Amik Smallwood is a first speaker of the Ojibwe language, one of the last generations to have had to learn English when he first went to school. Now an Ojibwe language teacher, we interview Smallwood, also known as Amik at the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Schools contest powwow about the revitalization of Native languages in Indian Country

Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr., PhD., Lac Courtes Oreilles Band of Lake Supervisor Chippewa Reservation, Wisconsin, USA, Native American Studies Faculty Director LCO Ojibwe College Naakmoigeng Anishnaabe Nendmowin Miinwaa Mnoyaawin (“Connecting our Anishinaabe Thoughts & Well-being”) Bkejwanong Virtual Anishinaabemowin Conference: Day 2 Recorded over Zoom on March 24, 2022, video edits Giizhik Kwe

The importance of our language.

Anton Treuer breaks down some basic Ojibwe protocol for greeting, including giving and introductory speech. Narration is in English with the Ojibwe words and phrases in audio and text.

Anton Treuer's keynote for the virtual Dakota and Ojibwe Languages Symposium on February 25, 2022, sponsored by the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council and the Minnesota Humanities Center.

http://cla.umn.edu/ojibwe - Students, alumni, and faculty from the University of Minnesota’s Ojibwe language program discuss (in Ojibwe!) the techniques and experiences which have helped them achieve a high level of proficiency in this endangered language. The goal of the Ojibwe Language major is to best situate both heritage and non-heritage Ojibwe students to be able to positively intervene in the cultural life of the state’s Ojibwe communities by contributing to the revitalization of the Ojibwe language. As a land grant institution, the University of Minnesota has a mission to contribute to the state’s communities and the Ojibwe Language major helps further that mission. The department also prioritizes local American Indian community engagement and advocacy. One of the single best ways to create positive change within our communities is to instill pride and celebrate cultural traditions like language at an early age.

Mille Lacs Band Elders authored stories for Ojibwemowin books Aanjibimaadizing, which means "changing lives" in our Ojibwe language, is operated as a division of the Mille Lacs Band's Department of Administration. Through the Aanjibimaadizing Project, 16 first speakers from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe have teamed with linguists, teachers, and Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe language) experts to create three new books for Ojibwe language and culture learners. Conceived and presented only in Ojibwemowin, the stories reflect a rare authenticity as they transmit cultural values, increase vocabulary, and reinforce identity. All three books are now available from Amazon and from the Minnesota Historical Society at https://www.mnhs.org/mnhspress/books/forthcoming. Each book is edited by Anton Treuer and Michael Sullivan Sr. and illustrated by a renowned Ojibwe artist. Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, is the author of The Language Warrior’s Manifesto and 14 other books on Indigenous history and language. Michael Sullivan Sr. is the resident linguist for the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion School on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation. For a video about the project, see youtube.com/millelacsband. Nishiimeyinaanig (Our Little Siblings) Illustrated by Wesley Ballinger In these 26 charming and original stories, animal characters act foolishly and bravely, show wisdom and weakness, and have funny and surprising adventures. Join cunning Waagosh (Fox) as he finds ever more creative ways to trick rabbits; the famous Gaazhagens (Cat), who manipulates children and entertains their grandmother; and a menagerie of animals engaged in sports, games, and life lessons of all kinds. Wesley Ballinger, a Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe artist, is a community engagement coordinator for the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota. He is the illustrator of Hungry Johnny by Cheryl Minnema. $17.95 paperback, ISBN: 978-168134-177-4, ages 10+ 128 pages, 100 color illustrations, index, 6 x 9 inches Anooj Inaajimod (They Tell All Kinds of Things) Illustrated by Jonathan Thunder In this anthology of 23 charming and original stories, people get into and out of trouble, make and solve problems, and have funny and surprising adventures. The tellings range from hilarious personal reminiscences to legendary exploits. From the true story of a family that raised a fawn until nursing it became too painful for its adoptive human mother to the squirrel that accidentally took the ride of its life across Mille Lacs Lake on the back of an owl, here is Ojibwe storytelling at its finest. Jonathan Thunder, a member of the Red Lake Nation, is a multidisciplinary artist who works in canvas painting, animation, filmmaking, and 3D projection mapping. He is the illustrator of Bowwow Powwow by Brenda Child. $17.95 paperback, ISBN: 978-168134-178-1, ages 10+ 128 pages, 100 color illustrations, index, 6 x 9 inches Akawe Niwii-tibaajim (First of All, I’m Telling a Story) Illustrated by Steve Premo In 80 brief original reminiscences and cultural stories, Elders of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe transmit a storehouse of experience and memories, wisdom and foolishness, and complex identity. Join Waasigwan (Shining Feather) as he navigates racism against African Americans in an Ojibwe community, learn about the cultural nuances of an Ojibwe naming ceremony, and experience the deeper meanings in the Ojibwe wild rice harvest. These are the stories that make us who we are. Steve Premo, an enrolled member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, is a graphic designer, illustrator, and fine artist. $18.95 paperback, ISBN: 978-1-68134-179-8, ages 14+ 240 pages, 100 b/w illustrations, 6 x 9 inches All three titles are now available from Minnesota Historical Society Press at https://www.mnhs.org/mnhspress/books/forthcoming.

How is language a medium through which culture can be learned? Waadookodaading, “a place where people help each other,” is an Ojibwe immersion school that integrates the tradition of sugaring into the curriculum. Learn how Keller Paap, a teacher, and Brooke Ammann, the school director, demonstrate the importance of students learning the Ojibwe language in this way. This resource is part of The Ways, a collection of educational media resources from PBS Wisconsin Education for middle and high school classrooms. The collection explores connections between traditional ways and those of today and expands and challenges current understanding of Native identity and communities through language and culture stories from First Nations communities around the central Great Lakes. Explore the full collection: https://pbswisconsineducation.org/theways/about/