Update: Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee Meets

A mixture of elders/first speakers, teachers, and staff for Red Lake's Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee met at Oshki-maajitaadaa (New Beginnings) in Redby on Monday, October 13, 2014, from 12:30 until about 3:30 p.m.

Several adults of many ages gather round a four-sided table-group. They were here to develop additional language materials and teaching tools for Red Lake Head Start Ojibwe Immersion School. The group has been meeting monthly during the year, this time to translate words and phrases related to Dagwaagin (Autumn) and Biboon (Winter)

After an opening prayer by Anna Gibbs, lunch, updates, and announcements, the Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee got to work by breaking into small groups. Several drawings and/or photos were scattered about the tables, this time having an autumn theme on the following subjects:

• Hunting = Giiwase

• Snow/Weather = Goonika-izhiwebad

• Dressing for Warmth = Giizhoopizon

• Homes/Family = Endaayang

• Animals/Brown Bear = Ozaawi-Makwa

• Turkeys = Binewag and Food = Miijim

• Gift Giving = Miigwechii-Miigiwewin

After finishing their respective assignments, the small groups presented their work to the larger group. It was a kind of editing session as speakers discussed the translations and their English equivalents.

As with all these gatherings, much laughter and joking goes on. This time, as is often the case, the highlight was a song by Anna Gibbs. Anna sang a song about the men in the room. Biidaanakwad, "Bebaanaajimod" could not understand all the words, but was told by Zhaawanwe'wiidamok that it had a level of bawdiness, which might be true, as all the women in the room giggled and blushed.

The Red Lake immersion programs will use of the "double vowel" system as developed and presented in the Nichols/Nyholm dictionary. The double vowel system is used at Ojibwemowin immersion schools, public schools, and colleges across the country. It is the preferred spelling used in Ojibwemowin books.

The effort is part of the Head Start Immersion Classroom. Zack Mitteness is the lead teacher along with Marcus Tyler. Guiding elders, Frances Miller and Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, join them. Elizabeth Strong is the Program Coordinator and Liz White is the Family Coordinator for the program. The first immersion Head Start school classroom opened this fall with nine students. The school is at the Boys and Girls Club and meets on Tuesdays and Friday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The group hopes to develop immersion school project partners, including a collaboration of skilled and fluent speaking community members. Partners would include the Red Lake School District, Head Start, and Red Lake Nation College.

The Ojibwe Language Revitalization Advisory Committee consists of First Speakers; Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, Frances Miller, Anna Gibbs, Susan Johnson, Mary Lou Stillday, Eliza Johnson, Murphy Thomas, Eugene Stillday, Donald Iceman, Sr., Violet Patterson, Arnold Kingbird, Greeting Spears, Lee Whitefeather, Carol Barrett and John Barrett, with more and more getting involved every day. New visitors today included Ruth Fevig, Susan Hallett and others as Ojibwemowin Revitalization grows.

Some staff and teachers with various levels of Ojibwemowin fluency include; Zack Mitteness, Marcus Tyler, Native Taylor, Sam Strong, Elizabeth Strong, and Elizabeth White.

Red Lake Nation Language Revitalization Plan, Vision and Mission

It is our vision that within 10 years Red Lake will have a younger generation of fluent speakers that promote the language and culture in our communities and act as leaders for the next seven generations. It is our mission to promote this vision through an immersion school as well as through a variety of other initiatives.

The team meets monthly at various locations. Red Lake Economic Development and Planning office invites anyone to contact their office if you would like to get involved or have project ideas for Ojibwemowin Language Revitalization within the Red Lake Nation community!