Minnesota Wild to host Ojibwe-language broadcast on Friday

As the Wild's facility was being renamed Grand Casino Arena, Baabiitaw was asked to participate in a ceremony that included spending time with leaders from the Wild organization.

"We were talking with [Wild owner Craig Leipold] and I couldn’t help but blurt out and raise my hand in the middle of this meeting to say there should be monolingual Ojibwe commentary for every live game," she tells Bring Me The News.

"I’ve always been a language advocate, but I’m also known for being disruptive and extroverted. So, of course, I interrupted the owner of the Wild," she says with a laugh. 

"There’s some embarrassed feelings there, a little bit, but, you know, some really great stuff came from that."

The game will be called by three generations of Ojibwe-language speakers, Maajiigoneyaash and Ombishkebines, both of whom play hockey, and Ginoonde, a teenager who Baabiitaw says "dove headfirst into the project."

She adds that it's an important part of efforts to preserve the Ojibwe language. "There were 145 fluent speakers [in the Milles Lac Band] in 2005, and today we have seven," Baabiitaw says. 

“The community needs this. Minnesota needs this. This is the heritage language of the state.”

To access the Ojibwe-language broadcast for the Nov. 28 game, which takes place at 2:30 p.m., viewers can select the “in the Ojibwe language” tile on the FanDuel Sports Network app or at FanDuelSportsNetwork.com. A subscription is required. 

Meanwhile, at the arena, singers will be stationed at Gate 1 and Gate 3 as fans enter the building. 

Additionally, the team will show a video during the first intermission on the history of the Jingle Dress, and an on-ice performance will take place during the second intermission. There will also be items available at The Hockey Lodge store with a redesigned team logo by local artist Ozhaawashkgwaneb, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.

“This milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to celebrating the Indigenous communities who have long been part of Minnesota’s cultural fabric," Matt Majka, Chief Executive Officer of the Wild, says in a statement. "We’re proud to help expand access to the game we all love and to support the preservation and vitality of the Ojibwe language for generations to come.”

While it's a milestone broadcast, Baabiitaw doesn't see this as the finish line. 

“The next step is a monolingual commentary for a Vikings/Packers game. It’s a hope. It’s not playing out at this moment. I believe that the Wild taking the lead on this is going to open up a lot of doors in the professional sports setting, not just for Ojibwe people, but nationally,” she says. “If somebody’s gotta do it, darn it, I guess I’m going to have to do it.”