“One word changed my life”: Reviving Indigenous language
“One word changed my life”: Reviving Indigenous language
Today, many Indigenous people are bringing back the languages of their ancestors.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Transcript
MSKWAA GEKEK KWE: [SPEAKING ANISHINAABEMOWIN]
My Anishinaabe name is Mskwaa Gekek Kwe. But I also go by Grey. I am Bear Clan. I am from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and I was born and raised here. And I am part of the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians. Anishinaabemowin is the Native language for the Great Lakes region. And I started learning it about eight or so years ago.
When I was in college, I wanted to take a native beadwork class because I liked crafting. And I really didn't know a lot about my Indigenous side. Even though I've lived in Bawating, Sault Ste. Marie, all of my life, I didn't have a lot of knowledge about our Native cultures. So I started taking that class, and I learned the word for "bead," which is Manidoominens, and that means spirit seed.
So I thought that that was such a cool word that I decided the next semester to take a whole class on the language. And really, that one word basically changed my life because I took my first Anishinaabemowin course, and I started learning the language very slowly.
My whole way of thinking changed because Anishinaabemowin has its own worldview inside of it. All of our teachings, all of our culture, everything is inside of our language, inside of the Anishinaabemowin words. I feel very hopeful about the future of the Anishinaabemowin language.
Native peoples in North America lost their languages through many different ways. One big one being the boarding school era. Comparatively, we are pretty lucky for how much Anishinaabemowin that has been kept. And the number of people who are working to keep building, and finding, and reclaiming the words, and the teachings that we know from it.
Many elders spend a lot of time teaching young ones, adults are learning, there's an after school immersion program. We have a teacher who grew up in Wikwemikong learning Anishinaabemowin as her first language, teaching children from about 6 to 12, Anishinaabe language within an immersion setting.
Let's learn some words in Anishinaabemowin. Makwa, bear. Migizi, eagle. Nimosh, dog. Gaazhagenhs, cat, that actually means little greedy one. Giigoonh, fish. Giizis, sun. Dibiki giizis, moon, that means dark sun.
Zgaa'igan, lake. Ziibi, river. Mitig, tree. Zhingwaak, pine tree. Ninaatig, maple tree. Ziiwaagmide, maple syrup. Koosmaan, pumpkin or squash. Nibi-koosmaan, watermelon. Mnoomin, wild rice. Bkwezhigan, bread. Bkwezhigaanhs, cookie, that means a little bread.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
My Anishinaabe name is Mskwaa Gekek Kwe. But I also go by Grey. I am Bear Clan. I am from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and I was born and raised here. And I am part of the Sault Ste. Marie tribe of Chippewa Indians. Anishinaabemowin is the Native language for the Great Lakes region. And I started learning it about eight or so years ago.
When I was in college, I wanted to take a native beadwork class because I liked crafting. And I really didn't know a lot about my Indigenous side. Even though I've lived in Bawating, Sault Ste. Marie, all of my life, I didn't have a lot of knowledge about our Native cultures. So I started taking that class, and I learned the word for "bead," which is Manidoominens, and that means spirit seed.
So I thought that that was such a cool word that I decided the next semester to take a whole class on the language. And really, that one word basically changed my life because I took my first Anishinaabemowin course, and I started learning the language very slowly.
My whole way of thinking changed because Anishinaabemowin has its own worldview inside of it. All of our teachings, all of our culture, everything is inside of our language, inside of the Anishinaabemowin words. I feel very hopeful about the future of the Anishinaabemowin language.
Native peoples in North America lost their languages through many different ways. One big one being the boarding school era. Comparatively, we are pretty lucky for how much Anishinaabemowin that has been kept. And the number of people who are working to keep building, and finding, and reclaiming the words, and the teachings that we know from it.
Many elders spend a lot of time teaching young ones, adults are learning, there's an after school immersion program. We have a teacher who grew up in Wikwemikong learning Anishinaabemowin as her first language, teaching children from about 6 to 12, Anishinaabe language within an immersion setting.
Let's learn some words in Anishinaabemowin. Makwa, bear. Migizi, eagle. Nimosh, dog. Gaazhagenhs, cat, that actually means little greedy one. Giigoonh, fish. Giizis, sun. Dibiki giizis, moon, that means dark sun.
Zgaa'igan, lake. Ziibi, river. Mitig, tree. Zhingwaak, pine tree. Ninaatig, maple tree. Ziiwaagmide, maple syrup. Koosmaan, pumpkin or squash. Nibi-koosmaan, watermelon. Mnoomin, wild rice. Bkwezhigan, bread. Bkwezhigaanhs, cookie, that means a little bread.
[MUSIC PLAYING]