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Stewart Bennett and Kyle Abitong were here. Fluent speaker, Stewart Bennett and his nephew Kyle came to visit the University of Michigan's Ojibwe Language Program on October 2nd to share a different dialect with students. Bkaan bangii nwewin gii biidoon (a way of saying dialect).
Here are some of the autobiographical lines they taught the students:
| Howard Kimewon |
onjibad |
Wikwemikong. |
| Howard Kimewon |
is from |
Wikwemikong. |
| Stewart Bennett |
onjibad |
Zgamok. |
| Stewart Bennett |
is from |
Sagamok. |
| Zhaazhagwa gaa enji ganawenjigaazyaang. |
| A long time ago we went to boarding school. |
| Jibwa maaji kinomaagooyaang, kina g'gii Anishinaabemi eta gwa. |
| Before going to school, we spoke Anishinaabemowin only. |
| Gaawiin n'gii bgidnigoosiimi |
wii Anishinaabemyaang kinomaagegamigong |
miinwa |
| We weren't allowed |
to speak Anishinaabemowin while at school |
and |
| gojing |
ba nakamigaziiyaang. |
| outside |
outside while we were playing. |
| Gojing |
gii ba ji-zhiingiziyaang |
miinwa |
n'gii boogidizimi. |
| Outside |
we were all being naughty |
and |
were making trouble. |
| Miidash |
pii |
ba ganagwaayaang neyab kinomaagegamigong miidash gii pashazhegwayaang.* |
| Then |
when |
we were let back in school we were strapped.* |
| N'gii windamawaa |
n'goos |
gaa zhewebsiiyaanh |
miidash |
gii tkwedwed |
| I did tell |
my father |
what happened to me |
then |
he answered |
| "kaa gego |
ge ezhi |
naadamawinaamdaa." |
| (there is) no way |
that |
I can help you. |
* A "strapping," being whipped by an adult with a long piece of leather, was one of many forms of corporal punishment sanctioned by the Boarding School system in Canada and the United States.
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