Mending the Circle: Processes in the Loss and Preservation of an American Indian Language (Ojibwa; Michigan).

Abstract

This is a documentation of (1) Ojibwa language loss at Keweenaw Bay from 1600 to 1976, (2) efforts made from 1930 to 1978 at state and national levels to preserve Indian languages, (3) a participant-observer case study of efforts to preserve the dialect at Keweenaw Bay from 1972 to 1978. The author worked for the tribe at Keweenaw Bay in the language program and has written in a style familiar and acceptable to the Ojibwa (Anishnabe) people there. The language and culture of the Ojibwa people at Keweenaw Bay in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has been subjected to many outside forces. Assimilation and acculturation resulting from French, British and American occupation caused the near-loss of the Ojibwa language on the reservation. After federal, state and local policies made it possible to do the necessary language research, curriculum development and teacher training, the Ojibwa Language Project began. It was staffed by tribal members, assisted by outside consultant. The program staff did language research, curriculum development, established a media center, and taught Ojibwa language classes at the college, secondary and elementary levels. They worked with the local Finnish community to help them start their own language program. Utilizing local resources and capitalizing on the skills and efforts of volunteers, the program was successful in restoring the Ojibwa language at Keweenaw Bay. Analysis of the findings of this study illustrates the difference between the procedures required by the white dominant society as compared with processes taking place in an Indian community. The study also shows how tribal people on one remote rural reservation performed a complex task, designing the program around available resources and personnel. A manual is provided with guidelines for language and culture research and curriculum development for other people faced with the same need to preserve and maintain their heritage.