< >Diiva Miinwaa Davis
What began as a dream of a teacher and a student as a way to learn the Ojibwe language was recognized as great entertainment for fluent speakers as well. Helen's mastery of the language's form and nuances is evident in the lyrics and prompted a friend to call her the 'Diva of language'. Through her understanding and use of the language, dialectal differences disappear. Helen skillfully sings the words of her heritage language very articulately so that new learners hear every sound and translates accordingly so grammatical forms are heard correctly. David's love of all types of music is evident in the way he orchestrates many instruments into their songs. Guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, drums and keyboard are the tools of his trade.
Language: Ojibway
Genre: Gospel
Albums
Awards, Nominations & Submissions
| 2008 | Best Gospel CD | Gospel Songs | Nominee |
Biography
What began as a dream of a teacher and a student as a way to learn the Ojibwe language was recognized as great entertainment for fluent speakers as well. Helen's mastery of the language's form and nuances is evident in the lyrics and prompted a friend to call her the 'Diva of language'. Through her understanding and use of the language, dialectal differences disappear. Helen skillfully sings the words of her heritage language very articulately so that new learners hear every sound and translates accordingly so grammatical forms are heard correctly. David's love of all types of music is evident in the way he orchestrates many instruments into their songs. Guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, drums and keyboard are the tools of his trade.
This is a wonderful collection of Gospel Hymns, translated and sung in Ojibwe. This album was not only meant to be a great tool for learning, as well it is a good album to enjoy and listen to.
There have been many editions of hymns translated since about the early 1800âÂÂs. Most often they were translated seldom matching the meanings of the original words in the hymn. Missionaries had very rudimentary knowledge of the native languages they were attempting to translate. Most hymns were translated very roughly to try to convey the original meaning of the lines in the verses.
The songs translated in this CD are translated more accurately and grammatically correct line by line as to what each line is trying to convey, and full sentences and thoughts are used. They are also translated so that the new learner will learn from them. These songs were translated for the intent of creating more language resources for new learners.
