Living Our Language_ Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories - Anton Treuer [4]
From the late nineteenth century until the close of World War II, numerous Ojibwe children were taken from their homes and sent to government boarding schools, where they were often beaten for speaking the Ojibwe language. The effects of this forced assimilation were particularly damaging to long-term language retention for Ojibwe communities, creating a permanent break in language instruction for many families. Those who regained the language after boarding school often did not teach the language to their children. As a result, most Minnesota Ojibwe communities today have fluency rates of ten percent or less, with the vast majority of speakers being forty-five or more years of age.12
In spite of the devastating effects of dispossession and assimilation policies, the Ojibwe still maintain a vibrant culture and a strong, unbroken religious tradition. The base of speakers was surely in decline, but the Big Drum Ceremonials and Medicine Dance have continued to be practiced. Today, those ceremonies are experiencing revitalization as numerous young Ojibwe people attempt to regain contact with ancient history and culture. In many ways Ojibwe tradition lives on, although fluency in Ojibwe is a requirement for anyone telling funeral legends or conducting a Medicine Dance. Ojibwe culture is intact, but it is affixed by very thin threads.
The waxing power of tribal governments and the upsurge of interest in traditional culture has sparked new hope for the language in recent years. Casinos provide a much-needed income stream for Ojibwe communities, and many tribes have put the money to good use, building Big Drum dance halls and funding language programs. Among these communities there is hope for a revitalization of Ojibwe language and culture. Without doubt, it is in the spirit of revitalization that the speakers represented here have chosen to share their knowledge.
The Journey:
From Meeting Speakers to Pursuing Publication
When I first began recording Ojibwe speakers and transcribing their stories, I didn’t think about publishing them. I simply wanted to preserve the language of some of my family members and community elders for myself. I was interested in working with people close to me who spoke the same dialect of Ojibwe. Thus, my first contacts were primarily Leech Lake elders—Scott Headbird, Emma Fisher, and Walter “Porky” White. A few years later, I also recorded Leech Lake elders Hartley White and Susan Jackson.
As I continued to collect language material, I came to understand more and more how precious that material was and how useful it would be for anyone interested in Ojibwe language and culture. Earl Otchingwanigan (formerly Nyholm) and Kent Smith, both of whom worked at Bemidji State University, encouraged me to assume the position of editor for the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, an Ojibwe language publication produced by Bemidji State University Indian Studies. In speaking with the elders I had been recording, I decided that it wouldn’t be fair for me to keep their stories to myself. Many of the elders recorded stories for the expressed purpose of sharing them with me and with anyone else who would listen. To further their goal, I began to publish some of those stories in monolingual Ojibwe transcription and, later, with English translation as well. As the journal’s circulation grew, I began to record other Ojibwe elders, including several from communities with significantly different dialects. I eventually worked with people from all of the major Minnesotan Ojibwe dialects, including a number of people from the Red Lake community of Ponemah, Mille Lacs and communities along the St. Croix border region, and especially