Aanii Boozhoo,

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Anishinaabemowin Teg Inc., I would like to extend a sincere gchi-miigwech to every participant who attended our 24th Annual Language Conference. We would not exist without your continued attendance and support. We would also like to acknowledge our volunteers who put countless hours of effort in before, during, and after our Conference in addition to our Planning Coordinator. We would not be as successful as we are without each of them.

We were honoured to have our Keynote Speakers, Ogimaa Duke Peltier of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory and Nelson Toulouse of Sagamok First Nations represent our language revitalization and efforts in such a sincere and heartfelt manner. We further acknowledge each presenter who brought innovative learning strategies, cutting edge scholarship, and community based models of learning as they applied to our theme of Ge-zhi-naanaagide’enmongba gdoo-kiimnaa, looking after our environment, to the forefront for our participants.

We would like to take this opportunity to offer a special miigwech to Alan Corbiere for his dedication to ATEG. Mr. Corbiere, who is from M’Chigeeng, was recently a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Award. We give further special words of acknowledgement and respect to two of our members of the Elders Senate: Dr. Shirley Ida Williams/Migizi Ow-Kwe for the honour bestowed upon her with the recent awarding of her Doctor of Laws, Honouris Causa from the University of Ontario of Technology Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and to Eugene Manitowabi who is the 48th musician inducted into the Northern Ontario Country Music Hall of Fame. We extend our sincere congratulations to all three of our esteemed ATEG community members.

Finally, we are so grateful to the family members of the following loved ones who have passed on for providing scholarships: Dominic Eshkakogan, Olive McGregor, Victor Keshago, Florence Osawamick, Lillian (Lilly) Bourgeois Osawamick, Clarence Leo Sagassige, Ellen Corbiere-Migwans, Orien Corbiere, Mary Lou Fox-Radulovich, Violet McGregor and Rose Logan.

Our scholarship recipients were as follows: Kai Pyle, Precious Solomon, Victoria Nahwegahbow, Aurora Megwanabe-McGregor, Shyanne Foster, Donnell Loon, Willow Solomon, Dakota Crowe, and Rory Bowerman. We again give our congratulations to each of these young people for their dedication to Anishinaabemowin.

We look forward to celebrating 25 years in 2019! Please mark the date and join us from March 28th to the 31st at the Quattro Hotel and Conference Centre in Sault St, Marie Ontario.

Baamaa Pii Miiniwaa!
Liz Osawamick