MAZINA’IGAN PAGE 16
SPRING/SUMMER 2013
• OJIBWEMOWIN •
Niibing—When it is Summer
Niibing, Ode´imini-Giizis idash Aabita-Niibino-Giizis gemaa Miini-Giizis idash Manoominike-Giizis
ongow giizisoon izhinikaazowag. Niibing, ingiw bineshiiyag ninganawaabamaag.
Gaye nimbizindawaag. Opichiwag, opichiinsag, nikag, nikensag, maangwag, maangoonsag, migiziwag,
migiziinsag, aandegwag, idash aandegoonsag. Bimisewag. Giiyosewag. Wiisiniwag. Nagamowag.
Gaagiigidowag. Babaamaadagaawag. Ganawenindiwag. Miigwech!
(When it is spring, Heart-Berry/Strawberry-Moon (June) and Halfway-Summer-Moon (July) or
Blueberry-Moon (July) and Wild Rice-Moon these moon/months they are called. When it is summer,
those birds I watch them. Also I listen to them. Robins, baby robins, geese, baby geese, loons, baby
loons, eagles, baby eagles, crows, and baby crows. They fly. They hunt. They eat. They sing.
They talk. They swim. They care of each other. Thanks!)
Bezhig—1
Niizh—2
OJIBWEMOWIN
(Ojibwe Language)
A. Niwaabamaag ingiw bineshiiyag. Giwaabamaag ina?
Double vowel system of writing
Ojibwemowin.
—Long vowels: AA, E, II, OO
Waabooz—as in father
Miigwech—as in jay
Aaniin—as in seen
Mooz—as in moon
B. Ninoondawaag ingiw banajaayag. Ginoondawaag ina?
C. Nimbiibaagimaa a’aw memengwaa, “Ambe
memengwaa!”
O B B M
D. Niminwenimaag odoodashkwanishiyag. Giminwenimaag ina omaa?
A
I R A EO
—Short Vowels: A, I, O
Dash—as in about
Ingiw—as in tin
Niizho—as in only
VAIs
Verbs-AnimateIntransitive
Agim!—Count him/her!
Wiidookaw!—Help him/her!
Wiidanokiim!—Work with h/h!
Ganawenim!—Take care of h/h!
—Respectfully enlist
Agimag,—When/if I count him/h,
an elder for help
Agiminaan,—When/if
I count you,
in pronunciation
Agiminagog,—When/if
I count you all,
and dialect
Agimagwa,—When/if
I
count
them.
differences.
VTA root verbs are command form and speak of living
things. Switch VTA verbs in the grammar patterns.
Alone they are not a complete sentence.
—A glottal stop is a
voiceless nasal sound
as in A’aw.
Niswi—3
IKIDOWIN
ODAMINOWIN
1
Down:
1. here
2. walleyes
3. please
4. skunks
7. don’t
Across:
5. lake trout (plural)
6. Domestic animals
8.bear
9. those (animate)
Translations:
2
3
4
5
(word play)
Circle the 10 underlined Ojibwe words in the
letter maze. (Translations below)
6
7
8
9
E. Gaawiin niwaabamaasiig
NN D A NM T
ingiw maangwag. Imaa
niwaabamaa
diiniisi..
I E B N G A Y E
F. Jiimaaning, zaga’AS ZGEA J NK
iganing ninzegi’aag ingiw
zhiishiibag.
IH
OWNAIAOZ
G. NimiigwechiN
I YAK I DMAZ I
wenimaag ingiw awesiiyag idash
G
I E G W Z O B Z Y D I
gaye
manidoonsag.
I
W I AMEM E NG AA
WA AWNGO I HEHG
M
GJ I IMAANING
Niiwin—4
VTA B-form
-iyaan.
Wiidookawiyaan. —When/if you help me.
Wiidookawad.—When you help him/her.
-ad.
Wiidookawiyaang.—W/if you help us.
Wiidookawadwa.—Wh/if you help them.
Ganawenimiyaan, niminwendam.
-ag,
If you help me, I am happy.
Ganawenimad, minwendam.
If you help her, she is happy.
-inaan,
Minwendam, wiidanokiimiyaang.
She is glad, if you work with us.
-agwa
Mindwendam, wiidanokiimadwa.
He’s happy, when you work with them.
1. Agim! Agim_____ ingiw bineshi iyag mii gwayak.
Goojitoon!
Try it!
Translation
below.
2. Niminwendam, ganawenim_____,
oshki-abinoojiyens.
3. Wiidookaw_____, gaye niwii-wiidookawaa.
Mino-giizhigad noongom. Giizhaate.
4. Ambe omaa! Daga, wiidookaw_____. ninjiibaakwe.
5. Mindimoye gii-ikido, “Ganawenim_____, giwii-ganawenim.
Giwii-biinitoon endaayaan. Eya’!”
Niizh—2 A. I see them those birds. You see them? B. I hear them those baby birds. You hear them? C. I call out to that butterfly, “Come butterfly!”
D. I like them dragonflies. You like them? here? E. I do not see those loons. There I see a bluejay. F. In the canoe, on the lake I scare them those
ducks. G. I give thanks for them those wild animals and also insects.
Niswi—3 Down: 1. Omaa 2. Ogaawag 3. Daga 4. Zhigaagwag 7. Gego. Across: 5. Namegosag 6. Awakaanag 8. Makwag 9. Ingiw
Niiwin-4 1. Count him! When I count them, (-agwa) those birds, it is correct. 2. I am happy, when I take care of him (-ag), the new-baby.
3. When you help her (-ad), also I will help her. It is a good day today. It is a warm day. 4. Come here! Please, if you help me (-iyaan), I am cooking.
5. The elder woman said, “When/if I take care of you (-inaan), you will take care of me. You will clean my home. Yes!”
There are various Ojibwe dialects; check for correct usage in your area. Note that the English translation will lose its natural flow as in any world
language translation. This may be reproduced for classroom use only. All other uses by author’s written permission. Some spellings and transaltions
from The Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe by John D. Nichols and Earl Nyholm. All inquiries can be made to MAZINA’IGAN, P.O. Box 9,
Odanah, WI 54861 [email protected].