OSHKAABEWIS NATIVE JOURNAL - Bemidji State University
OSHKAABEWIS NATIVE JOURNAL - Bemidji State University
OSHKAABEWIS NATIVE JOURNAL - Bemidji State University
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10 BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY<br />
record like that. Recognizing that tribal language immersion<br />
produces academic achievement, many tribal leaders and<br />
communities are rallying to the ongoing efforts.<br />
I used to able to name every single book published about<br />
the Ojibwe language (and in chronological order of publication),<br />
but there are now so many hundreds of books on Ojibwe that I<br />
can’t even name them all. There is even a peer-reviewed<br />
professional press (Birchbark House) devoted to tribal language<br />
revitalization in Minnesota now.<br />
A new video titled First Speakers: Restoring the Ojibwe<br />
Language, which is available for free at Twin Cities Public<br />
Television (tpt.org), chronichiles the inspiring efforts underway to<br />
revitalize Ojibwe. It just won an Emmy Award for best regional<br />
cultural documentary. Things are changing and growing.<br />
<strong>Bemidji</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> received a generous grant from<br />
the Minnesota Historical & Cultural Grants Program to support<br />
Ojibwe language revitalization. As part of that grant, we have been<br />
able to archive all back issues of the Oshkaabewis Native Journal<br />
on the <strong>Bemidji</strong> <strong>State</strong> <strong>University</strong> website for free public access.<br />
There are now thousands of pages of Ojibwe language material and<br />
around 70 hours of Ojibwe audio material archived there for your<br />
free use. A simple google search or visit to the American Indian<br />
Resource Center page on the BSU website will bring you there<br />
(http://www.bemidjistate.edu/airc/oshkaabewis/issues/). You can<br />
download audio files and drop them on your iPhone, iPod, mp3<br />
players, or computer. It is our hope that the ease of access,<br />
technological interchange, and free cost will help encourage more<br />
people to use these resources to learn more about the language and<br />
incorporate the stories and teachings of our elders in ongoing<br />
teaching and sharing.<br />
A grassroots movement in <strong>Bemidji</strong> has now led over 120<br />
area businesses to put up their signs bilingually in Ojibwe and<br />
English, including all of the largest employers in town such as the<br />
O SHKAABEWIS N ATIVE J OURNAL V OL. 8 / NO. 1 S PRING 2011
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