Reviving Anishinaabemowin: Innovative Robots Making an Impact

In Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Holden Hoy is dedicated to learning the Anishinaabemowin language, an endangered Native American language. His mentor, Danielle Boyer, is guiding him through coding and electrical circuitry to achieve this goal.

The idea was sparked by Boyer in a toy store, inspired by Tickle Me Elmo’s ability to interact and teach, yet lacking in materials that teach Anishinaabemowin. Boyer, a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, stated, “There are toys that teach us in English, but there aren’t toys that teach us Anishinaabemowin. And I wanted that to be different.”

The U.S. speaks fewer than 10,000 Anishinaabemowin speakers, while Canada hosts around 25,000.

Boyer explains the urgency due to rapid language loss, sharing that her grandmother is among the last fluent speakers in their dialect. This loss is largely due to U.S. Indian boarding schools, where children were separated from their families and prohibited from speaking native languages. Though some Indigenous youth are learning their languages in schools, Boyer noted that many treat it as a mere assignment.

At the STEAM Museum, Boyer and Hoy prepared for an end-of-year showcase with Hoy’s AI-powered SkoBot – a customizable robot that excites Indigenous children about language learning. Boyer designed the SkoBot to motivate interest in language and cultures, stating, “I can say ‘Hey SkoBot, what is bear?’ And it will say, ‘Bear is makwa, makwa,’ and it’ll repeat it.”

The SkoBot uses pre-recorded audio files and listens for trigger words, sidestepping AI hallucinations or speech generation. This ensures accurate language representation and prompts ethical AI usage among students.

Hoy, a budding seventh grader, impressed the audience at his school’s science fair by showing his SkoBot, named Sabe (Bigfoot), symbolizing honesty in Ojibwe culture. Hoy expressed his satisfaction in sharing his language and culture: “I’m very happy that people are actually coming to this booth. I’m happy that they are learning things, and I’m really happy that I’m part of the Ojibwe.”

Hoy’s SkoBot, along with Boyer’s examples: wolf, turtle, and bear, demonstrated SkoBots’ versatility. Jocelyn Hoy, his mother, voiced her enthusiasm in watching Holden grow more connected to his heritage.

“The language is the culture!” Holden declared, emphasizing the importance of preserving Anishinaabemowin for future generations.