education. That is so necessary to succeed in the world we are a part of today.

Miigwetch miinwaa baamaapii!

(text goes here)

Julie—
Could you write an intro about what these teachings are; how these are the core values of our people? I don’t think it’s Kyle’s thing. If you can’t, let me know and I will next week (veronicatyhotmail.com).
Veronica

Introduction by Julie Timmer
Translations by Kyle Tadgerson

Nbwaakaawin
Wisdom

Zaagidwin
Love

Mnaadendimowin
Respect

Aakwade’ewin
Bravery

Gwekwaadiziwin
Honesty

Dbaadendiziwin
Humility

Debwewin
Truth

It is used to carry infants of one year. The Cradle board was used to keep the children from the cold. If you stop and want to put the child down you could hang it from a tree or you can lay it against a tree. It is also used for when the child is laid down to take a nap, so the mother can do what she is told to do around the house. It is also used to keep their baby protected.

This Cradle board was made by Hilda Lewis. In the picture is Chantell Tadgerson

by Kyle Tadgerson & Veronica Pasfield

“Aboriginal languages are sacred to Aboriginal people. They are a central source of survival for the people, as well as a critical link to knowledge given to us by our Creator who blessed us with our languages and in them gave instructions for our development and survival. Languages are the means of communication for the full range of human experiences and critical to the survival of the culture and political integrity of any people.”
--Dr. Marie Battiste, Mi’kmaq scholar, University of Saskatchewan

One way to learn about a cultural teaching in a word is to try to connect it with related words. One simple example of this is taking a look at words that contain the root word “de” –or, in English, “heart.” Think of the root word “de” as the starting point, one of the ideas embedded in the words. It’s easy to find examples.

DE = heart
DEwegan = drum
ogitchiDE = warrior
aakwaaDEwin = bravery
dooDEm = clan
oDEnaa = village

So what’s up with all this DE? If we take it one step further, we might infer some cultural teachings in each of these words. We can do that by looking at the other parts of the words, or just connecting the words with cultural ideas. We think it’s not coincidental that our ancestors embedded the idea of “heart” into these words.

DEwegan = drum
The drum is known as the heartbeat of the community. WHY? It can’t be a coincidence that the word for “drum” contains the word for “heart.”

OgitchiiDE = warrior
Ogitchii means “big,” as in “major.” So the word for warrior is literally translated as “major heart.” WHY?

aakwaaDEwin = bravery
Aakwaa means” fierce” or “intense.” Our ancestors give us a lot to think about when they connect the idea of bravery with having a fierce heart.

dooDEm = clan
Doo is a sacred word for the spirit inside of us. When we connect it with the idea of heart, what could we think about the teachings of the word for clan? That our clan, or extended family, are the people to whom we are connected spiritually and through love? WHAT?? That they are our love spirits?

oDEnaa = village
We wonder the same sort of thing about the word for village, where our doodem lives. When we are far away, does the language have us say we are returning to our “heart place” where our “spirit-heart” people live? Anishinaabemowin gives us a lot to think about.

By Bill LeBlanc

The soul of the tribe and the sovereignty of the Indian nation is in its adherence to culture and its language, while at the same time becoming attuned to the educational and economic values in the predominant social system. In the 1920s, Bay Mills Indian Community as it’s now knows, was subjected to a certain amount of isolation and segregation from communities as close as Brimley. Brimley was only occasionally visited to take advantage of slightly bigger markets available there. Many of the Bay Mills people walked to the store and carried their purchases home in a pack usually made out of a burlap bag.
Despite this isolation, it seemed to the people of that day that they must become adapted to the language of the broader community. The only nearby schools available were taught only in English. The Indian day and boarding schools minimized references to Native cultural values and language.
The elders of the late 1920s were the last tribal members who regularly spoke the Ojibwe language (Anishinaabemowin). Many of them lost their language when they were sent away to federally mandated boarding schools, such as the Mt. Pleasant Indian School my mother and her siblings attended in the early 1900s. Native languages were still banned when I went there and to Haskell a generation later from (DATES). My generation and those that came before me had to know English in order to succeed in the logging camps and mills, and to market their furs and other gathered forest foods. They needed it to read the local newspapers, legal documents, treaties, and many other important documents.
This is why I so value the Bay Mills Community College Anishinaabemowin program. I see these classes as a link to the past and the means by which a firm step may be made into the future.
The language studies are being conducted under a format called “immersion.” Generally, that means surrounding yourself with the sounds and meaning of a mode of communication. Immersion studies are based on a concept of hearing over and over again various subjects and stories with the premise that so many hours of familiarization will bring the student to the state of understanding. Ultimately, it enables the student to speak. Students are encouraged to read other materials and to become familiar with Indian words. Teachers utilize skits to give the student an opportunity to relate the words to actions and to learn the body language important to the communicative process. A general precept of the learning process is to make the study as near like that which a child would encounter in his or her home.
The child goes through several stages that include hearing, exploratory sounds, interaction with a family member, and eventually the use of simple words to initiate the actual communication. It is of course difficult to imitate the child’s learning methods in a classroom, but the fact that you can converse and even read this essay proves how successful it is.
To learn the language today, it is important to stay at it. Try to find someone who speaks and then practice some dialogue like what Kyle offers us here. Take a class, or start one. There are so many websites and books available with easy-to-learn lessons in them. Powwows are a great place to find them, or go online to anishinaabemowinpane.com. We have students who’ve been at it for a number of years who can carry on simple conversations. Some are actually teaching children how to speak.
It is the hope of the founders of the Bay Mills Community College Language Program that many of the students will eventually become teachers of the language. As the program says about its approach: “The teaching and learning process of these programs are developed in a manner that is unique and dynamic, Nishnaabe driven, and attempts to make a difference in the lives of the learners. In past history, the educational experiences of Nishnaabe people have not been pleasant and their rich culture largely unappreciated. This has changed dramatically in the past few years with the ever increasing awareness and enhancement of pride in this rich heritage. “
It should be noted that in addition to the importance of the Native language classes, they are really fun! DO YOU HAVE A STORY??
Each learning experience brings about a great deal of satisfaction. (Find out more at the program website: http://bmcc.edu/ProgramsFaculty/certificateprograms.html#nls)
Language studies have always been a part of the successful college program and the reinstitution of Ojibwe as our first language should give our young people the confidence and pride they need to handle the challenges of higher education. That is so necessary to succeed in the world we are a part of today.
Miigwetch miinwaa baamaapii!