Biboong (It is)Winter 1998

Inashke! Ojibwemowin

" The Ojibwe Language" is a computerized learning program developed with a Grotto Foundation grant in cooperation with the College of St. Scholastica. In its own words: "This program is developed to supplement Ojibwe language learning. It is a tool to help students become familiar with Ojibwe sounds, words, and grammatical patterns in culturally relevant themes."

Provided on a compact disc, this program uses text, pictures, and audio to introduce people to the language. It probably is most effective if used in conjunction with a classroom instructor or a local community elder. In their absence, though, it is an exceptionally easy way to get into the language.

For instance, you want to learn about the trees and animals around you in the forest. Use the menu sequence to click onto "The Natural World" and then "awesiiyag megwaayaak" (animals in the woods) or "mitigoog" (trees). Images appear with the words spelled out; each word is spoken by an Anishinabe speaker. Didn't quite get the pronounciation? Click on the word again to hear it.

The program allows students to explore usage of vocabulary, four verb types, and the basic framework of spoken and written Ojibwemowin. Many aspects of the language are not covered.

There are many dialects and regional variations in spoken Ojibwe. The authors state that the dialect most represented is Minnesota Ojibwe.

This program will be used at the White Oak Learning Centre to help introduce students to Ojibwemowin. Personal copies can be purchased at the St. Scholastica bookstore in Duluth for about $29 (includes tax).

Oui, je parle Francais!

Oui, mes amis, it is time that all good voyageurs and everyone else doing fur trade reenactment improve upon their French. Don't have to be fluent, but you should be able to drop in key words and phrases during interpretation AND prounounce them reasonably accurately. Here's a primer on a few words and phrases. Bon chance!

Hello / bonjour (bo-zhoor)

Goodbye / au revoir (o-re-vwahr)

How are you? / Ça va? (saw-vaw)

I am fine / Ça va (saw-vaw)

Bowsman / l'avant (law-vah)

Steersman / le gouvernail (ler goo-vair-nigh)

Middle person in canoe / le milieu (ler me-yer)

Brigade / une Brigade (oon bree-gahd)

Bourgeois / le bourgeois (ler bor-jshwah)

Clerk / le commis (ler ko-mee)

Indian man-woman / l'autochtone (lok-tok-ton)

****

Among the Anishinaabeg

Snake Game: This is a fun, traditional game of chance. It uses four wooden "snakes", about 10 inches long. The playing pieces are undulating, snake-like items easily carved out of basswood (wiigobiminzh). The snakes are scorched brown/black on their backs; two have unpainted bellies; two have single red stripes running the length of their bellies. The manner of play: first player holds the snakes in his hand, then drops them on the blanket or ground. If he scores, he continues to play. If he fails to score, the player on the left takes the snakes and starts his turn. Scoring: all four snakes with backs up or all four snakes with bellies up ~ 1 point; two snakes with backs up and two with unpainted bellies up ~ 1 point; two snakes with backs up and two with painted bellies up ~ 2 points. Source: Chippewa Customs, Frances Densmore.

At Day's End...

Entries from diary of Hugh Faries, NWC clerk at Lac la Pluie, 1804-05:

"LaVerdure being unwell I gave him a vomit ... The men chopping fire Wood ... About 12 oclock I sent M^r M^cCrae, with men off to winter at the Dalles, along side of the X.Y. ... The seiners came home with 50 sturgeons ... Got some logs squared today for the new house ... Old Godin got wood home to make 2 traines ... I was inform'd by Laverdure, that the X.Y. were preparing to go a derouine. Accordingly I got Goods &c. ready to follow them & kept three men all night about their fort watching them ... I got the snow thrown out of the fort ... The women netted 3p^rs Snow Shoes ... In the evening, arrived one of the Pines [an Ojibwe]. he was obliged to eat the few Skins he killed ... I sent 4 men off to the Peche d'hiver [winter fishing grounds], with nets, to fish ... Kashishwa came down for the payment of his Skins. I paid him & he took 20 plus [equals 20 beaver skins] on credit ... Some of the men visiting and making traps ... I got 23 Packs pressed today..." cited in Portage into the Past, A. Bolz.

Paddling the Electronic River

For most web page sites, it is up to potential users to find the site using searches and word-of- mouth advertising. That's how Lisa Keipp found White Oak in the fall of 1997.

I am a student teacher in Iowa who is about to teach a mini-unit on the fur trade. I found your site while surfing. I am going to assign extra credit by coming to your site and asking questions. They will be using my email address so that I can confirm that they have actually done the work. So if you get a lot of messages from this address, you know why.

So began an interesting exchange of email between students in Ames, IA and the White Oak crew. A sampling of questions and answers are included here - a full report is available from White Oak.

The value of on-line educational sites lies with the impact on the students and that's not always easy to measure. One of the email messages from Ms. Keipp suggests how this exercise affected at least some of her middle school students:

I've noted the names coming through on my email - you're getting the ones who will ask the challenging questions! I've given them the option of asking 3 different questions or sets of questions, one for each response box on your site. This is extra credit for them, and I'm surprised [at] the number of kids who want to talk to you. It's becoming more than just points, which is what I was hoping for.

In a subsequent message, she noted how the exchange helped her as well as her students:

I forgot to ask you if you could also forward to me the questions these guys are asking. Not only will that help them remember what they've asked, but it will also help me to develop a fuller unit on the fur trade; not trying to jam it into 2 days! This is really being fun for them!

Finally, responding to a comment by our on-line emailer, she said: Good thing you didn't become a teacher, because then we wouldn't have your site to go to! Besides, you still are a teacher, just not in the conventional manner.

Now that's a pleasant thought to consider while sitting around the campfire.

[Here are three sample student questions and the White Oak's responses]

Q: Could a Company Clerk move up to be a Wintering Partner?

Good Day -

An excellent question, my good lady, and I can see you have a talent for understanding the Company. Of course, clerks can become a partner or agent. Except for a handful of men who became partners by investing in the company or began as traders, every owner of the company began as a clerk in the north west. And that includes myself. Clerks are not paid much more than our best voyaguer guides or interpreters, but they do get their own quarters and, most important of all, they have the chance to become partner. Usually it takes from 5-7 years being a clerk before one is considered for partner.

Speaking of clerks, I think I hear Mr. Kavanagh coming this way. Excuse me, good lady, while I attend to important business. Until we rendezvous again, know that I remain

Your humble and obedient servant

A. Edwards

Q: Did you ever have time for fun or recreation? If so, what did you do?

Boozhoo-

I do not understand the word "recreation". But fun I know. When I have time from my chores, I can go for walks, visit a nearby Ojibwe village and talk with my relatives (I'm Ojibwe on my mother's side). When the men have a dance, Toe is much in demand as a partner - ah, those are lively times! Sometimes I'm tired, so I sit on the bench in front of my hut and enjoy the good weather. As I would today but this is fall and winter is coming fast - was that a snowflake? No time for fun now, Toe must cook and make ready for the cold. But please come back, I'll take time to sit on the bench with you, maybe you can smoke your pipe, and we'll talk some more.

Broken Toe

Q: Did voyageurs have to be men? Were the voyageurs of different countries treated different?

Bon jour mon amie, Amy-

Unfortunately for you, ma jeune fille, all voyageurs are men. It is a rugged life suited more for mules than men and definitely not for most women. However, Indian women often accompany a brigade and they will paddle, cook and haul gear (although not 2-90 pieces across a portage). In 1806 an English girl disguised herself as a voyageur and came across to live with her boyfriend; it was a full year before anyone realized she was a woman! Obviously she was able to work like a man - it also shows you how infrequently we bathe around here.

Most voyageurs are French-Canadian. There are some who are Indians, English, Scots, American and African-American. Everyone is treated the same - we work hard, get paid according to our rank in the canoe. We have little choice but to get along, isolated as we are in the pays d'en savage (the wild country), so we do. Ah, Broken Toe has finished the pea soup! With noggin in hand I'm off for lunch.

Joseph LaFreniere

Space provided courtesy of Paulbunyan Net

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