Yá’át’ééh.

Jamie Rogers indizhinikaaz.

Lindstrom, MN hemantanhanye.

​

These phrases are constructed from three different American Indian languages: Diné, Ojibwe, and Dakota, respectively. They translate to “Hello! My name is Jamie Rogers. I am from Lindstrom, Minnesota.

​

I learned these new language phrases at American Indian night in the fall of 2018. These simple phrases reflect upon American Indian culture, communication, and gives us a glimpse into their lives. I experienced American Indian song, dance, and language. We, as an audience, were even asked to participate in a tribal wedding ceremonial song and dance, which was very spiritual and important to their culture. I shared part in true American Indian culture for the time being. Sisters in Song sang some of their original songs for us (well one of them did, the others couldn’t make it), which was interesting to hear the difference in song between cultures. The songs were intermingled the American Indian language with English, which were very cool to hear together.

Before we ate, we also heard a couple of prayers read aloud in an American Indian language. Although I couldn’t translate exactly what the gentleman was saying, hearing this made me think about how their culture might pray and bless their meals each day. We ended with learning phrases in the three different languages mentioned above, which was super interesting simply because I hadn’t realized that American Indian languages were taught here at MSU!

​

I believe that this experience meets level 1 in 'knowledge and understanding' and 'communication' because I was able to begin understanding and learning about American Indian culture, and specifically, different American Indian languages. I saw a glimpse into how the American Indian people communicate with each other and teach their languages to others. This experience helped me to begin to ask questions about the American Indian lifestyle and languages, such as wondering how many people in the Mankato area, or my hometown, came from American Indian heritage or even spoke an Indian language. I was introduced to this new culture, their language, and some of their customs and now feel as though I can delve deeper into asking more complex questions about different cultures and languages moving forward, along with seeking out more opportunities to interact with those of different cultures.