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About This Course

Notice on Language Accuracy

Language Content Under Community Review

The language content in this course was generated with AI assistance and has not yet been reviewed or verified by Ojibwe language speakers or community language authorities. Known issues include mixing of regional dialects that do not reflect the usage of any specific community, including the Twin Cities, Duluth, or northern Wisconsin areas.

Do not use the vocabulary, grammar examples, glossary, or games for language instruction until this content has been verified. This course is actively being revised to align with materials from the Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network (MIIN) and other community-approved sources.

Historical, cultural, and AIS 112 content is based on documented record and is appropriate for classroom use.

Purpose

Ojibwemowin — Beginning Ojibwe Language is a high school introductory language course designed to introduce students to the Ojibwe language and Anishinaabe culture simultaneously. Language and culture are not separate — the grammar of Ojibwe encodes a worldview, and that worldview is the context for understanding the language.

This course was developed with the following principles:

  1. Language is living. Ojibwe is not a historical artifact but a living language being revitalized by communities across the Great Lakes region. Students engage with it as such.

  2. Language and history are inseparable. Each chapter pairs vocabulary and grammar with AIS 112 (American Indian Studies) content, because you cannot learn Ojibwe without understanding the history of why it needs revitalization.

  3. Learners have responsibilities. Non-Native learners of Ojibwe should approach the language with humility (dabaadendiziwin), respect (minaadendamowin), and honesty (gwayakwaadiziwin) about their position as guests in another people's linguistic and cultural tradition.

  4. This is a beginning. A year of introductory Ojibwe is a door, not a destination. Students are encouraged to continue learning, to connect with Ojibwe communities and language keepers, and to support language revitalization efforts.

Orthography

This course uses the Double Vowel Orthography (Fiero system), the most widely used and standardized writing system for Ojibwe. Regional dialects and alternative orthographies exist and are equally valid.

About the Seven Grandfather Teachings

The Seven Grandfather Teachings used in Chapter 5 are one of the most widely known and shared aspects of Anishinaabe ethics. However, students should know that they come from a specific oral tradition and may be presented differently by different community members and elders. The versions used in this course are widely shared in educational contexts and are not ceremonially restricted.

Land Acknowledgment

This course was developed on territory that is the homeland of the Anishinaabe, Dakota, and other Indigenous peoples. We acknowledge the treaties that brought this land into the United States and recognize that treaty obligations are ongoing.

A Note on Protocol

Some Ojibwe cultural knowledge is public; some is restricted to specific communities, ceremonies, or individuals. This course engages only with publicly shared cultural content. Students who wish to go deeper are encouraged to seek out community-based language and cultural education rather than relying solely on academic sources.

Miigwech gaa-pi-izhaayan. Thank you for coming.