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Native Language Summer Camp

Teacher and organizer of the Native Language Summer Program, Daisy Slipperjack, discusses the importance of retaining the Ojibwe language, which is done on the land. 

Together with Eabametoong First Nation’s Health and Social Services « Paddle for Wellness » program, teacher Daisy Slipperjack has organized a summer camp for children, youth, and families. The group paddles to an island away from the community and spends an entire week immersed in the language. Elders speak Ojibwe and the youth listen and learn skills for living on the land, including net-making, setting and checking nets, paddling, filleting fish, gathering birch bark and making baskets, cooking, chopping wood, and more. English is spoken sparingly, for example, to share safety instructions.