Expand your vocabulary American Indian-style (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Expand your vocabulary American Indian-style

Thursday, January 20, 2005
By Gary W. Morrison
The Grand Rapids Press
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-19/1106235932303740.xml

HOPKINS -- Ed Pigeon is prepared to teach people that it takes
mishiwaatik (kindling wood), agimaak (ash bow) and some patience for
ishkode (fire-making) the old way -- and he has the funds to do it.

Pigeon, 27, recently was named site coordinator for a $273,000 grant
from the Administration for Native Americans that will focus on
teaching 200 words of the Pottawatomi language through language classes
and cultural activities. The classes are open to everyone.

"That (200) is the minimum number of words a person needs to get along
in Pottawatomi, but, actually, people will learn more," said Pigeon, a
member of the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi council since 1999.

"Because of variations and by adding suffixes and prefixes, a person
will learn about 800 words or more."

The Huron Band near Battle Creek and Pokagan Band near Dowagiac received
similar grants. Don Perrot, a native Pottawatomi speaker, will teach
the language classes, while Pigeon, a 1994 Hopkins High School
graduate, will lead most of the cultural activities.

Pigeon said he would teach black ash basket- making, pottery, tanning
and finger weaving. He said his long-term goal was to construct a
traditional Indian village in the area and show how to make birch bark
canoes and sugar the way Americans Indians once did.

"When I teach the cultural workshops, people will get a list of words
relating to that activity as a way to learn the language," he said.


© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used with permission