Living Our Language: Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories

This substantial volume presents a rich and varied collection of tales from the Ojibwe (Chippewa) tradition while also integrating material from associated Algonquian tribes who migrated westward for centuries before European contact. Ten Indian elders from the northwestern United States and Canada provide narratives in their native language, with English translations appearing on the facing pages. Each participant is profiled, and his contributions (assembled over several years) follow in numbered paragraphs. These contributions present various aspects of Ojibwe daily life, including fishing, maple sugaring, ricing, devilish childhood tricks, religious ceremonies, and more. Drawn from both printed and oral sources, the stories are meticulously and sensitively translated and annotated, giving shape, form, and nuance to a fragile, almost extinct civilization. This preservation project will be a vital addition to Native American lore and is certain to be treasured by comprehensive collections in special and academic libraries. Richard K. Burns, MSLS, Hatboro, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A language carries a people's memories, whether they are recounted as individual reminiscences, as communal history, or as humorous tales. This collection of stories from Anishinaabe elders offers a history of a people at the same time that it seeks to preserve the language of that people. Based on interviews Treuer conducted with ten elders this anthol-ogy presents the elders' stories transcribed in Ojibwe with English translation on facing pages. These stories contain a wealth of information, including oral histories of the Anishinaabe people and personal reminiscences, educational tales, and humorous anecdotes. Treuer's translations of these stories preserve the speakers' personalities, allowing their voices to emerge from the page. Treuer introduces each speaker, offering a brief biography and noting important details concerning dialect or themes; he then allows the stories to speak for themselves. This dual-language text will prove instructive for those interested in Ojibwe language and culture, while the stories themselves offer the gift of a living language and the history of a people.