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 October 13 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 Gibbs. She 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.

Michael Meuers

Rose Cloud and Elizabeth Kingbird confer, while Frances Miller looks on.

The Red Lake immersion programs will use 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.