An Algoma University assistant professor and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, who has dedicated much of his life to educating other Anishinaabemowin, has lent his voice to an Ojibwe dub of a classic Star Wars film.
John-Paul Chalykoff provided voiceovers for nearly a dozen characters in Star Wars (Anangong Miigaading): A New Hopea project involving the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council, the University of Manitoba, APTN and Disney/Lucasfilm to “bring the Anishinaabe language back to the galaxy,” according to a press release.
Dubbing for the project took place in Winnipeg, Manchester, with a number of Anishinaabe speakers from Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota providing voiceovers for the characters over a 10-day period in May.
“I used the tools I learned from learning Eastern dialects, where you draw vowels. I used my Western dialects, where the vowels are intact,” Chalykoff said. “The script was somewhere in between — a lot of the vowels are intact, but they were shortened to fit the mouth movements.”
“I felt like I was able to apply everything I had learned from each of my teachers over the years, from the US to Canada. Applying all of that was like a way for me to give back.”
The Michipicoten First Nation band member attended a virtual audition organized by Disney/Lucasfilm to land the roles after learning about the project through a social media post by former Algoma University Anishinaabemowin teacher or Order of Canada member Patricia Ningewance. Chalykoff received a call back about a month or two later to schedule an audition after responding to an open casting call.
“We had to audition for the main roles. I was quite hesitant,” he recalls. “I auditioned for Hans Solo and made it to the second round.”
“I was kind of relieved – I would love to play every little character. I just wanted to see what the best of Star Wars could be.”
Eventually he was chosen for about ten minor roles in the film’s Ojibwe dubbing—Chalykoff jokingly describes them as “blink and you miss it”—including the voices for some of the soldiers and members of the Rebel Alliance.
“I tried to find a different voice change for all these character types,” he said.
The Anishinaabe language teacher faced a challenge when he was asked to voice Uncle Owen, a character who plays a larger role in the film than the supporting characters he was originally supposed to voice. “I think I had one night to practice,” he said.
Chalykoff, who works as a musician and puppeteer when he’s not teaching the language to students at Algoma University and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, is excited to see the finished product when it’s released.
“You never know what adventures you’ll have with Anishinaabemowin,” he said. “It will be a cool example of language learning and a fun resource for families to use at home.”
Star Wars (Anangong Miigaading): A New Hope Premieres in Winnipeg on August 8, with a limited release in Winnipeg and other markets scheduled for August 10.
The film will debut on Disney+ and APTN at a later date.
