Glossary

Sounds and Orthography[1]

The system of spelling used in this glossary follows the style devised by Charles Fiero.  In the description of Anishinaabe sounds, some English and French words are given to approximate Anishinaabe pronunciation.  Double vowels represent long spoken sounds and apostrophes represent short pauses in the pronunciation of the word.

Anishinaabe alphabetical order:  a, aa, b, c, d, e, g, h, ‘, i, ii, j, k, m, n, o, oo, p, s, t, w, y, z

Short Vowels:  a — about; i — pin; o - obey

Long Vowels:  aa — father; e — café; ii — seen; oo — boat

Consonants and their sound:  b — big; ch — stitch; d — between do and stop; g — between geese and ski; h — hi; j — jump; k — pick; m — man; n — name; p — rip; s — miss; sh — bush; t — pit; w — way; y — yellow; z — zebra; zh - measure

Nasal Vowels:  aanh — as in the French maman; enh — as in the French père; iinh — as in the French matin; oonh — as in the French bonbon

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Anishinaabe Kendaaswin:  Traditional Anishinaabe knowledge.  Knowledge that is passed down from generation to generation in a ceremonial environment.

Anishinaabe:  pl Anishinaabeg. The good being (male) created from nothing and lowered down to Earth.  Name of all people who are descendants of the people who speak various dialects of Anishinaabemowin.

Anishinaabemowin:  The Anishinaabe language.

Asemaa:  Tobacco.

Asin:  pl asiniig, Rock, stone.

Aadizookaan:  Traditional cultural story.

Aazhikenimonenaadizid Bemaadizid:  The study of the behaviour of life.

Biimadizid:  A human being.

Bzindamowin:  Acquired knowledge.  Learning from listening.  Knowledge that is shared through cultural stories.

Chinshinabe:  pl Chinshinabeg. Those beings that comprehend the Ancient Great Mystery of the ‘good’ way of life, of the essence of existence.  The Ancient Ones.

Debwewin:  Truth.

Dewe’gan:  pl dewe’ganag, Drum.

Enadizewin:  Natural law.  The natural way of behaviour. The way of life that is on land.  Includes all aspects of living based on Creator’s Original Instructions.

Eshkakimikwe:  Mother Earth.

Eyaa’oyaanh:  Identity.  The way everything is in me or every way I am of my being.  Who I am.

Gchi Makade Makwa:  A Large black bear.

Gichitwaakwe:  A female ceremonial helper.

Gidisi’ewin:  Intuition.  The navel way.  Mother connection in you.

Gnawaaminjigewin:  Knowledge from observation.  To look, to see, to witness.  Following the knowledge from somebody.  Seeing what is being done.

Gzhe-mnidoo:  The Creator.

Kendaaswin:  Knowledge.  Learning as in the way of counting.

Kenjigadewin:  Reality.  Reality of a fact.  A known truth.

Kiimiingona manda Kendaaswin:  The Original Instructions given to the Anishinaabeg by Gzhe-mnidoo.

Makadeke:  The act of Fasting.

Makadekewigaan:  A Fasting Lodge.

Makadekewin:  Fasting or vision quest.  The way of the vision quest.

Manidoo waabiwin:  Revealed knowledge.  Seeing in a spirit way.

Manidoo:  pl manidoog. A spirit.

Manidooke:  Conduct a Ceremony.

Manidookewin:  A Ceremony.

Minidoo-minjimendamowin:  Spirit memory/blood memory.  Stitched into your spirit.  The knowledge that enters this world when one’s spirit fuses with the physical body.  Spirit identity.

Minjimendamowin:  Memory.  Hold in and stitch together.

Mino-Bimaadiziwin:  The Way of a Good Life.  In order to have a good life one must have a goal.  This goal is to be free from illness, to live to the fullest.  Bimaadiziwin is based on a concept of health and good living.  One must work on prevention and not only healing.  It is a Holy Life.  One must eat well, act well, and live physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually well.  Emotional well-being is a key to Bimaadiziwin.

Mishkiki:  Medicine that comes from the roots of Earth.

Mishkikiwin:  The way of medicine.  The way of medicine includes prayer, song, dancing, Ceremony, plants, Fasting, dreams and the Sweat Lodge.

Mishoomis:  pl mishoomisag.  Grandfather.

N’debewetawin:  Belief.  The truth that is evident in the way of the action.  One cannot know the truth unless one has seen or experienced it in a direct way (physically or spiritually).

N’debewewin:  Faith.  The heart that everything relates too.  Truthfulness.

N’dendowin:  Responsibility.  My responsibility of a choice I made.

Naanaagede’enmowin:  A spiritual vision.  Like a meditation, reason through meditation.  Sorting your thoughts out.

Naapewewin/naademowin:  Vivid dream — lucid.

Nebwakawin:  Wisdom.  From the root ‘nebwa’ — in the kindness of putting yourself backwards but at the same time of bringing forward the wisdom one carries.  Thinking back, bringing forward and stitching all together; i.e., life knowledge (Elders).

Nendaamowin:  Forget.  Unstitched.

Nenemowin:  Thought.  The will or power of a thought.

Nisaway’ayiing:  At the centre.

Noodin:  Be windy. Also the term used to describe the mind.

Nookomis:  pl nookomisag.  Grandmother.

Nwenamdan:  Choice.  Browsing in one’s thoughts.  I am seeking to make a decision of what pleases me. 

Nwenamdanwin:  Making a choice.

O’de:  Heart.

Odewegewin:  The way of the drum.

Oshkaabewis:  The New One. A male ceremonial helper.

Waanizhijigeyaanh:  Free-will. The way I am going to do things [the action].

Wanenenema:  Will.  Has to do with the ability to think independently.

Wiigiwaamaatig:  Lodge pole.

Zaagedewin:  Love/caring.  All of something emanating out of you [from the root ‘to bloom’].  Not the same sense as the English ‘make love’ (sexual) but rather of caring.  It is something based on mutual respect.  You can feel it but you cannot touch it.  It is all of you filling the heart of another (m’nadenemowin:  feeding that heart with the thought of something).  Out of Zaagedewin a human being is able to heal him/her self.

Zhiishiigwan:  pl zhiishiigwanag, Shaker, rattle.