Ojibwe was his first language. He didn't speak English at all until he started Kindergarten in the early 1950's. That was a hard time for him, but it wasn't the English that was the major problem. Going to school meant going home to live with his mother again, who drank heavily. And it meant leaving his grandpa, whom he had grown to love with all his heart...
Below are portions of the book - "Dying in Indian Country" by Beth Ward.