In 2022, there were fewer than 10 elders on Walpole Island, Bkejwanong, who still fluently spoke their dialect of the Ojibwe language known as nishinaabemowin.
The inhabitants of Walpole Island underwent forced assimilation under the settler-colonial project and now, mostly only speak English.
Community language advocate Mino Giizhgad secured the purchase of Walpole Island’s first fully dedicated language learning facility. At this facility, children will discover the world through a culturally and age-appropriate curriculum grounded in Anishinaabe language, culture, and philosophy, in a safe and secure environment.
Due to a lack of secure core funding for operations, they are seeking donations to help pay off the remaining balance on the building mortgage. The donations have hit a plateau since 2022. I encourage you to donate and spread the word to contribute to worldbuilding that returns to indigenous children the language that was taken from them, a language still retrievable.
Here is a link to their GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-a-language-from-extinction
Artwork courtesy of Youssef ElNahas
To Read the poem: https://rowayat.org/on-walpole-island/
