Plums or Nuts

Ojibwe Stories of Anishinaabe Humor

Authors Larry Amik Smallwood and Michael Migizi Sullivan Sr. 

Minnesota Historical Society Press (September 5, 2023)

A master Ojibwe storyteller shares twenty-five stories—often bawdy, full of mischief and misbehavior—in Ojibwe and English.

Description

Larry Amik Smallwood had the gift of making people laugh. Of all the teachings Amik strove to pass along to his students, he cherished most the humor of his Ojibwe people.

In this bilingual collection, Amik tells of his many adventures and those of others he knew. Learning to speak English in the first grade. A spectacular mishap while harvesting wild rice. Using an old blanket as an invitation to dance. Tales of his hilarious drunkard uncle. With all this and more, Amik celebrates the history, traditions, and culture of modern Ojibwe people.

This book also provides plentiful Ojibwe-language idioms, plays on words, and puns, showing that it really is funnier in Ojibwe. Michael Sullivan Sr., Amik’s language student and assistant, introduces the stories and presents them in Ojibwe and English with an Ojibwe-to-English glossary. Plums or Nuts will excite language enthusiasts throughout North America and bring smiles to those who remember this remarkable man—and to those who are having the pleasure of meeting him and his stories for the first time.

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