Disney announces Ojibwe language dub of "Star Wars: A New Hope"
MINNEAPOLIS — An Ojibwe language dub of the epic space opera "Star Wars: A New Hope" is in the works.
On Monday, Walt Disney Studios announced that Disney/Lucasfilm is working with the Dakota Ojibwe Tribal Council and the University of Manitoba to create the Ojibwemowin version of the 1977 flick.
Most of the voice work will happen just north of Minnesota in Winnipeg, including script translation, auditions and sound recordings. Sound mixing and post-production work is slated for Skywalker Sound in California.
Anyone interested in auditioning for the dubbed version can sign up on StarWarsOjibwe.com. More details are expected to be released at a later date.
There are five First Nations linguistic groups in Manitoba, including Ojibwe, Cree, Ojibwe-Cree, Dakota and Dene.
In Minnesota, there are seven federally recognized Ojibwe tribes, including Bois Forte (Nett Lake), Fond du Lac, Grand Portage, Leech Lake, Mille Lacs, White Earth and Red Lake.
As many first-language Ojibwe speakers dwindle, many groups and tribes have been working to preserve and revitalize the language for future generations. This includes a Rosetta Stone project led by the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
