Customer Reviews

ODAWA LANGUAGE AND LEGENDS: ANDREW J. BLACKBIRD AND RAYMOND KIOGIMA

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a treat to have an Odawa dictionary written by an Odawa elder. For years I have needed more words for my studies in Native language. I thought that Ojibway was Odawa or Ottawa.
Now I have a book that contains all of Andrew Blackbird's book with his dictionary of Chippewa/Ottawa where I can compare Kiogima's words in the same book now. Kiogima's legends and stories are very interesting.

The ONLY improvement in this book (in my opinion) would be a guide to pronunciation (long vowel, short, etc.).

Thank you for giving me insight to some of the stories and customs of my grandmother...some of which my mother carries on to this day.

Andrew J. Blackbird's History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians contained in this book is one of the more moving first person accounts of Native history that I have ever read. Not only is it moving, but then to have it followed by a dictionary and grammer was surprising. So much is contained in his section of Odawa Language and Legends that was new to me that I couldn't believe how much more was included in Raymond Kiogima's section. The two parts of this book balance each other and make it an ususual combination of Native history, language, and legends.

While this is a good resource book, it seems to be largely a reprint of Andrew J Blackbird's earlier book, "History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan". Section II by Wm Raymond Kiogima is helpful, containing an English to Odawa dictionary and grammar reference, along with stories told by Odawa ancestors.

This book really taught me alot. Ray is very passioniate about preserving the Odawa language and it really comes through in this book and in his newest one.