Dance Boots

Preface

preface The mythical Mozhay Point Indian Reservation and allotment lands of the Ojibwe extended families in these stories are in the heart of the six reservations of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, a few hours’ drive north of Duluth,Minnesota,which is a hill city on the shores of Lake Superior. The Ojibwe are of the Woodland cultures. Half a millennium ago our ancestors made the journey we call the Great Migration in a route along the Great Lakes from the east coast of North America, near Newfoundland, to our home today. We have maintained and when necessary revitalized our language, history, and customs by way of our oral tradition as well as the determination and sacrifices of those we call the Grandfathers. Our families are large and extended; we have many relatives. Sometimes we address each other not by name but by relationship (for example, Auntie or Cousin), as a term of affection or unity. At times we do not differentiate between degrees of relationship: all cousins, first-degree and beyond, as well as other relatives of the x p re face same generation might be addressed as Cousin; relatives of one older generation might all be addressed as Auntie or Uncle, though they might technically be cousins; some whom we address as relatives may not be actual relatives but are honored with that title. We are all related. Ojibwe names at times combine English and Ojibwe spelling and pronunciation.The Ojibwe language does not differentiate between the letters p and f; the letters l and n can be interchangeable when English language is spoken,as can the letters l and y and the letters r and n. Examples of this can be found in some of the names of characters in these stories: Charlotte is called Shonnud, and Helen is called Henen.In every day that passes,this speech pattern is heard less frequently, as elders who spoke both the old Ojibwe dialects and English in the old Ojibwe way pass on to the next world. I remember their way of speaking in these stories to commemorate, honor, and thank them. the dance boots This page intentionally left blank ...