Giidojibwem na? Do you speak Ojibwe?

     Boozhoo!  Giidojibwem na?  Indojibwem, bangii etaago.
     Hello! Do you speak Ojibwe?  I speak Ojibwe, just a little.

     It took two weeks for my book, "Everything You Wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask" and the Pimsleur CD's to arrive from Amazon, but they got here last Wednesday, and I am completing one lesson a day, plus reading a little of the book each day.  Before the end of January I should complete the first 10 lessons. I then plan to get more study resources and begin to attend an Ojibwe conversation table,
     Some of the books I am considering are, Nichols, "A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe"; Jones, "Daga Anishinnbemodaa" (Please, Speak Ojibwe), a language instruction book: and Treuer, "Awesiinyensag" (I think it means baby animals, but I'm not sure), a book of short children's stories.  If you have any other suggestions or recommendations, Please e-mail me, or write in the "comments" below.
     My wish is that by the time of ishigamizige giizis, the maple sap boiling moon, I will have a better acquaintance with Ojibwe culture, and be able to truthfully say, "Indojibwem, bangii etaago."

Jeg er så glad, I am so glad

Norsk

     Jeg er så glad hver lørdag når jeg kommer til det norskebordet.  Der kan jeg, med ikke så bra norsk, prate med venner mine.  Der kan vi snakke over siste ukes aktiviteter, og vi kan lese og lære litt norsk.  Idag leser vi en artikkel, „Jeg er så glad hver julekveld„  fra „Barnas Søndagsblad„.  Det er en avis publisert for søndagsskoler på søndagsskolerforbund av den Evangelisk Luterske Frikirke i Oslo, Norge.  Det er ikke så vanskelig å lese.
     Samtale og kaffe med venner, det gjøre meg så glad.

English

     I'm so happy every Saturday when I come to the Norwegian table.  There I can, in not so good Norwegian, chat with my friends.  There we can talk about last week's activities, and we can read and learn a little Norwegian. Today we read an article, "I am so happy at Christmas time." from "The Children's Sunday Paper".  This is a paper published for Sunday schools by the Sunday School Association of the Evangelical Lutheran Free Church in Oslo, Norway.  It's not so difficult to read.
     Conversation and coffee with friends makes me happy.

Konger, Skytingen og Barneboker

Norsk Amerikas Konger   Norse America's Kings

   I dag på norskebordet snakket vi om norske konger i Amerika.  Klokka 14, sondag, 25. januar, Bemidji Sønner av Norge skal møte på Calvary Luthern Church, 2508 Washington Av SE, Bemidji.  Robert Johnson og Janey Westin, forfatterne av boken "The Last Norse Kings of America", kommer og snakker om sin bok på møtet.   Boken er over pre-Colombiansk norske skrivningen i Amerika  Alle er velkommen til å komme.  For informasjon om boken, klikk på denne nettsiden . 

     Today at the Norwegian table we talked about Norwegian kings in America.  At 2 pm on Sunday, January 25th, the Bemidji Sons of Norway will meet at Calvary Lutheran Church, 2508 Washington Av SE, Bemidji.  Robert Johnson and Janey Westin, authors of the book, "The Last Norse Kings of America." will speak at the meeting about their book.  The book discusses pre-Columbian Norse writings in America.  All are welcome.  For information about the book, click on "denne nettsiden" above.

Skole Skytingen   School Shootings

     Også snakket vi om en artikkel siste søndag i Minneapolis avisen skrevet av våre venn, John Egelhof. Han skrev om sine erfaringer med skytingen på Red Lake School i 2005, og hans meninger om gevaers rettigheter i Amerika. Det er en utmerket artikkel. De forbinder seg våre amerikanske arv sammen med sunn fornuft. Man kan lese denne artikkelen på denne nettsiden.

     We also talked about an article in last Sunday's Minneapolis Star-Tribune written by our friend, John Egelhof.  He wrote of his experience with the Red Lake School shooting in 2005, and his feelings about gun rights in America.  It was an outstanding article.  It connects our American heritage together with common sense.  You can read this article by clicking "denne nettsiden" in the preceding paragraph.

Vangsgutane  The Boys from Vangen

     Endelig, begynte vi å lese en bok, "Vangsgutane", av Lief Halse. Det er en barnebok, ikke så vanskelig for oss gamle folk som prøver å lære seg norsk. Igjen, vil dette amazon lenken fortelle mer om denne boken.

     Finally, we began to read a book, "The Boys From Vangen" by Lief Halse.  It's a children's book, not so difficult for of us old folks who are trying to learn Norwegian.  Again, clicking on "dette amazon lenken" above will tell more about this book.

Starting Ojibwe

     For the past 14 years I've lived in Northern Minnesota, not 20 miles from 2 different bands of Ojibwe, and yet I know so little of the Ojibwe language, culture and history.  I wasted too many opportunities to learn about this culture.  That will change.
     For the last week I've been reviewing the site, ojibwelanguage.blogspot.com,  a site I mentioned previously when I wrote about the Ojibwe language tables in Bemidji.  I've also reviewed a grammar site at "short notes on ojibwe grammar."  I don't understand much of it yet, but it will make more sense after I've learned more words and phrases.
     Today I ordered the book pictured above, "Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask" by Anton Treuer.  I know the title sounds a little hoaky, but I read the excerpts on amazon.com, and I  have a great respect for Dr. Treuer.  He is a professor of Ojibwe language and culture here at our local college, and a leader in the Ojibwe community.
     I've also ordered the Pimsleur CD's for the first 10 Ojibwe lessons.  I used Pimsleur's Turkish CD's when I was learning Turkish, and it gave me some basic vocabulary, basic phrases, and help with pronunciation.
     While I'm waiting for these to arrive, I'll be continuing to review the Ojibwe language blogspot, and scouring the internet for other resources.
     After I've completed the first 10 Pimsleur lessons, and whatever else I find on the internet, I plan to start attending one of the Ojibwe conversation tables here in Bemidji, and use whatever other resources I encounter along the way.  Hopefully, within 2 or 3 months I'll have an initial acquaintance with the language and culture, and a richer relationship with the Ojibwe community here in Northern Minnesota.
     If you have any comments or suggestions for me, please write in the "comments below, or send me an email.