The Ojibwe Language Symposium is a family oriented, collaborative, community event where language holders and learners come together. Join us for the 2023 event February 3-5.

Symposium Goals

Celebrate & Honor language holders & learners

  • Support/nurture language learners by engaging the community
  • Connect language learners with language speakers

Make language learning accessible to everyone

  • Everyone should feel welcome
  • Create opportunities to share the Ojibwe language at every level
  • Everyone leaves with something

Inspire and encourage others to care for and protect our language

  • Engage the spirit, and create a sense of belonging and ownership
Mission Statements

FDLTCC Mission Statement 

The mission of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College is to provide higher education opportunities for its communities in a welcoming, culturally diverse environment.

Learn more about FDLTCC

Mission Statement of the FDL Language Program:

Anishinaabeg Nagaajiwanaang gemaa bapashkominitigong honor our identity by preserving and revitalizing anishinaabemowin given to us by our creator. We take responsibility for our future by providing language learning and teaching opportunities under the guidance and umbrella of the Fond du Lac Language Program for the next seven generations.

Learn more about the FDL Language Program

Presentors

Keynote Presentors

Presenters: Obizaan (Lee Staples) & Ombishkebines (Chato Gonzales)
Presentation description: Why we wrote the book Anishinaabe-niimi’iding: An Anishinaabe Ceremonial Drum. We will discuss teachings around the particular drum Obizaan takes care of and the spiritual depth one can get if they were in tune with our ceremonial drums.

Presenters: A panel of current and founding educators
Presentation description: “Ani-bagakendamaang Nandagikenjigeyaang” A panel of current and founding educators of Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Immersion School will discuss the current approach to professional development for staff, and its applications in the classrooms across our K-8 grade range. Responsive and dynamic, the professional development program is uniquely tailored to help us further our mission and vision.

Presenter: Waabibizhikiikwe, Pat Ningewance
Presentation Description- Title: Looking Far Ahead for Anishinaabemowin: We Can Do It

Presenter: Miigizi, Michael D. Sullivan Sr., PhD.
Presentation description: Title: Statement Made by the Indians: Treaties, Sovereignty, and Language
In this presentation I provide the background and context to Statement Made by the Indians, a bilingual petition prepared by the headsmen of the 1854 treaty bands in 1864 and delivered to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in Washington D.C.  I highlight key individuals involved in the writing of the document, the communities they represented, as well as the specific grievances included in the document and how they relate to previous treaty negotiations and failures of the US government.  I will also showcase the many ways in which the document has been used more recently, including significant treaty-related court litigation, as well as lexical and curricular uses of the document in immersion and other language revitalization contexts.  I will also briefly discuss language variation and change, as evidenced in archived documents like The Statement.

Presenter: Baabiitawigiizhigookwe “Baabiitaw” Boyd
Presentation description: Ani-gikenindizong biminizha’aman i’iw gidinwewininaan: Self-awareness and your pursuit of language. Baabiitaw will give personal examples of common experiences and barriers that language students encounter on their road to proficiency in Ojibwemowin. Self-awareness is the foundation of successful behavior changes that lead us to achievement–no matter the weight.

Breakout Session Presenters: Emergent Level

Presenter: Nazhike-awaasang,Bradley Harrington
Presentation description: Connection is the difference between Nindinwewin and Gidinwewininaan. As the phrase “make decisions for generations ahead” co-exists with the phrase “the youth are our future”, we need to examine our youths environment. What are they growing up with? What tools do they have? How do they interact with eachother/the world? The use of social media is so prevalent that people are now spending more time on social media than any other daily activity. This presentation examines the use of Technology and Anishinaabemowin to increase connection.

Presenter: Memashkawigaabaw, Jason Jones
Presentation description: Memashkawigaabaw will be telling the story “Nenaboozhoo (Wenaboozhoo) searches for his parents)

Presenter: Gimiwan, Dustin  Burnette & Zhaangweshi, Brook Simon
Presentation description: In this presentation we will be sharing information on the work being done by Midwest Indigenous Immersion Network (MIIN). MIIN’s mission is to assist Ojibwe language immersion programs to communicate and collaborate to collectively address common needs. We are currently working with more than 10 Ojibwe immersion programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Canada. Please join this session to find out about the work being done at MIIN.

Presenter: Zhooniyaa-ikwe, Michelle Goose
Title: Gookonaanig Endaawaad Parent Panel
Presentation description: Odaminodaa! Join the FDLTCC language instructor and students for an interactive language games session. We will showcase a variety of games used in our language classes along with vocabulary and instructions for how to play. Come play a game (or two) with us and leave with a few more language resources!

Presenter: Misaabekong Immersion Program
Presentation description: Panel Presentation

Presenters: Joe Nayquonabe & Charlie Smith

Presenters: Michelle Goose, Alex Kmett, Miigis Gonzales”
Presentation description: Parents with children in the Ojibwemotaadidaa Gookonaanig Endaawaad program will share their bilingual/multilingual parenting experiences in a panel.

Presenter: Baabiitawigiizhigookwe “Baabiitaw” Boyd
Presentation description: Presentation walks through the set-up of a Pre-K immersion space. Topics discussed: successes v. failures, organizational support, community engagement, staff management and development, and behavioral support for students.

Breakout Session Presenters: Immersive Level

Presenter: Bagwajinini, Alex Kmett
Presentation description: TITLE: Gitigaan Gaagiigidowin
In 2021, Alex received a Maada’ookiing Grant through the Northland Foundation to work on documenting his family’s efforts towards food sovereignty as they raise their children in Ojibwe and Spanish immersion. In this presentation, he will share key Ojibwe language vocabulary that he uses in gardening/farming with his children, some of their experiences, and how such experiences helped to shape his approach to curriculum development for Gookonaanig Endaawaad and Endazhi-Nitaawiging.

Presenter: Gimiwan, Dustin Burnette
Presentation description: Gimiwan will present games used in the classroom to promote language use. Please come prepared to be active and be involved!
This session will be presented in Ojibwe only.

Presenter: Waabishkiimiigwan, Mary Hermes
Presentation description: Moowise. A short aadizookaan will be shared – as told to presenter by Zhaangweshiban
This session will be presented in Ojibwe only

Presenter: Aazhoob, John Daniels
Presentation description: An interactive experience using Ojibwe and various forms of communication
This session will be presented in Ojibwe only

Collaborative Partners and Sponsors
  • American Indian College Fund
  • South Fox Ranch
  • Fond du Lac Culture/Language Program
  • Misaabekong
  • Ojibwemotaadidaa Omaa Gidakiiminaang
  • College of St. Scholastica
2023 Planning Committee
  • Charles Smith
  • Bill Howes
  • Michelle Goose
  • Robert Peacock
  • Jennifer Neimi
  • Edye Washington
  • Roxanne DeLille
  • Stacey Johnson
Parking and Directions

Getting to Campus:

Take the Highway 33/Cloquet exit from Interstate 35, go north approximately one mile to Washington Avenue and turn right. Go to the first stop sign at 14th Street. Turn right onto 14th Street and follow for about one mile. The campus is on the right hand side of 14th Street. Parking is available in any of the lots that surround the main building. On-campus parking is free.

Virtual Tour

Campus Roadmap

Parking Lot Map

Campus Floorplan

Questions

Please contact Roxanne DeLille at roxanned@fdltcc.edu with any questions about the Ojibwe Language Symposium.

Testimonials

It is awesome here at the FDLTCC Education Program because it is like a family here, if you need help or are struggling with anything, you have quite a few people who will help you out.

My favorite thing about FDLTCC is the people. I’ve met fantastic students, faculty and staff who go above and beyond what I expected.

I chose FDLTCC because of its size and the curriculum. When I first came here in 2019, I was just looking for what I needed to volunteer, perhaps in a crisis shelter. I met with Don Jarvinen, and the rest is history.