Seven Generations Educational Institute recently shared how its Anishinaabemowin revitalization program is helping speakers develop their language skills beyond “conversationally comfortable.” SGEI Anishinaabemowin educator Robert Animikii Horton was tasked by the late Willie Wilson, former Chief of Manitou Rapids, with finding a way to teach the language in an easier, faster manner without losing Anishinaabemowin’s soul. To accomplish this, Horton developed a program that draws on four areas of study: educational psychology, neurology, linguistics, and marketing. “Our students are having short conversations within about a month. Their vocabulary is up in the thousands in a year and a half,” said Horton, who later added that throughout the program, “they’re getting the language, they’re getting ancient teachings, but they’re also receiving skills to make them independent so they can navigate careers and opportunities.” The program received a new name at a ceremony this Fall—Anishinaabemowini-ogichitaag—and features a new logo that was designed based on dreams Horton had around the time of the program’s naming ceremony.
