Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory to host Annual Anishinaabemowin Language Gathering
By Rick Garrick
WIIKWEMKOONG UNCEDED TERRITORY — Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory is encouraging people to attend its Annual Anishinaabemowin Language Gathering, which is being held from August 18-20, at the Waase-Abin Pontiac School.
“The language gathering is a place for the Anishinabek people to come together,” says Dustin Peltier, Director of Community Services at Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory. “Language is at the core of everything we do here in Wiikwemkoong [Unceded Territory], so by having this gathering, the theme behind it is to encourage new learners of the language. We want it to be a safe space for people to positively uplift one another and support language learning efforts.”
Peltier says there will be some elements of the language gathering that will be entirely in Anishinaabemowin.
“There’s going to be tons of activities, engagement for youth, a large focus on the youth, and connecting them with the Elders,” Peltier says. “So, we would just like to encourage anybody who would like to come and be a part of this gathering.”
Peltier says this will be the third year that they held the Language Gathering, noting that the first year of the gathering was fully immersed and the theme of last year’s gathering was embracing the youth and connecting them with the Elders.
“Language revitalization is of the utmost importance right now,” Peltier says. “Despite the fact that our community has one of the largest contingents of language speakers around, we’ve still got to look to the future, so there is a large focus right now on language revitalization efforts and trying to produce new speakers of the language. While the language will be used as much as possible, we still want to ensure that we’re translating for those that are still trying to learn the language.”
Peltier says he grew up hearing Anishinaabemowin at his grandparents and around the community, so he learned many words.
“But when trying to speak it, I just don’t know how to put together full sentences, how to form full sentences,” Peltier says. “Personally, it’s a goal of mine to learn the language within the next five years, and I believe it’s a very attainable goal. And I would hope to encourage a lot more of the younger people to do the same while I’m on my journey.”
Peltier says the community is made up of Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Odawa people, so the Anishinaabemowin they speak in Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory is “sort of blended.”
“Understanding the history behind it is very important and those opportunities will be provided there by a lot of our community’s Elders,” Peltier says.
Peltier says the Waase-Abin Pontiac School is a great setting for the language gathering, which will also have crafting and culinary workshops as well as fun games for children.
“We’re protected from the elements if it happens to be a rain day,” Peltier says. “It’s just an ideal space for it.”
Peltier says Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory has a variety of Anishinaabemowin initiatives, including Anishinaabemowin immersion homes for children up to three-years-old and children from four to seven-years-old in the community.
“It’s full immersion there for the children and it’s producing great results,” Peltier says. “It’s operational all year, they go there to learn the language.”
Peltier says they have also created an Anishinaabemowin dictionary, which is posted online under the Words and Phrases menu at: nanaamwin.ca.
“The Elders are putting together a dictionary,” Peltier says. “You can search up what you are looking for and it will come out in the language, and vice versa. A big part of it is we’ve got to keep up with today’s world and trying to produce new words. They’ve got to create new words all the time and that’s a big part of what we’re seeing our Elders and community members coming together to do.”
People can contact the Wiikwemkoong Anishinaabe Aadiziwin Nakiigamig Office to register for the language gathering at 705-859-2385 or Anishinaabe.Aadiziwin@gmail.com.