Ojibwe Language Team Captures Second At Quiz Bowl

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College Makwag team (“The Bears”) members L to R: Sheila Fairbanks, Shawna Jones, James Martin and Glen Fairbanks confer before providing the correct answer at the annual Ojibwe Language College Quiz Bowl held last Saturday at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. The Makwag team finished second overall in the competition among colleges and universities in Minnesota.

Apr 8

Tom Urbanski

At the fourth annual Ojibwe Language College Quiz Bowl held last Saturday at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, the outcome came down to the final question in the championship match. The close finish was a fitting end to a highly competitive day between the eight teams representing Minnesota colleges and universities.

Defending their title from last year was the University of Minnesota, who defeated the Makwag (“The Bears”) team from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in the championship match. Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College also finished second last year after previously winning two championships during the initial two years of the college competition.

After making it through all of the rounds to the championship match, teams representing the University of Minnesota and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College battled through the set of 15 questions until the final question was posed. The Uof M team buzzed in first on the last toss-up question, answered correctly, and captured top honors once again.

Members of the runner-up team from Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College were Sheila Fairbanks of Cloquet, Shawna Jones of Cloquet, James Martin of Cloquet and Glen Fairbanks of Duluth.

“This is the only competition of its kind in Minnesota, and it happens only once a year,” said Dan Jones, faculty at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College and moderator for the event. “There is no other competition like it for college teams. In addition to being a competitive and educational event for college students, it is a lot of fun for everyone involved.” The event is self-supported by the participating schools.

The fourth annual Ojibwe Language College Quiz Bowl was a double-elimination tournament pitting four-person teams representing Minnesota colleges and universities against each other in a fast-paced and tension-filled competition. Typical questions covered Anishinaabe language definitions, pronunciation, and translation. Using touch pads and timing devices, the matches moved quickly throughout the day.

Teams competing this year represented the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, College of St. Scholastica, Bemidji State University, Augsburg College, and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Some schools entered more than one team to create the starting field of eight teams. All Minnesota colleges and universities are invited each year to send teams to the competition.