Using animation to teach young people Ojibwe

The Anishinabek Nation's Anishinaabemowan Commissioner is hoping to expand her people’s knowledge of the language, starting with youth.

Barbara Nolan is originally from Wikwemikong and now resides in Garden River First Nation. She has been teaching Ojibwe for more than 50 years.

She currently teaches the next generation at Sault College and the Garden River First Nation Child Care Centre. Now she's expanding her reach to the World Wide Web.

"On a rainy day, the kids at daycare, they go in the big room and they watch cartoons in English," Nolan said on her You tube channel.

"And I think that sparked something in my mind. You know, they shouldn't be watching English cartoons, but kids love cartoons, so why don't I make cartoons? But in the (Ojibwe) language?”

Nolan, along with fellow teacher, and videographer, Esbikenh, created animated videos to bring her language to as many learners as she can.

"First Nations, people are very visual people," said, a videographer and artist from Walpole Island First Nation.

"When they see all the visuals, like all the cartoons and they hear the little sound effects, the even the music, they just learn a lot quicker.”

Barbara Nolan, along with fellow teacher, and videographer, Esbikenh, created animated videos to bring her language to as many learners as she can. (Photo from video)

Barbara Nolan is originally from Wikwemikong and now resides in Garden River First Nation. She has been teaching Ojibwe for more than 50 years. (Photo from video)

Aiming to both introduce and re-introduce Ojibwe to her people, the videos cover a range of introductory words and phrases – and even songs.

The short features can be found at Barbara_Nolan on YouTube and TikTok -- thanks to technical help from her daughter, Colleen.

"We stopped at this gas (station), you know, for coffee, and a boy -- a young man -- comes walking in and he, he recognized her," Colleen said.

"To him, she was she was a movie star. I am so proud of her.”

"I'm going to leave a legacy," Nolan said.

"Those videos are going to live on after I expire.’

Nolan and Esbikenh have 10 videos ready to launch, with another 10 the videographer is working on.

They hope to one day acquire funding to produce full-length Ojibwe cartoons.