Native Languages Center

LANGUAGE PROGRAMS ›

Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College

Mount Pleasant, MI
sagchip.edu ➚

Language

Ojibwe

Academic Programs

A.A. in Native American Studies, concentration in Ojibwe language

Language in the Community

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe provides accessible resources through the Ojibwe Language Project ➚ as well as offering immersion programs and other language resources through the Anishinaabe Language Revitalization Department. ➚

Language

Ojibwe (Ojibwemowin, Anishinaabemowin) is an Algonquin language spoken around the Great Lakes region of North America. The language is well-known for its incredible diversity, having numerous dialects spoken across different parts of the US and Canada. There is no single dialect that is considered to be the most prominent and there is not a standard writing system to reflects all dialects. The aggregated dialects of Ojibway comprise the 4th most widely spoken Native language spoken in the US and the 2nd most commonly spoken First Nations language in Canada.

Teaching Requirements in Michigan

The department may enter into a memorandum of understanding with a federally recognized Native American tribe, the board of a school district, or the board of directors of a public school academy that authorizes the superintendent of public instruction to issue a 3-year letter of approval or continuing approval to allow the Native American tribe, school district, or public school academy to use teachers who do not possess a valid Michigan teaching certificate to teach a Native American tribal language and culture class. A memorandum of understanding entered into under this section shall require that a noncertificated teacher has demonstrated mastery of the tribal language either through a credential issued by a federally recognized Native American tribe or another means considered suitable by the department. The memorandum of agreement shall include requirements for renewal or continuing approval of the noncertificated teacher as established by the Native American tribe, the board of the school district, or the board of directors of the public school academy in collaboration with the department.

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