About our program
Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig offers the only undergraduate degree in Anishinaabemowin in Canada.
Language & Culture
Currently, Anishinaabemowin faces many of the dangers other languages around the world face – extinction. The language was originally passed on by elders to younger generations through oral storytelling; however, this tradition has changed in recent years. The language now relies on students learning the native tongue and teaching it to others on reserves and in communities. By studying Anishinaabemowin, you have the power to revive and maintain the language of one of the earliest cultures in Canada.
Anishinaabemowin is a unique program, offering basic- to advanced-level instruction in the Ojibwe language and culture. Within the program, students will gain a functional level of fluency in the language and will thoroughly investigate the challenges posed by the written word. Students will individually and collectively examine social structures and values within Anishinaabe society, and will also study the Anishinaabe worldview and philosophy. By examining the culture’s oral and written history, students will come to understand the grammar and sound of Anishinaabemowin through various written exercises.
Our students will also be exposed to Anishinaabe music and social activism, as well as the regional differences that exist in the Anishinaabe culture across Canada.What makes our program even more unique is the rich cultural history in which Algoma University is founded on. Over 12 percent of our student body is Anishinaabe (First Nations, Métis, or Inuit), and more Anishinaabe students continue to come to Algoma U to study here. With a special mission and commitment to cross-cultural learning, our Anishinaabemowin program looks to bring Chief Shingwauk’s vision of “sharing, healing, and learning” to fruition. Algoma University is located at the site of the former Shingwauk Indian Residential School Site, and is today committed to researching, collecting, preserving, and displaying the history of the Residential Schools system; developing and delivering projects in relation to Chief Shingwauk’s mission; and bringing about individual and community cultural restoration under the name of The Shingwauk Project. Thus, the educational experience you will receive here is unlike any other and is deeply rooted in Anishinaabe culture and history.
Course Information
1000 Level Courses
Introductory Anishinaabemowin I (OJIB1016) Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course introduces students to oral Anishinaabemowin with skills and concepts necessary for a basic understanding of the Anishinaabe oral sound system. The course assists students in acquiring the skills for speaking, reading, and writing the language. Topics of discussion sensitize students to the culture and customs of the Anishinaabe people. This course is intended for students with no previous knowledge of the Anishinaabe language. Students may not retain credit for more than one of OJIB 1016, ANIS 1016, and OJIB 1005. (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
Introductory Anishinaabemowin II (OJIB1017)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course builds on the concepts acquired in OJIB 1016 and introduces students to the concepts necessary to expand their vocabulary and to be able to converse and answer questions in the Anishinaabe language while communicating about a variety of topics. Students continue to examine relationships of Anishinaabe language to various cultural concepts. Students may retain credit for only one of OJIB 1017, ANIS 1017, and OJIB 1005. Prerequisite: OJIB 1016 (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
2000 Level Courses
Intermediate Anishinaabemowin I (OJIB2016)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course is a study of the grammar of the Anishinaabe language and in particular of the verb form with an inanimate object. Students having opportunities to communicate through writing an conversational practice using full sentences. The study of cultural materials is also included. Students may retain credit for one of OJIB 2016, ANIS 2016, and OJIB 2005. Prerequisite: OJIB 1016/1017 or permission of the instructor. (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
Intermediate Anishinaabemowin II (OJIB2017)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course expands on the principles learned in OJIB 2016 offering a more in depth investigation of the grammar of the Anishinaabe language. This course develops stronger communication skills through intensive written and oral practice. Students gain a greater understanding of the Anishinaabe culture via various forms of written and contemporary expressions. Students may retain credit for one of OJIB 2017, ANIS 2017 and OJIB 2005. Prerequisite: OJIB 2016 or permission of the instructor. (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
Intensive Conversational Practice, Intermediate Level (OJIB2206)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course provides students with intensive oral conversational practice, building on grammatical and vocabulary notions of the language at an intermediate level. Language used in everyday interactions such as hunting and fishing, beading and sewing, purchasing and selling, planning and organizing an activity, and participating in ceremonies will be practiced until fluency is achieved. (LANG 6) 3 cr
3000 Level Courses
Advanced Anishinaabemowin I (OJIB3016)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
In this course, students study structure patterns and written forms of the Anishinaabe language using the verb which takes an animate object. Linguist rules and concepts are introduced as tools to the understanding of language developments. Oral and written exercises of various levels of linguistic difficulty help students acquire a fluent and idiomatic command of the Anishinaabe language. The course involves the study of cultural materials and includes exercises in composition and in translation from a student’s first language. Student may retain credit for one of OJIB 3016, ANIS 3016, and OJIB 3005. Prerequisite: OJIB 2016/2017 or permission of the instructor. (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
Advanced Anishinaabemowin II (OJIB3017)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course introduces students to structures used to express doubt, conjecture and to indicate past intentions. The course will look at the negative sentences structures for the verb which takes an animate object, both for the regular and inverse forms. The study of cultural materials will continue. Conducted in Anishinaabemowin. Student may retain credit for one of OJIB 3017, ANIS 3017, and OJIB 3005. Prerequisite: OJIB3016 or permission of the instructor. (LEC/EXP 3, LAB 1) (3 cr)
Intensive Conversational Practice, Advanced Level (OJIB3206)Sault Ste. Marie (On Campus)
This course provides students with intensive oral conversational practice, building on grammatical and vocabulary notions of the language at an advanced level. Language used in everyday interactions such as teaching, advising and mentoring; discussing a community, its organization, opportunities and challenges; telling a traditional story; and participating actively in ceremonies will be practiced until fluency is achieved. (LANG 4)
