Translator: Craig Burnett Reviewer: Cissy Yun
My fellow Menominee, all my relations and everyone who is present here.
Thank you, I say to all of you for gathering here.
Now I will speak a little...
I am from the land of the Menominee and I am Bear clan.
My grandmother comes from Keshena,
Enaēmaēhkūkiw is my mother, Nēpowew-awaēhsaeh is my father,
Mahwaēhsaeh is my brother, and Nēpen-ānakwatūkiw is my sister.
My wife is Awaēhsēsaeh and we have 5 children.
First born is Omiyosokwewo-opimohtet then my daughter Waqsecīwan,
my son Cīnānakwat and also my daughter Nanīmaqowiakiw.
My last born is Maeqnakwahkūkiw. I also have one grandson: he is Powehkaneh.
It has been my distinct honor to share a little bit of the Menominee language
with you all today, as it has been targeted for destruction for over
a hundred and fifty years, and its very existence today is symbolic of
the resilience of our tribal communities here in America.
I would like to tell you all, the story about my journey reclaiming my language.
This journey goes back to a time when I can recall being six years old,
when my family relocated from our residence on the reservation to a
neararby village so that my father could attend college at the university there.
At that time, I had told my mother I was unable to move, because
I had to stay and learn my language, and learn to sing.
Well, I didn't win that argument. (Laughter)
So, I ended up in this new place, and it became quickly apparent
that I had a unique identity.
As the questions started to come in, I can recall my art teacher asking,
"What does your flag look like?" I can recall my classmates asking,
"What is your Indian name? Do you still live in a teepee?"
Well, I was pretty sure I didn't live in a teepee.
Some of the other questions I didn't have good answers for.
So I began to come home and have these conversations with my father, and
it became quickly apparent that I had a unique identity.
Now, coincidentally or not, at that same time, we had a Menominee elder
agree to teach classes at the university where my father attended school;
to teach Menominee language classes, to be more specific.
And, as he began to do that, he would stop at our place on his commute.
As he was having these conversations with my father, he started to teach
myself and my siblings some words of our language.
I'm about nine years old at this time,
and he started to notice that I was pretty good at learning this language.
And I did too. And that was a big deal for me, because at that time,
I didn't excel at anything. And, after some time, he had even
invited me to be his tutor at the university.
As you can imagine, I was pretty proud.
I can recall going there on my ten-speed. (Laughter)
And I can remember the first time I stood in front of his class,
and he introduced me. And when he introduced me, he
told his students that, "This young man is a good speaker
of our language, and if you need help, go ahead and ask him; he can help you."
I can remember standing there with such pride, and I began to work that
room, walking around, offering my assistance.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, sparked my fire for language.
Upon returning home to the reservation, at around 12 years old, I encountered
a situation where we had a first-language-fluent speaker that was
teaching at our junior high. She was an elder.
This lady and I quickly bonded, and as our bond transpired over time,
she eventually ended up adopting me as a son. And in that way, nurturing my language
use, my language ability. Now, as I'm learning the language,
I'm learning words, and words, and words. And I'm starting to use the words.
But as I came to find out, I didn't really understand the words.
And the first time I remember noticing this, was when I asked her,
"We are called the Menominee. What does that mean?"
And she says, "Ahh, yah, we're called Menominee."
She says, "But in our own language, we call ourselves Mamāceqawak."
"We're the movers, full of life." And I thought, "Wow!
How amazing is that?" But it opened my mind, and I started
to wonder what else was behind this language.
And, as I began to ask questions, I suddenly began to realize that
language is the key to everything. You see, my need to learn everything
in an English-based manner was quickly met by the Menominee language.
And, for example, a verb as simple as "apēw", which
in our language means, "he or she sits." I had recalled asking,
"Well, how do I distinguish the difference between "he" and "she"?
Well, we don't do that, you see, we have no gender hierarchy in our language.
And I can recall thinking, "Wow, what an amazing feature
in a time and place where we're all fighting for gender equality,
we had this forever. (Applause, Laughter)
That's pretty amazing.
So I continued learning the language, and I came to find out just
what a big role animacy plays in our Menominee language, as it even
dictates the verbs that follow them, and it affects
the place where you place the noun in a sentence.
And I'm told that is because we place emphasis on that animate being.
We show them that respect, and in fact, in a certain verb structure,
we are required to place the person we are speaking to in front of us,
so not when I say "Ketāpānen", I am saying, "It is you I love,"
not, "I love you," And that's such a powerful language shift.
In that as well, is the idea of netaēnawēmākenak,
our word that means, "all of our relation."
That word expands beyond those who we consider blood relatives.
That extends to every living being on earth.
Not just my relatives, or my fellow tribesmen,
but every living being on earth. Netaēnawēmākenak. Wow!
Now, as I'm growing into this language space, I recall
listening to one of my elders speak,
and this man was trying to help us to understand
just how special our language was.
And, he had told us that, "Language is the soul of your tribe.
When the language is gone, all you have left is an empty shell."
Wow. That really sat with me, and the idea that by learning my language,
I am the soul of my tribe.
By learning your language, you are the soul of your tribe.
What a powerful thing. I give my tribe life, and my tribe gives me life.
As I'm fumbling through life, trying to figure things out,
I can really point to the time and place when those words were spoken to me.
When I really started to come into my own.
Just like, on a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, where we're networking
with folks who also are engaging in revitalizing their identity
to the idea of language revitalization.
These key words were spoken to me, "Language is the key to everything."
Since hearing those words, a lot has come through for me.
I'm excited and proud to stand here and share these words, and, in closing...
When I think about what it means to be Menominee I know that
learning our language did a lot for me.
As we continue into the future we must remember our Ancestors,
our fellow living beings, and those still to come in the future.
All my relations, that is it.