Boozhoo! Hello!
(Anishinaabemowen or Ojibwe language)

In Wisconsin, there are eleven tribal communities representing six Native American Indigenous languages. Indigenous describes the language originally spoken by a group of people. In most of these tribes, there are only a few speakers who would be considered fluent, or able to speak the language naturally and completely. Over the years there have been many factors responsible for the shift away from Native language to English including assimilation, or required changes made to Native American culture, as well as federal government policy; a travesty to say the least. An indigenous language can still be considered dead if there are no living persons who speak it, although documentation of the written word is extremely valuable. Voice inflections, for example, can change the meaning of a phrase or word. That is why indigenous peoples are careful to protect their spoken languages.

In 1940, for example, the Oneida Nation began the language preservation process. Today, the Oneida Language or unkwehukweneha is now being taught to all children attending the Oneida Nation Schools both elementary and high school. Classes are held throughout the year for adults in the Oneida community and for those living in Green Bay, Milwaukee and Madison. To date, there is also a fourth edition publication of the Oneida Dictionary, a 400-page comprehensive collection of words, phrases, and phonetics, syntax and grammar principles authored by Oneida people. But it is important to keep in mind that in order to preserve all Native American Indigenous languages, more needs to be done…and fast.

Not until as recently as 1992 was there government legislation providing for funding to preserve Indian languages. The Native Language Act of 1992 was established as a grant program to ensure survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages. It provides funding for such things as training Native Americans to teach the language and to serve as interpreters, to develop teaching materials, and to purchase equipment to record and preserve the spoken language. As sovereign nations, tribes must provide for the public works, or water, sewer and roads on the reservation, as well as the health and social services aspect of operating a tribal government, including health care and programs that care for the youth and elderly tribal members. The effort to preserve Native American language must compete with other tribal concerns. However, from a cultural aspect, indigenous language can be considered a top priority.

The six Indian Nations which currently reside in Wisconsin have survived for thousands of years. We provide a legacy that is intricately interwoven into Wisconsin’s history and culture.

The Heritage pages
in this edition of the Native Wisconsin Magazine highlight values, customs and cultural traditions that are shared among tribes in Wisconsin. By reading these pages, it is our hope you will come away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of our Heritage.