John-Paul Chalykoff is an assistant professor in Anishinaabe Studies at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is a member of Michipicoten First Nation, an Ojibwe community in Canada on the northeast coast of Lake Superior, where he has also served as an elected councilor. His work focuses on utilizing music and puppetry to encourage learning and retaining Anishinaabemowin, the Anishinaabe language.
Language is foundational to Indigenous communities, including my own, and a vital connection to our cultures. It is well documented how residential schools in Canada and boarding schools in the U.S. devastated Indigenous languages and severed cultural connections. While our languages are in decline, efforts to sustain them are ongoing, and I am taking part in that work. Language revitalization efforts, […]
