Ojibway—There’s an app for that

Want to learn Ojibway from the comfort of your own home, or on the way to work on the bus, or while waiting for an airplane? An Ojibway language app for iPhone and iPad has been created.

The app was designed by Derrick Baxter, owner of Ogoki Learning Systems Inc.

In a modern society with technology accelerating at a fast pace, Baxter believes the app is a good way to teach people.

“We have to start preserving this language. We have to start preserving our heritage. And the best way to do it is to get it into schools. Schools are really relying on digital technology to sort of retain the students’ attention.”

The Ojibway app contains words, phrases, numbers, as well as history lessons on treaties that Ojibway people have entered into. Words and phrases are also accompanied by syllabics.

The app is not only a good teaching tool, but close to Baxter’s heart. The voice that is used to the enunciate words and phrases belongs to his friend, Garden Hill First Nations artist Eddy Munroe, who passed away this past spring.

For now, the app is in the western Ojibway dialect.

“It’s more of the Manitoba, northwestern Ontario dialect. What we tried to do was use phrases and terms that are understandable throughout the Ojibway area.” He says he does have plans to add more dialects as time goes on.
Baxter testifies to the usefulness of the new tool. The father of three says his 12-year-old daughter picked up some language skills from the app.

“When my daughter found the app on her iPad, she started speaking Ojibway over the phone to my mom...It was such an inspiring thing.”

The app is free and available at the iTunes store. Baxter hopes the Ojibway app will be available through Android and Samsung over the next four to six months.

Baxter would also like to create Cree, Dakota and Dene apps and says he would have to network with fluent language speakers to move forward on that.