Aanii kina wiya. Is there a word that refers to the symbol of the medicine wheel? I learned what the four directions are called but I am not sure how I would refer to the symbol as a whole.

Miigwech

Aanii kina wiya

I wanted to share a fun fact that my Ojibwe language teacher told me because it kind of blew my mind.

Manidoo = spirit (this is probably a word that most of us language learners know already)

Manidoons = little spirit (this is how you say "bug" in the language. you just put a diminutive ending on manidoo. bugs are called little spirits.)

Manidoosh = darn spirit (this has the pejorative ending -sh. It also means bug but it is used in contexts where you might not like bugs, like if mosquitos are biting you.)

Aanii. Saperi nindizhikaaz. Gaawiin nindayaanisii doodem. Toronto nindonjibaa. Niizhtana shi niizh biboonagiziyaan.

Chi-miigwech for accepting me into this subreddit. I am not Indigenous but I am interesting in learning Anishinaabemowin. I am currently expanding my vocabulary. I wanted to ask why the U.S. is called gichi-mookomaan-aki? because it seems like an interesting word and I know it literally means big knife land. I looked it up when I wanted to say "ningii-izhaa gichi-mookomaan-akiing" to someone.

First of, I'm sorry if this post/question seems offensive, i have no knowledge about the Ojibwes, culture, orgin, or anything like it. I just don't want to offend people with something i don't understand..

Secondly, the reason I'm asking is because i feel mine lately has stopped working, and instead of Capturing (bad) dreams it's been Sending them.. Now, I know that Dream catchers Aren't some kind of remote, which you easily can just change the batteries and all is well.. What do you have to do to repair it('s spiritual ability)?

Gaawiin Ganage

(Joke I heard from my Ojibwe class)

Boozhoo!

Tony n'dizhnikaas. Gaawiin ningikenimaasii nindodem. Tennessee n'doonjibaa.

This seems like a great community.

I've only started trying to learn our language and customs and Im piecing together a lot of online resources and teachers. I imagine Im going to wind up accidently mixing dialects or traditions and learning multiple grammar rule sets and customs at the same time. Ive seen multiple words used for thr same thing across dialects and heard a little about ceremonies being different as well.

What do you think is the best approach? Is it going to be a problem learning to speak or listen if I don't completely focus on just one dialect? Is that disrespectful to the languages or traditions?

Miigwetch

Aniin, my name is Drake, I’m from Ontario, and recently one of our elders gave me my spirit name but I forgot how to say it in our language, Ik makwa and s/he stands is niibawi, but I have no clue what the words are when put together, our rez only has 2 or 3 people that still speak the language and I don’t have their contact to ask them

Peace, everyone! Can somebody help me to translate text below into Ojibwe?

When the trees will call your name

When you will lost it by starve

When cold will burn your feet

You will join us and die

When the trees will call our names

When we will lost it by starve

When cold will burn our feet

We will rise from the ashe

​

Boozhoo! working on translating a children’s book for a class but I can’t figure out the word: daashkjiikdaanan. The sentence is: “wiigwaasminan nigii-daashkjiikdaanan.” It’s something along the lines of “I want to _____ blank with cherries”. Does anyone have any ideas? Miigwech!!

I was wondering if anybody would know how to translate standing sky spirit into ojibwe

Aanii! I was given the name above last year in ceremony and wanted to know if I have the spelling correct. I understand man is inini but I think my community’s dialect just doesn’t pronounce the “I”. And jiibay seems to be pretty much the same across the board, so it’s more the bimiptone part as I was also told not everyone uses the “bi-“ part. Miigwetch💙

Just finished the pimsleur lesson and really enjoyed. Wish to delve deeper and learn more. Can anybody recommend good text books for grammar and vocabulary ? Also would love to meet somebody who’d be willing to speak for practice if interested 🤗

I'm from White Earth, and I'm looking for some singing for my next electronic album and/or some drum recordings.

Thank you for your time. Aho miigwech

Can anyone tell me what th "Aaniinegi" pronunciation means? I've searched on google. the "Aanniin"seems mean greeting, so is it similar with the sound? Thanks.

I lived on the rez for years but moved away for well over a decade. How can I reconnect so far from home? I want to get back into dance and ceremony. Can I get my native name this far from my community?

Aaniin, I was wondering if anyone has a way they represent laughter in typing Ojibwe. Ni-baapi Ni-baapi?

So in learning the word s/he has a headache translates to dewikwe. Breaking it down I saw that dew means sore/ache and ikwe would mean woman. Meaning headache would roughly translate to "sore woman".

I thought this could make sense when generally describing aches you could say dewikwe "s/he is sore", but this loses consistency as there are other words that describe other forms of body aches.

So I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on the relationship used for headache and the possible breakdown to meaning "sore woman".

Aaniin boozhoo! I’m learning Ojibwemowin and am working on some poetry. But I’d really like examples in the language for inspiration. I can’t get ahold of anything by margaret noodin in time for my project to be done. Does anyone have a poem and translation they might be able to share with me? I am going to try to order the poetry book asap but am looking for something more immediate. Am gonna post in some other subs, too.

Only attempt at translation for it I've found is "ᓂᔑᐃ ᒥᐊᔥᐊᒃᑌᓇᐧᐃ", which, doesn't look correct at all.

Hi! I’m Anishinaabe and I was thinking of getting a phrase for my first tattoo, how would I phrase “my dad is my hero” in Ojibwe?

Hi. I hope it’s okay to ask this here. I’m trying to learn about my ancestors and have come up against a bit of a block. One of my distant grandmothers was born on Manitoulin Island around 1813, but there is no birth record at all that I can find. She married an Englishman around the 1840s and thereafter is listed as Methodist. When she passed away in 1893, she was buried in Sugar Island (again with no record of her death), although seven years later, in 1900, a daughter of hers had her exhumed and moved to cemetery in Sault Ste. Marie. I really don’t know why though. I have a hunch that she may have been Ojibway and part of the Methodist church’s mission work in the area around that time, but I’m struggling with how I could learn or research her more. Does anyone have any suggestions they’d be willing to share that might help? Thank you so much.

Note: I’m sorry if this isn’t the place to post this.. if it isn’t I’ll delete it

Within my legal name I have “Watiza” what does this mean? I asked some family and got some weird answers and looking it up I see nothing? Is it even spelt correctly or a real name? I wish I could know… I feel like my dad must have gave me this name, and like many the language was stripped from him so I don’t know what to think.

so i was trying to figure out how nanabozho's name works. so far im assuming that n- first person pronoun, na- for first person singular animate , also proximal. and demonstrative so its na'an and anglicized its nanabozho meaning "my dear bozho(?)"? thats the assumption ive been operating under but ive not been able to confirm, so if anyone here can help me it would be great, since im not an ojibwe speaker.