Exploration of Chippewa number words and
grammatical syntax
Wilma Mankiller,
Cherokee 1987
“Whoever controls
the education of our
children controls
our future.”
 “On the whole Ojibwe is among the healthiest of
North American languages, with many children being
raised to speak it as a native language. Ojibwe is a
verb-based polysynthetic language with relatively free
word order.”
www.native-languages.org
“Numbering systems, like languages, from
which they can hardly be distinguished, are in
the first place social phenomena, closely
dependent on collective mentalities. The
mentality of any society is completely bound up
with its internal functioning and its institutions.”
Lucien Lévy-Brühl, Anthropologist
From “How Natives Think” 1922
1) Cardinal Numbers – exact quantity of objects
2) Distributive Numbers – distribution
and reparation
3) Multiplying Numbers –
reiteration or repetition
4) Multiplying-Distributive
Numbers – combine above two
5) Ordinal Numbers – order and
succession of objects
 Counting numbers - express a quantity of objects.
English
Chippewa
1
One
bėzhig
2
Two
niizh
3
Three
niswi
4
Four
niiwin
5
Five
naanan
6
Six
ningodwaaswi
7
Seven
niizhwaaswi
8
Eight
nishwaaswi
9
Nine
zhaangaswi
10
Ten
midaaswi
Pronunciation by Elizabeth Shaw
http://www.sagchip.org/education/language/numbers/numbers.htm
English
Chippewa
11
Eleven
midaaswi ashi bezhig
22
Twelve
midaaswi ashi niizh
13
Thirteen
midaaswi ashi niswi
14
Fourteen
midaaswi ashi niiwin
15
Fifteen
midaaswi ashi naanan
16
Sixteen
midaaswi ashi ningodwaaswi
17
Seventeen midaaswi ashi niizhwaaswi
18
Eighteen
midaaswi ashi nishwaaswi
19
Nineteen
midaaswi ashi zhaangaswi
20
Twenty
niizhidana
Pronunciation by Elizabeth Shaw
http://www.sagchip.org/education/language/numbers/numbers.htm
 -gon or –gwan is used when counting days
Ex: Niizhogon ningii-bimose (I walked for 2 nights)
 -sag is used to denote wooden containers
Ex: Nisosag zhooniyaa (Three boxes of money)
 -weg is used when counting clothing materials
Ex: Bezhigweg waaboyaan (One blanket)
 A word that answers "how many times each?" or "how
many at a time?"
 This form of number is almost non-existent in English.
 In Chippewa the prefix be, ne, je, and me are used to
denote a distributive number
Example:
 Neniiwin mazinahiganan odayaanaawaan
(Book)
They have four books each
 An adjective indicating the number of times
something is to be multiplied. In English multipliers
include "double" and "triple".
 Niizh ningwisag nenaanig gii-izhaawag oodenaang
 Two of my sons went to town five times
 Combines the idea of multiplication and distribution
in one expression.
 These mark the order and succession of objects.
English
Cardinal
English
Ordinal
Chippewa
Cardinal
Chippewa
Ordinal
1
One
First
Bėzhig
Netamising (nitam)
2
Two
Second
Niizh
Eko-niizhing
3
Three
Third
Niswi
Eko-nising
4
Four
Fourth
Niiwin
Eko-niiwing
5
Five
Fifth
Naanan
Eko-naananing
6
Six
Sixth
Ningodwaaswi
Eko-ningodwatching
7
Seven
Seventh
Niizhwaaswi
Eko-niizhwatching
8
Eight
Eighth
Nishwaaswi
Eko-nishwatching
9
Nine
Nineth
Zhaangaswi
Eko-zhaangatching
Tenth
Midaaswi
Eko-midatching
10 Ten
Animate
Inanimate
Nimebezhig – I am alone
Bezhigwan – there is one thing
Niniizhimin – we are two
Niizhinoon – there are two things
Ninisimin – we are three
Nisinoon – there are three things
Niniiwimin – we are four
Niiwinoon – there are four things
Ninaanimin – we are five
Naananoon – there are five things