The Star Wars universe was first introduced to audiences in 1977 with the film A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars). There have of course been many more films, series, and books too many to count that have kept us in a galaxy far, far away.
Recently, the Star Wars universe has expanded to include multigenerational Anishinaabe speakers to bring a new Ojibwe dubbing of Disney's Star Wars (Anangon Miigaading): A New Hope to life. The film is directed by Ellyn Stern Epcar and partners in the project include Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council (DOTC), the University of Manitoba (UM), Disney/Lucasfilm and APTN as a part of wider efforts to revitalize the language.
Niigaanii-Animikii Inini is a filmmaker and the language-culture coordinator of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in northern Wisconsin. He's also the voice actor for the character Red Leader in Star Wars.
Inini has been a Star Wars fan since he was a child when he saw the Special Edition re-release in theaters in the '90s, so when he came across a social media post advertising auditions he had to try out.
"After I applied I was invited to audition and to choose from several main characters to audition for. So I chose a handful and the process was I had to record on my own computer, reading lines in Ojibwe per character. And I was using my best intonations akin to what I was seeing in the original Star Wars and then listening to the elders in my head to try and pronounce the Ojibwe the best I could," describes Inini.
After sending in those tapes he heard back from the Disney crew asking for Inini to audition for one of the particular characters over Zoom with the director. After that audition he was promised a role in Star Wars, but didn't know which character for some time. "I'm so proud to be giving voice to Red Leader, acted on screen by the late Drewe Henley," he says.
Inini's voice of Red Leader was translated by Patricia Ningwewance, a first language speaker and teacher who led a team of translators before the auditions, according to Inini. "So when I was auditioning I was given lines — and not just given lines on paper, but also a recording of an elder pronouncing the lines to give some enunciation guidelines there as well," he adds.
Inini notes that Ojibwe tends to have a flatness to its tone and there isn't as much accenting sounds as with English words. When he inquired if the Disney team preferred a flat, traditional Ojibwe pronunciation or emulating the original English actor's performance, he was invited to aim for the English actor's.
"I watched the original scene over and over and over and over again. I did some background research [on the character] ... So, I brought that information with me into the sound studio and the director also invited certain emotions, certain loudness, guiding me in the studio as well," says Inini.
Cut the chatter, Red Two.
BANGITOON, RED TWO
Red boys, this is Red Leader.
RED-MIIGAA-ZOOG, NIIN RED LEADER.
Almost there!
AAZHA GEGAA!
Almost there!
AAZHA GEGAA!
The Ojibwe version of Star Wars was recorded with all of its voice actors over 10 days last spring in Winnipeg, Canada with the final mix completed at Skywalker Sound in California. Inini says it was a great recording experience.
"It was my first Hollywood film studio set up, so it was me in the sound booth and then the booth next to me was the director, her production team, and an elder. And this elder was able to offer any pronunciation guidance on the fly in the studio which is great. He was able to correct a couple of my words and that was a really fun experience and, you know, joking with him back and forth in Ojibwe felt really good," he recalls.
Being part of the Star Wars universe is a big accomplishment for Inini as a voice actor, but more importantly he's playing a role in the wider effort to incorporate Indigenous languages in popular films and beyond.
"Pat Ningwewance ... earlier this year, was the keynote speaker at Anishinaabemowin Teg, the world's largest conference on the revitalization of Anishinabe language. And in her speech she offered a vision of within 100 years all of our communities are doing everyday things in our language," notes Inini. "So that's an Ojibwe person being able to go to the store, go to the school, watch films — anything that you can do in English you can also do in Ojibwe... So this is just one small tool to help in this larger revitalization effort."
"[Star Wars] is just one small tool to help in this larger revitalization effort... I hope this film inspires many people to either begin or continue studying the Ojibwe language."
For Inini, to be a part of the Star Wars universe in his own language is "an incredible honor."
"If you haven't seen this film yet, if you're a fan of Star Wars, if you're a fan of a good story, if you're interested in learning more Ojibwe — I strongly encourage you to go watch this film," he says. "I hope this film inspires many people to either begin or continue studying the Ojibwe language."
The film is screening in select theaters around Wisconsin and will make its debut on Disney+ and APTN in October.
Gi-ga-miinigoowiz Mamaandaawiziwin (May the Force be with you).
