This week we are going to be talking about animal tracks. Even though we live in the city I think it is important for the kids to learn about and be able to discuss. This week we will start with a discussion of animals in general and then look at their tracks and how we can make discussing them a part of our everyday life.
- Animals
- Tracks
- Activities
Animals
The first thing that many learners get down are animal names. It is a great topic for kids also because it is easier to do without using English than some other topics and they can use the words with anyone who has done even a little language learning, which helps to positively reinforce the use of Ojibwe. It is also an easy place to introduce word substitution, a method of language use where you speak in English but certain words you substitute with the Ojibwe version. You do this in all areas of your life, for example : reading Goldie Locks and the 3 Makwag, getting Teddy Makwa before bed etc. Gradually you introduce more and more words to increase your knowledge of the language.
In this section I have included a playlist about animals, as well as links to activities and learning materials to help get animal names down.
- Awensiinyag kit from Waking up Ojibwe. It has games books and activities
http://www.wakingupojibwe.ca/pathways/families/awensiinyag/ - Clans unit from Anishinaabmowin Revival Program contains names, info, and audio related to clan animals and and works up to making full sentences about the animals https://www.mchigeeng.ca/clans.html
- Cue cards from Cat Lake https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/cat-lake/id1332458093?mt=8 includes a variety of topics including animals you can flip through see a picture and hear the word. Apple only.
- Colouring book with Anishinaabemowin text
http://daycareconnection.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Beautiful-Words-From-Turtle-Island-Colouring-Book-by-Patrick-Hunter-1.pdf - Activity book on spring. Pages 4-8 are animal name colouring sheets and a word search http://www.glifwc-inwe.com/assets/Ziigwan_Workbook_A.pdf
- Online book called What Are The Animals Doing? https://www.7oaks.org/Resources/indigenouseducation/Ojibwe%20Bilingual%20K4%20Book%20Series/Book%2009%20-%20What%20are%20the%20animals%20doing.pdf
- Clans kit from Ojibwe Language Program Ojibwemotaadidaa Omaa Gidakiiminaang (OOG) https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1o-jpOzg7b_6LNc7CicpcwXrbVOo3Yb1g
- Information posters from Toronto Zoo’s Turtle Island Conservation programme ( https://www.torontozoo.com/tz/tic )
- Ducks unlimited painted turtle activity sheet https://www.ducks.ca/assets/2015/09/turtle-ojibwe.pdf (other animal 3-D paper models https://www.ducks.ca/resources/educators/paper-animal-models/)
Tracks
Knowing about tracks is useful in a couple of ways. One of course is the fun of finding and identifying them. I have to admit when I was young I remember my dad trying to teach me about how to identify animal footprints, and me not being very impressed, but I am on board now. There are also a lot of times when tracks and types of tracks are mentioned or described in stories.
The links below include printable pages where you can learn about and match the animals to their tracks, and resources to learn about how Ojibwe discusses tracks.
- Activity on Page 12 https://waterresearch.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/color_activity_book.pdf (answers on page 21)
- Activity on page 13 http://www.glifwc.org/publications/colorbook/flipbook/inc/pdf/flipbook.pdf (answers on 27)
- Scroll down for printable puzzle pieces and cards https://www.eviminaltintopu.com/hayvan-ayak-izleri/ (I don’t understand this page but the beauty of not needing the English text is that you can pull resources resources even if you don’t know the language)
- This is the dictionary entry for /-kawe/ a final meaning s/he leaves tracks, leaves a trail. This allows us to see the different ways we can describe tracks https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/kawe-final
- For instance you can ask awenen babiiwizidekawed? waawaabiganoojiinh babiiwizidekawe / who leaves tiny-footed tracks? mouse leaves tiny-footed tracks.
- You can also practice identifying word parts by working together to find all the words that include the medial /-zide/ which means foot. This tells us (I believe) that the word is discussing something about the actual shape or characteristic of the foot print rather than the larger trail of prints.
- This is an English info sheet on tracks in case you want more details to talk about in your discussion https://cwf-fcf.org/en/resources/downloads/pdf/trackingwinter-72.pdf
Activities
We have some activity pieces that the kids use to make animal prints with paint or in the the snow, but you don’t need to purchase them – you can also make some with sponges https://www.survivingateacherssalary.com/diy-animal-tracks-activities-nature-art/ . If you are feeling very energetic you can also allow the kids to make these prints with their own feet in paint but that can cause a real mess. Depending on the age of your kids you can also use this as an opportunity to start writing out animal names in Ojibwe.
The next step in this activity is to use the stamping to make prints to match some of the https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/word-part/kawe-final words like
- mayagikawe vai s/he leaves strange tracks
- babiiwizidekawe vai s/he leaves tiny-footed tracks
- midaasookawewag vai ten of them leave tracks
- nanaapaajizidekawe vai s/he leaves tracks with the feet turned-out
- oshkikawe vai s/he leaves fresh tracks, there are fresh tracks of h/
- wawaagizidekawe vai s/he leaves pigeon-toed tracks
Now that the kids have heard the words a couple of times if you want to keep engaging with these phrases I suggest making a little card with your favorite terms and keep it in your pocket to use when ever you are out walking you can even add them to your Simon Says or Follow The Leader Phrases.
Anishinaabemowin@home 
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