The Language Warrior's Manifesto: How to Keep Our Languages Alive No Matter the Odds

by Anton Treuer, Kaipo Schwab (Narrator)

Across North America, dedicated language warriors are powering an upswell, a resurgence, a revitalization of indigenous languages and cultures. Through deliberate suppression and cultural destruction, the five hundred languages spoken on the continent before contact have dwindled to about 150. Their ongoing survival depends on immediate, energetic interventions. Anton Treuer has been at the forefront of the battle to revitalize Ojibwe for many years. In this impassioned argument, he discusses the interrelationship between language and culture, the problems of language loss, strategies and tactics for resisting, and the inspiring stories of successful language warriors. He recounts his own sometimes hilarious struggle to learn Ojibwe as an adult, and he depicts the astonishing success of the language program at Lac Courte Oreilles, where a hundred children now speak Ojibwe as their first language. This is a manifesto, a rumination, and a rallying cry for the preservation of priceless languages and cultures.

Genres: Nonfiction, Language, Indigenous, Linguistics, Social Justice

6 pages, Audio CD

First published January 28, 2020

About the author

Dr. Anton Treuer (pronounced troy-er) is Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University and author of many books. His professional work in education, history, and Indigenous studies and long service as an officiant at Ojibwe tribal ceremonies have made him a consummate storyteller in the Ojibwe cultural tradition and a well-known public speaker. In 2018, he was named Guardian of Culture and Lifeways by the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums. Anton's first book for young adults, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask (Young Readers Edition), won the SCBWI Golden Kite. Where Wolves Don’t Die is his first novel.

Reviews

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a rare day when I get a review copy that hadn't even made it into the Goodreads database yet. I received access from the publisher Minnesota Historical Society Press through Edelweiss.

Dr. Treuer has written histories of the Ojibwe and this is a localized history of the efforts to revitalize and preserve the Ojibwe language (and culture.) He explains how he learned the language from first speakers and then purposed to pass it on. And, he explains in detail how he and others established an Ojibwe primary language environment. He also writes extensively on the lessons learned, hurdles to overcome (and how to do so), weaving in lessons from other language restoration efforts (Hawaiian being a prime example.)

Unfortunately, right after I finished this, I lost my iPad with all my notes. The book is well composed and well-written. I recommend this to anyone interested in First People languages (it's not a dictionary), First People, or even just language preservation.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written for a wide variety of people, but especially aimed at those looking to develop their own language revitalization programs in indigenous communities. It's clear reading this book that Anton Treuer has had to resolve a lot of value conflicts and engage in a lot of meta thinking to build successful programs and relationships. He has a lot of experience and aims to share most of those conclusions and best practices in this book. It discusses how to start from nothing, focus on continually connecting to values and building foundations first (funding can come later - start now), understanding the many types of oppression (many of which are internalized in communities), and much more.

My favorite part was his description of working with elders to develop new books and stories in Ojibwe for teaching cultural values (translating Harry Potter doesn't connect the language and cultural values). They used the elders' own personal family stories to inspire and storyboard. It was amazing.

My second favorite part was his description of working with elders for lexical expansion (creating new Ojibwe terms based in Ojibwe language thinking for modern concepts). I especially loved the stories about how they got started translating curriculum, mathematics and natural sciences, into Ojibwe - and the realization of how many words for types of condensation they have.

I was hoping for more discussion of how Anton Treuer learned Ojibwe, but it comes down to - being earnest and committed to culture, earning trust, and studying constantly. I am inspired to watch and read many of the books and documentaries he mentioned, especially about the Hawaiian programs.

Very cool.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read books by both Treuer and his brother David Treuer so I was excited to see this, but admittedly a little intimidated. I have no knowledge of Native languages, am not very familiar with Anton Treuer's work with languages and thought this might be a more "academic" look. It was nice to find I was rather wrong and the title is fairly accurate.

Treuer talks about his history (personal and otherwise), his journey in keeping languages alive, how he came to this particular place, how it was done on a larger scale and its importance. Admittedly sometimes it's not the most scintillating reading for a layperson who has zero knowledge of Native languages (Ojibwe in Treuer's case), linguistics, etc.

That said, I did find it to be an informative read that was very "different" for me. But that was also definitely not a bad thing. Treuer's writing style is readable, even if this particular subject matter wasn't for me. I would say that this is a fantastic book for anyone interested in Treuer's journey, how one could possibly proceed in promoting language learning (especially for endangered ones), the relationship between language and culture (which is certainly not limited to Treuer's experiences or to Ojibwe specifically, etc.) and more.

I bought this book and was pleased to find it was worth every penny. That said, depending on your needs and interest, this may or may not be for you and may be better as a library borrow or bargain buy.

For particular audiences, though, this might be a great purchase to keep in one's library or to assign in a class.

[Kelly Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little slow in how interesting it is, but the message is so good that I had to give it 4 stars.

[Priya]

I cannot remember who recommended me this book. But I read it with the informed bias of a person who has more than a mild curiosity about the topic. I also read it as a learner, hammering on every door and investigating every closed corner; agreeing with some points, challenging others, and using the material as a springboard for deeper thought. I don't think it's fair to give the book a rating. I know that as I revisit my notes, how I feel about the book will change and grow.

I will say this. His teacher advocacy sections are magical to read. They're music to weary ears. Just one quote at this time:
A lot of tribal-language-medium schools work best when there are fluent first speakers of your language in front of your kids. Those speakers usually don’t have credentials. Expecting an eighty-year-old speaker to go back to college, finish a degree, and come work for you for several more years isn’t realistic. Put that speaker in front of the kids anyway. Use elder speakers as much as possible. Treat them as equals, not subordinates. Don’t make them teacher aides or paraprofessionals. Pay them teacher wages. Honor their knowledge, respect their limitations, and put them at the center of the work. Some states allow for eminence credentials. Minnesota has a protocol for this that we have used with Ojibwe teachers. If someone can demonstrate eminent knowledge of our language and culture, there is a process to get it recognized by the Department of Education, which allows them to teach. Help your folks get those credentials.

[Karen Kohoutek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes books are about so much than they're about, and this is one of them. It's quite straightforward, being an account of how the author became invested in Ojibwe language education, and offering advice to others who want to revitalize Indigenous languages, and is so clear and easy to read, it almost seems simple. However, there are so many big ideas going on in it, that can be applied to so many things, I haven't really processed it yet. One note: this would be an excellent pairing with O.E. Rolvaag's "Concerning Our Heritage," published in 1922, and dealing with the Norwegian language and immigrant assimilation. The similar concern with what healthy societies need, based on their unique languages and cultures, but also with the historical differences between the groups and their situations -- really intriguing. Anyway. Treuer talks about his life and his experiences, and doesn't gloss over the difficulty of learning a language, especially when the goal is real fluency, covering various ways in which well-meaning programs can fail, and especially when it seems that there are many more pressing needs. He makes a great case for the important of language, and in doing so, addresses things that are relevant even to those of us who aren't Indigenous: who are we? What is our culture? How do we create a healthier world?

Highly recommended!

[Littlebookterror · Rating 4 out of 5]

so I've been wanting to change how I interact with the nonfiction titles I read and I haven't worked it all out perfectly yet but this is less of a review but more of an evaluation of what I've learned from this book as well as any further research I did.
This was a lovely experience, the audiobook only highlights how important preservation has become as the author speaks Ojibwe several times to the listener. It also gets you pumped, like you could go out and do this yourself, right now!

My starting point
I am always interested in linguistics and languages, so when I saw this audiobook was available to me, I jumped on it. I was already familiar with Treuer, since I listened to Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians But Were Afraid to Ask earlier this year and liked his style.
The more I immerse myself in English books and talking about online, the more aware I am about how it also shapes my thinking - I don't just do this to practice though it is a big contributor. Since the German language and identity is not currently dying out, it's certainly a difference in how I interact with it - I don't have a pressure to perform my identity this way, nor do I feel questioned in it.

Who's the author?
Anton Treuer is an Ojibwe professor in Minnesota with a Ph.D. in history. Along with his multiple novels, he has presented all over the country on issues such as Racial Equity & Cultural Competency
Tribal Sovereignty & History, and Ojibwe Language & Culture. Editor of the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language, and currently Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University.
(His brother, David Treuer is an equally prolific writer.)

What did I learn?
This book is almost relentlessly positive yet earnest in its explanation how to revive a dying language. It is also very practical, from finding grants over discussing publishing rights to the growing influence of the internet, Treuer is bringing up the many ways he is working on to build a foundation to teach Ojibwe. It could have been boring but the process of how they implemented their project was simply fascinating I would have not have minded more.
He also stressed the importance of leaning on available material and knowledge whenever it was applicable, reaching out to other tribes and researchers instead of reinventing the wheel.
I do wish he had included a more detailed example of when things didn't work out, from a cultural or a legal perspective.

Additional Notes
Obviously, I had to check out their Ojibwe dictionary.
Treuer also remarks several times how this is a group effort. You need native speakers, sure, but you also need willing learners, people with time on their hands, money, rooms, etc. The importance of immersing yourself in the language and having continuous support and access to it are vital when learning a new language, everyone who's ever tried to learn a second language can tell you so. I would have loved to hear some more about that side from other people involved in the project. Is there an added pressure to learn/be involved and how do the dynamics change between the (new) bilingual members with the non-speakers? The little hints from Treuer about not pushing too hard and general positive encouragement were not enough details for me.
It's just a side note but Treuer mentions he is Austrian on his father's side but the question of whether he should also learn German never comes up. While the answer might seem obvious as to why, I think it actually would have been an interesting discussion on identity and how proximity to an identity can play a role, e.g. people living on reservations vs. those who don't, and how much of this feels like a choice. (It also reminds me of a book I only recently put on my tbr, Thinning Blood: A Memoir of Family, Myth, and Identity, which also talks about language and how it links to identity.)

I am now also interested to see if there is a book or article on how the Hawaiian language was revitalized and the entire process behind it because they have been very successful, as it's now taught in schools and universities and an official language of the state.

[Jack Geryol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anton Treuer’s The Language Warrior’s Manifesto is a genre-defying work that engages with the topic of language revitalization on a number of levels. Treuer simultaneously tells the tale of his own alienation from his family’s Ojibwe roots and his subsequent efforts to learn the Ojibwe language and reconnect with the culture while also offering a more general, academic guide as to how this process can be achieved on a broader, more societal scale. Thus, the book acts both as a personal narrative and an instructional guidebook. From the perspective of a how-to guide on language revitalization, the book gives a wide variety of useful information, from specific technical recommendations, such as the type of nonprofit organization one should start for the most optimal revitalization process, to broader pieces of advice regarding the attitude and outlook one should have during said process. Despite the quantity of information, most of it is given in the unusually long fifth chapter, “How We Did It,” reaching a whopping 88 pages, with no recognizable organizational structure, making it difficult to process and find the information as well as to locate it quickly after a first read. On the personal front, the book is powerful, with the descriptions of the connection between Ojibwe and Treuer’s family standing out in particular for their emotional effect. It is impossible to read, for example, Treuer’s retelling of the birth of his daughter without getting emotional: “I talked to my baby in Ojibwe while she was in utero. I sang songs. It was a beautiful anticipation. But nothing could compare to the reality of her arrival and being in this world […] She looked right at me the whole time, as if she had known me for centuries. I made sure the first words she heard were in Ojibwe. I was all in.” Treuer’s story was especially poignant for me given my own family’s history of language loss and revitalization, and inspired me to take even more direct efforts to continue the revitalization process within my own family.

[Carolyn Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ins and outs of establishing Native language programs

Half of the Native kids in America do not even finish high school. Half. The system is not working. Dr. Anton Treuer has vast experience and advice for those wishing to improve education for this population of children by explaining how learning their own native languages can improve the situation. The students and their communities find better mental, physical, and spiritual health when language is used as a tool and is immersed in all subject areas. According to Treuer,

“Bilingualism in particular predictably enhances academic achievement and cognitive function. Kids develop faster in both languages if they are bilingual.”

He seeks to transform the nature of Native power entirely. Treuer takes groups to Hawaii to study how the Maori and Hawaiians have revitalized their languages. It began with day-care and early childhood programs, and is a decades long plan. Treuer understands the educational system well and has included many helpful resources and agencies.

[Shirin Désirée Khosravi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes a slaughter takes so long that it looks as if it is normal. What the Indigenous people have been going through since the colonization of North America (1402-1690) is well described narrated by the writer who went back and forth between being THE Indian (at school), to AN Indian (in family).
A very comprehensive but not lengthy introduction to Native American's history was given smoothly entangled with threads of Anton Treuer's life, as an Ojibwe activist.
The culture, language and the relationship between the two are clearly explained. The obstacles holding back and degrading Indigenous people are pointed to, in some cases, followed by solutions or interpretations leading to predictions.
The tone, quite realistic, or optimistic, is in line with the primary purpose of the manifesto, union.
To sum up, it provides the writer with a broad perspective of the culture, the language, the history of the Native American people.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Treuer does a good job of splitting the difference between writing for those who are, like himself, aiming to revitalize a language and those who are just reading the book to read it. It gives a history of what he has done with Ojibwe as a story while laying out the instructions of what to do if you want to copy him. It would be hard to deny that all he has done with the Ojibwe language is anything short of incredible, though I felt at some points the writing was a little shaky. However, I would recommend this to anybody who has interest in indigenous languages or history, as throughout the book you get to see Ojibwe culture through Treuer’s eyes and you understand the reasons why saving an endangered language, especially an indigenous one, is so important to the preservation of tribal culture. Moments in the book where Ojibwe is used and translated are very rewarding, because I found it to be a really beautiful language. Cool book.

[Freya Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nimindwendaan iw mazina'igan. That was so beautifully written. I really admire how Anton Treuer supports full immersion and wants Ojibwe language programs to have the highest standards of excellence. I really like the part that was describing the process of writing children's books in Ojibwe, making sure that they contained animals that were native to the area and also taught morals that were relevant in the Ojibwe worldview (you can't really teach these lessons if you're just translating a European folktale into Ojibwe). Elders and teachers have worked together to come up with vocabulary for teaching things like math, social studies and science in immersion schools. If you're interested in language revitalization for any endangered language, I would recommend reading this.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my Well-Read Native Book Club. (Instagram and website)

As everyone knows the US/Canadian government’s “kill the Indian, save the man” was BS. But the long term violation is Still wreaking Havoc.

This book shines a bright light of hope on altering the language theft of Indigenous Peoples. It speaks of how to go about finding the people still speaking, and how to respectfully and honorably ask to be taught. The importance of learning and sharing of that knowledge before the languages are gone forever.

I’m waiting for the day google translate can tell me what Every word I look up means!

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book in a day. it was so engrossing and i cried several times. it was so honest, inspiring, and wise. it brought up so many feelings and illuminated a lot of common issues. for anyone learning their heritage Indigenous language and involved with their community language revitalization efforts, this is a must read. i feel so fortunate to exist in a time where so many language warriors are doing the work and that i can learn from them. Miigwech, Anton 💛

[Jeannie Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Not just for indigenous language teachers/learners, but all language teachers/learners. For all peoples building organizations from the ground up against tremendous odds. And for those learning about the struggles of modern-day indigenous peoples navigating two worlds. Treuer tackles tough subjects with intelligence, aplomb, respect, humor, and a very down-to-earth, relatable vernacular and viewpoint. A veritable handbook on many levels.

[Jen Ferriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a white person, I don't think I was the intended primary audience for this book, but as a word and language lover, I took a lot away from it! Also, as a Minnesotan, I got to hear about Native Minnesotan languages, and we love to hear about our state. The thought of any language dying is very sad to me. This book shows the great effort it takes to keep languages alive but with great reward. I listened to the audio book, which was very well read.

[Danny Mcmillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and actionable words written by a true language warrior. I’m a teacher at a public school that has a mission statement of Ojibwe and Dakota language and culture revitalization…however this book has made me question whether or not we are taking it seriously enough. Thanks so much Anton for creating an incredibly informative and inspiring manifesto. I hope to find people in our school who are willing to take up the flame and do the work that needs to be done.

[Orrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Language Warrior's Manifesto is a fantastic read for anyone who is looking to see the struggles that come with minority language speakers in an English dominant world, while there's a very philosophical framework that Anton Treuer brings with him into his writing its been a great read as a Language Consultant myself to better be aware of how to embrace language activists and community leaders in the herculean task of language revitalisation.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The end gets a bit repetitive. It just kinda repeats the same thing over and over again with slightly different words. I’d also like to see some more practical wisdom and on the ground techniques.
But this is a great foundation to base language revitalisation on and remains one of my favourite books on the topic.

[Julie Bergley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating look at the importance of language for indigenous cultures and how to make it a priority. I love seeing the ways that it can be supported by people outside the culture as well. I learned so much from this!

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The key here is "no matter the price". And keep paying those taxes because Treuer wants a good life.

[Sara (onourshelves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a super interesting book.

[Brad Neuhauser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting mixture of language advocacy, Treuer's personal journey, advice on running a nonprofit, and insight into Ojibwe culture.

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part language-learning memoir, part guide to getting language revitalization efforts off the ground. Definitely a lot of excellent practical advice here, but also a lot that could just be summed up with "Work hard! Don't give up!"