Actions
- Listen and learn: Attend one local event, talk, or online webinar led by Indigenous speakers. Consistently participate in this conversations.
- Follow Indigenous voices: Subscribe to one Indigenous-led newsletter, social account, or podcast to center community perspectives in your feed.
- Learn a few words: Memorize and use 3–5 simple Anishinaabemowin phrases (greetings, place names, nature words) in daily life. Learn and use one new Indigenous word each week.
- Read with care: Read one book or article by an Indigenous author about language or land (e.g., Braiding Sweetgrass) and note one idea to act on.
- Take a beginner course: Enroll in a community or online introductory Anishinaabemowin class and commit to regular practice.
- Use language publicly: Add a learned greeting or land acknowledgement in meetings, presentations, or social media posts, clearly attribute and explain its origin.
- Create a language-friendly space: Plant native species, request to put up simple bilingual signage in a community space, or label walking trails with Indigenous place names.
- Practice humility: Replace “teaching” impulses with listening; when you share knowledge, credit the source and follow cultural protocols.
- Practice patience: As Indigenous peoples revitalize their language and traditions, respect that recovery is a long, community-led process shaped by history, trauma, and local priorities.
Resource List
- Indigenize.ca
- Anishinaabemowin Dictionary
- Ojibwe Pocket Book
- Chiblow, S. & Meighan, P. J. Language Is Land, Land Is Language: The Importance Of Indigenous Languages. Human Geography 15, 206–210 (2022).
- Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013.
- Kimmerer, Robin Wall. “Learning Grammar of Animacy.” Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Milkweed Editions, 2013.
- Gilio-Whitaker, Dina. As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock. Beacon Press, 2019.
- University of Victoria Indigenous Law Research Unit