A language carries a people's memories, whether they are recounted as
individual reminiscences, as communal history, or as humorous tales.
This collection of stories from Anishinaabe elders offers a history of a
people at the same time that it seeks to preserve the language of that
people.>
As fluent speakers of Ojibwe grow older, the community questions whether
younger speakers know the language well enough to pass it on to the next
generation. Young and old alike are making widespread efforts to
preserve the Ojibwe language, and, as part of this campaign, Anton
Treuer has collected stories from Anishinaabe elders living at Leech
Lake, White Earth, Mille Lacs, Red Lake, and St. Croix reservations.
Based on interviews Treuer conducted with ten elders--Archie Mosay, Jim
Clark, Melvin Eagle, Joe Auginaush, Collins Oakgrove, Emma Fisher, Scott
Headbird, Susan Jackson, Hartley White, and Porky White--this anthology
presents the elders' stories transcribed in Ojibwe with English
translation on facing pages. These stories contain a wealth of
information, including oral histories of the Anishinaabe people and
personal reminiscences, educational tales, and humorous anecdotes.
Treuer's translations of these stories preserve the speakers'
personalities, allowing their voices to emerge from the page.
This dual-language text will prove instructive for those interested in
Ojibwe language and culture, while the stories themselves offer the gift
of a living language and the history of a people.
