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June 19, 2008
SOF OnDemand:
» Listen Now (RealAudio, 53:09) ¦ » Download (mp3, 53:18) ¦ » Podcast

Language is a carrier of human identity. It is a vehicle by which we understand and express our very sense of self. Novelist and translator David Treuer is helping to compile the first practical grammar of the Ojibwe language. He describes an unfolding experience of how language forms what makes us human. Some memories and realities, he has found, can only be carried forward in time by Ojibwe.
Program Details
» Particulars ¦ an annotated guide to the radio program with readings, images, and links
» Resources
» Books + Music
» Krista's Journal
» Transcript
» Credits
Hear the Music
» SOF Playlist ¦ hear full-length tracks of each song played in the program
 
Unheard Cuts
» Unedited Interview with Treuer (mp3, 1:37.10)
Some judicious cutting went into producing this hour of radio. Here's your chance to listen to the entire conversation in which Treuer discusses his Austrian Jewish ancestry and stories about Ojibwe elders he's working with.
SOF Observed
» Blog Post: "How an Idea Becomes a Show"
Our producer writes about the road we took to finding David Treuer's voice and creating this particular show.

» Blog Post: "Language Reclamation, Not Just Preservation"
Ojibwe teacher Keller Paap reflects on his work and the necessity of his language to adapt in order for it to flourish.
About the Image
Toronto-based photographer Nadya Kwandibens walks with her father at her home in northern Ontario, Canada. A member of the Northwest Angle #37 First Nation, she often confers with her father to learn Ojibwe vocabulary. (photo: Nadya Kwandibens)
 
Voices of Our Audience
» Reflections ¦ tell us and other audience members what this program meant to you.
Voice on the Radio
David Treuer David Treuer
Treuer is associate professor of English at the University of Minnesota, a novelist, and translator. He divides his time between the Leech Lake Reservation and Minneapolis.
Special Funding
Tides Foundation, Kendeda Sustainability Fund
This sustainability feature is supported by the
Kendeda Sustainability Fund of the Tides Foundation.

» Additional sustainability coverage from American Public Media.