Anishinaabe Language
This certificate is designed for students interested in increasing their knowledge of the Anishinaabe people, language, and culture. The current certificate program planner checklist of required courses is available for viewing and printing here.
Degree requirements and course are subject to change. Students should consult with an advisor/counselor when registering for courses.
Courses
Bimaadiziwin: Students will acquire skills that will enable them to live a “good life” while also accepting responsibility to perform and communicate Gidizhitwaawinanin (the cultural standards of the program) verbally, behaviorally and/or in writing.
Students will:
Gikendaasowin – Knowing knowledge:
- Develop human beings who value knowledge, learning, and critical thinking and are able to effectively use the language, knowledge, and skills central to an Ojibwe- Anishinaabe way of knowing. The Ojibwe-Anishinaabe language is at the heart of its worldview, and the program seeks to develop speakers who use Ojibwe-Anishinaabe language and knowledge effectively to speak, listen, and act in culturally appropriate ways.
Gwayakwaadiziwin – Living a balanced way:
- To develop balanced human beings who are reflective, informed learners who understand the interrelatedness of human society and the natural environment, recognize the importance of living in harmony with creation, and are able to apply a systems approach to understanding and deciding on a course of action.
Zoongide’ewin – Strong hearted:
- To increase their capacity to live and walk with a strong heart, humble and open to new ideas and courageous enough to confront the accepted truths of history and society.
Aangwaamiziwin – Diligence and caution:
- To develop students’ capacity to proceed carefully, after identifying, discussing, and reflecting on the logical and ethical dimensions of political, social, and personal life. Students develop the capacity to evaluate arguments and detect fallacious reasoning.
Debwewin – Honesty and integrity:
- To increase students’ capacity to think and act with honesty and integrity as they understand and face the realities of increasingly interdependent nations and people.
Zaagi’idiwin – Loving and Caring:
- To encourage students’ acceptance of the diversity within their school, community, and environment by developing healthy, caring relationships built on respect for all, understanding of individual, tribal, and group differences (e.g., tribe, race, gender, class) and the traditions and values of various groups in the United States.
Zhawenindiwin – Compassion:
- To expand students’ knowledge of the human condition and human cultures, and the importance of compassion especially in relation to behavior, ideas, and values expressed in the works of human imagination and thought.