Assistant Professor, Indigenous Studies, University of Sudbury
Biography
Mary Ann Naokwegijig-Corbiere attended school where she grew up, Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island, until Grade 8. Most “Wiky kids” then spoke Nishnaabemwin; English was used only with teachers. After graduating from York University, her desire to be among Nishnaabemwin speakers full-time again took her back home for a few years. She has taught her language at the University of Sudbury since 1989, obtained a doctorate in 2007, and continues working on instructional resources for adult learners.
Mary Ann has provided valuable linguistic guidance to GRASAC over a number of years, and in 2013 she and Rand Valentine generously shared their Nishnaabemwin: Odawa and Eastern Ojibwe Dictionary with GRASAC — it is now incorporated into the GRASAC research database. Their dictionary can also be accessed online here.