With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Mary Hermes will document the use of conversational Southwestern Ojibwe. Ojibwe is spoken by about 10,000 people as a first language. Around the Great Lakes in Canada many indigenous communities use Ojibwe as a first language. However in the United States, Ojibwe is spoken by only a handful of Elders on each reservation. These particular dialects of Ojibwe exist nowhere else and are currently extremely endangered.
This project will document Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Elders using Ojibwe in a non-formal conversational setting. The researchers will audio and videotape Elders in different setting, speaking to each other about every day topics. This kind of resource is extremely valuable for those trying to revitalize the language. Master tapes will be archived at the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion School. Tapes will be edited into short segments and distributed to those trying to learn the Ojibwe language, Ojibwemowin.
