How Anishinaabemowin bridges gaps between organizations and Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario

More Anishinaabemowin is popping up in our day-to-day lives as organizations look for ways to embrace the traditional language in their branding and campaigns.

The efforts at language revitalization are a way for organizations to reflect the work they do, and connect with the people they serve. 

This month, Lakehead University's Bora Laskin Faculty of Law faculty of law announced that the Indigenous Law and Justice Institute will be known as Mino-Waabandan Inaakonigewinan, which means "seeing the law in a good way." The name was gifted by elder Ron Linklater of Couchiching First Nation during a ceremony at Bora Laskin's inaugural summer land-based learning camp in August 2022.

"It was important for us to put the language first," said Larissa Speak, an assistant professor and co-director of the institute. She's also a member of Fort William First Nation. 

"That's just a reminder for all of us that we should be approaching the work in a good way and also from an Indigenous perspective," she said.  

Along with the new name, the faculty also unveiled a logo of a Thunderbird created by artist Ryan Pooman. The Thunderbird represents power, protection, and strength, and the logo was inspired by Fort William First Nation's Anemki Wajiw, or Thunder Mountain. 

Police launch Anishinaabemowin campaign

Anishinaabemowin is also at the centre of a new campaign launched by Treaty 3 Police Service. 

It's an anti-human trafficking campaign featuring posters with messaging in Anshinaabemowin and needed to come up with new terms in the language to describe "human trafficking." 

"The anti human trafficking messages were created by a group of elders within Treaty Three … there currently wasn't a word for human trafficking in Anishinaabemowin so the initiative was really a focus on bridging a gap in terms of language," said Jody Smith, the Spirit of Hope coordinator with the Treaty Three Police Service. 

The Spirit of Hope's campaign message is important for all to hear, making the need for the translation critical.

An estimated 50 per cent of human trafficking victims in Canada are Indigenous, based on a survey of service agencies working in the field, according to a 2016 report from the National Task Force on Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada.

According to Public Safety Canada, the majority of incidents reported between 2010 and 2020 took place in Ontario. 

The new anti-human trafficking messaging launched by Treaty 3 Police will be available for use in schools, tribal organizations, and rural communities in the area, Smith said.