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The American Indian Quarterly 30.1 (2006) 87-90


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Ge-onji-aabadak Anishinaabe-inwewinan

Anton Treuer

Noomaya anooj gii-ozhibii'igaade wenji-apiitendaagwak anishinaabe-inwewinan.1 Nimbabaamendaan idash wenji-naanaagadawendamang zhaaganaashiimong eta. Giishpin anishinaabeg waa-anokiiwaad ji-bimaadiziiwinagak anishinaabemowin, gidaa-izhichigemin anishinaabemong. Gaawiin onzaam zanagasinoon.

Akawe niwii-kanoodaan wenji-apiitendak gidinwewininaan. Mii akeyaa nisidotawiminaagozid anishinaabe.2 Giishpin wanitooyang gemaa gaye aabajitoosiwang, manidoog gaawiin oga-nisidotawasiiwaawaan anishinaaben. Mii i'iw wenji-apiitendaagwak anishinaabeg akina ji-ayaamowaad anishinaabe-izhinikaazowinan, miinawaa anishinaabe-doodemag. Mii akeyaa ezhi-gikenindizoyang anishinaabewiyang.3

Giishpin doodanziwang gegoo, booch da-wanisin. Mii o'ow gaa-izhi-ozhibii'igaadeg imaa Sweetgrass First Nations Language Council's Declaration on Aboriginal Languages:

Our Native language embodies a value system about how we ought to live and relate to each other . . . It gives a name to relations among kin, to roles and responsibilities among family members, ties with the broader clan group . . . Now if you destroy our language, you not only break down these relationships, but you also destroy other aspects of our Indian way of life and culture, especially those that describe man's connection with nature, the great spirit, and the order of other things. Without our language, we will cease to exist as a separate people.4

Mii go naasaab ezhi-gikendamang gaa-asijigaadeg imaa Sweetgrass First Nations Language Council.5 [End Page 87]

Geget igo gaye gidaa-minjimendaamin akeyaa dazhiikamang anishinaabe-izhitwaawin. Mii eta go bagidinigooyang ji-doodamang o'ow anishinaabemong. Giishpin aabadasinok anishinaabe-inwewin gaawiin awiiya daa-izhichigesii. Daa-gii'igoshimo, odaa-aabaji'aab asemaan. Gaawiin idash odaa-ganoonaasiin manidoon keyaa ina'oonewiziyang ji-doodamang.

Anishinaabe-inendamowin dibendaagwad imaa anshinaabemong.6 Mii dibishkoo go yo'ow wezhibii'igaadeg. Ikidowinan "minidimooye" miinawaa "akiwenzii" izhi-aabadak ji-minjimendamang wenji-apiitendaagoziwaad ingiw gichi-aya'aag. Mii akeyaa inendaagoziwaad, gizhi-aya'aawiwaad.

Miinawaa niigaan giishpin anishinaabeg waa-ayaamowaad odakiimiwaan odaa-gezikwendaanaawaa wenji-apiitendaagwak ji-ayaamang miinawaa ji-aabajitooyang gidinwewininaan. Wemitigoozhiig odayaanaawaa odinwewiniwaa miinawaa odakiimiwaa. Mii I'iw akeyaa ezhi-gashkitoowaad ji-ogimaawiwaad iwidi endaawaad. Anishinaabeg igaye wiinawaa odaa-ayaanaawaan odakiimiwaan miinawaa odinwewiniwaan giishpin waa-anishinaabewiwaad miinawaa waa-bimaadiziwaad dibishkoo go anishinaabeg ogimaataazowaad.

Memindage dash anishinaabeg odaa-gikendaanaawaa wenji-apiitendaagwak ji-aabajitoowaad anishinaabe-inwewinan ezhi-ozhibii'igewaad miinawaa ezhi-nanda-gikenindizowaad.7 Giishpin ganoonidiyang anishinaabemong, ozhibii'igeyang anishinaabemong miinawaa agindaasoyang anishinaabemong, mii o'ow akeyaa waa-anishinaabewiyang.8

Giishpin dazhiikamang gaa-izhiwebak mewinzha, gidaa-ozhibii'igwemin anishinaabemong.9 Mii o'ow akeyaa ayaamang anishinaabe-gikendaasowin. Mewinzha ko anishinaabeg gii-kaganoonidiwag anishinaabemong ji-minjimendamowaad gaa-izhiwebak mewinzha. Mii akeyaa gikendamang gaa-inakamigak. Gii-nitaawichige William Warren ezhinikaazod apii gaa-aabajitood anishinaabe-inwewin gaa-izhi-ganoonaad iniw anishinaaben ji-nanda-gikendang gaa-izhiwebizinid anishinaaben ishkweyaang.10 Mii akeyaa ezhi-gikendamang geyaabi noongom. Giishpin gii-anishinaabewidooban gaa-izhichigebang apii, nawaj daa-mashkawiziimagad noongom.

Naasaab, niibowa anishinaaben odaabajitoonaawaa zhaaganaashiimowin ji-dibaajimowaad.11 Niibowa chimookomaanag odagindaanaawaan iniw mazina'iganan ji-nanda-gikenimaawaad anishinaaben. Gaawiin dash wiikaa odaa-nisidotawaasiiwaawaan anishinaaben ezhi-nanda-gikenimaawaad [End Page 88] zhaaganaashiimong eta. Anishinaabeg odaa-aabajitoonaawaa odininwewininaa dibaajimowaad miinawaa ozhibii'igewaad. Mii o'ow akeyaa waa-izhi-gikenimind anishinaabe. Gaawiin idash debisemagasinoon ji-aabadak aanind ikidowinan. Mii eta go inakamigak ji-anishinaabetaagozid wezhibii'iged. Daa-izhichige wezhibii'iged ji-anishinaabewid.

Gaawiin akina chimookomaanag onisidotanziinaawaa wenji-apiitendaagwak anishinaabe-inwewin.12 Gaawiin igaye ogikendanziinaawaa geyaabi aabadak anishinaabe-inwewinan.13 Anishinaabeg odaa-aabajitoonaawaan odinwewiniwaan ji-bimaadiziiwinagak miinawaa ji-gikendaagwak geyaabi ayaayang omaa akiing.14 Mii omaa akeyaa waa-izhi-gashkitooyang geget ji-anishinaabewiyang.15

Anton Treuer is an associate professor of American Indian studies at Bemidji State University. He specializes in Great Lakes Indian history, Ojibwe history, and the Ojibwe language. He is the editor of the only bilingual Ojibwe language journal—the Oshkabewis Native Journal. He is the author of Living Our Language: Ojibwe Tales and Oral Histories and Omaa Akiing.

Endnotes

1. Gina Cantoni, Stabilizing Indigenous Languages (Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University Center for Excellence in Education, 1997).

2. Doris White Crow, "Nisidotawiminaagozi Anishinaabe," edited and transcribed by Anton Treuer, Oshkaabewis Native Journal 6, nos. 1–2 (2003): 38–43.

3. Catherine Snow, "Rationales for Native Language Instruction: Evidence from Research," in Bilingual Education: Issues and Strategies, ed...

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