Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

April Update: Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee Meets

Elders Council Translate "Words to do with Ziigwan (Spring)"

A mixture of elders/first speakers, teachers, and staff for Red Lake's Ojibwemowin Advisory Committee attended their monthly meeting at Oshki-maajitaadaa (New Beginnings) in Redby on Monday, April 13, 2015, from 3:30 until about 6:00 p.m.

The Ojibwemowin Council gathered round a four-sided table-group, including again, several residents of Jourdain/Perpich Nursing Home.

The group had gathered to develop additional language materials and teaching tools for Red Lake Head Start Ojibwe Immersion School. The group has been meeting monthly.

This time they would translate "words and phrases to do with the coming season of spring. The words are being transcribed and will be made available to any and all...including Ojibwemowin dictionaries.... to document the Red Lake dialect.

After an opening prayer by consultant Brian Smith, updates, and announcements, Associate for Ojibwemowin revitalization, Red Lake Head Start Immersion School teacher, Zac Mitteness led an activity of breaking into small groups to brainstorm about Ziigwan inspired lessons in the areas of math, language, physical education and science.

A light supper was enjoyed before the group headed home.

Want to know how to pronounce these words? Listen to Red Lake Spiritual Advisor Eugene Stillday and others pronounce these and other words and phrases at the following U of M link for the "Ojibwe Peoples Dictionary." http://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu

Afterword

Get Involved with Ojibwemowin and Cultural Revitalization in Your Community

The effort is part of the Head Start Immersion Classroom. Zac Mitteness is the lead teacher along with Marcus Tyler. Guiding elders, Frances Miller and Elizabeth "Pug" Kingbird, join them. The first immersion Head Start school classroom opened this past fall with nine students. The school is behind Red Lake Elementary and meets on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday weekly from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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 each meeting.

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 team meets monthly on the second Monday at Oshki-maajitaadaa, (New Beginnings). The Ojibwemowin Council of Elders invites any and all to get involved with Ojibwemowin Language and Culture Revitalization within the Red Lake Nation community! Get involved in this or one of the many other cultural projects in your community for a better Red Lake Nation.

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.

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.

 

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