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Anishinaabe - Part I
Posted Mon, April 6, 2009 - 7:45 PM
nativeamerica, language, minnesota
I mentioned earlier how Anishinaabemowin is the presettlement language of my native state of Minnesota (more so in the north and east). I'm interested in more than just the language, though - the history and culture is also fascinating, and recorded in pretty good detail due to the span of time between the first European settlement and the start of cultural extermination - at least a full generation. This is the first post in a series looking more closely at the Anishinaabe, but in bite-sized pieces. Whole books can (and have!) been written on the subject, and I strongly encourage you to follow links and seek out some of the references if you want to learn more.
Here's a first taste.
Part I. Anishinaabemowin isn't likely to disappear
WARNING: The following lines are filled with either syrup (for you Vermonters), or cheese (if you hail from Wisconsin).
That noble race and brave,
That their light canoes have vanish'd
From off the crested wave
That mid the forest where they roam'd
There rings no hunter's shout;
But their name is on your waters
And ye may not wash it out.
Although trite and overly sentimental in a typical 19th century fashion, these oft-misquoted words of Lydia Sigourney still contain a kernel of truth. Almost all the residents of Minnesota know some Ojibwe words, whether they're aware of it or not.
It's estimated there are only about five to ten thousand fluent speakers of Southwestern Ojibwe at the present time, although numbers are happily increasing due to a positive linguistic attitude and a number of revival programs. At my old high school (Minneapolis South), Ojibwe is even offered as a option to fulfill language requirements, along with the more typical Spanish, French, etc. But beyond that, the language still persists in the land, in the vast number of toponyms:
| Towns | Winona, Bemidji, Waukanebo, Biwabik, Mahnomen. Wadena, Menagha, Ponemah, Mahtowa, Nopeming. |
|---|---|
| Lakes | Winnebigoshish, Gabimichigami, Saganaga. Mukooda, Namakan. Gitchigumee (Lake Superior). |
| Rivers | Mucaday, Kawishiwi, Namekagon and even the Mississippi (Misi-ziibi) |
| States | Wiishkoonsing (Wisconsin). |
I'm not the only person I know who's interested in Native American toponyms: my teammate Brian's father, Paul Durand, spent much of his life researching and collecting primary-source data about Minnesota and Wisconsin toponyms, not only those derived from Ojibwe, but also from the Dakota that shared the area at the time of European settlement in the mid-19th century. Paul already published one book, and Brian is hoping to eventually publish the research and notes his father collected in the last few years of his life.