Living Our Language_ Ojibwe Tales & Oral Histories - Anton Treuer [22]
Most of Jim’s childhood was spent at Nenaandago-ziibiing, a small village on the Tamarack River near the present day Mille Lacs Reservation community of Lake Lena. He moved several times in his life, serving as a medic in the United States Army during World War II and then taking various jobs in Minneapolis and elsewhere to support his growing family. He currently resides in the Mille Lacs community of Neyaashiing (Onamia, Minnesota).
Jim Clark recorded many of the stories in this book himself. Others were recorded by Louise Erdrich. At her request and with Jim’s permission, I worked on the transcriptions and translations. The material here is very rich. Some of the stories about Jim’s childhood include numerous Ojibwe place names that only a small handful of Anishinaabe people still know. The inclusion of nursery rhymes and jokes also demonstrates the importance of Ojibwe in all types of communication and reinforces Jim’s hope that the language and the culture it contains will survive.
Dibaakonigewinini Miinawaa Anishinaabe
[1] Namanj igo ingoding ingii-tazhi-nitaawiz, mii iwidi akeyaa biinish igo gii-kichi-miigaading, World War II gii-izhinikaadeg. Mii apii ganabaj gaa-maajaayaan. Name-ayi’ii gii-izhaayaan dibishkoo go ingii-paa-nanda-bami’idiz. Mewinzha-sh igo iwidi jibwaa-nisidotamowaad aapiji ingiw anishinaabeg i’iw chimookomaanimowin. Gii-ayaawag iwidi. Gaawiin igo gegoo ogii-kwayakotanziinaawaa gegoo inindwaa.
[2] Miish i’iw apane, mii gaye i’iw apii, ganabaj gemaa gaye 1937, 1938, geget gii-minikweshkiwag aanind ingiw anishinaabeg, gii-kiiwashkwebiiwaad. Aaningodinong-sh gii-tebibinaawag miigaadiwaad gaa-izhi-gibaakwa’indwaa. Mii i’iw miigaazong miinawaa go awiiya babakite’waawaad. Miish a’aw bezhig inini gaa-izhi-maajiinind. Gii-nitaa-miigaazo geget a’aw gaa-izhi-maajiinind Wiigaziibiigiing. Mii iko iwidi gaa-izhiwinindwaa gii-kibaakwa’indwaa. Namanj iwidi gaa-izhiwinind, mii a’aw inini. Gaawiin go aapiji ogii-nisidotanziin. Baamaa go gaye zhaaganaashiimo. Miish iwidi azhigwa gii-izhiwinind imaa wii-tibaakwanind. Niibawid imaa agindaamagad dibaakonigewininiwan. Awegonen wenji-gibaakwa’ind ginwenzh gii-wiindamaagod. Odigoon iniw dibaakonigewininiwan. “You’re charged with assault and battery,” inaa giiwenh.
[3] Ani-ganawaabamaad iniw dibaakonigewininiwind, “Oonh wenh, gaawiin sa niin wiikaa zhiiwitaagan gemaa gaye waasamoo-makakoons igaye ingimoodisiin,” odinaan giiwenh. Mii i’iw gaa-initang. Mii gaa-izhi-noondamaan iwidi gaa-o-bizindaagwak ayi’ii, mii dibaakwa’ind.
Mawinzowin
[1] Anooj igo indinaajim, dadibaajimoyaan aaningodinong. A’aw-sh nookomisiban iniw indedeyiban omaamaayan, mii i’iw nookomis, mii a’aw apane gaa-wiiji-ayaawangid, besho endaad apane gii-ayaayaang. Aanishinange ingii-saagi’aanaan sa go. Gii-indanitaawaadizooke a’aw mindimooyenh.
[2] Miish ingoding iko awiiya gaa-kagwejimid aaniin gaa-izhichiged a’aw anishinaabe gegoo gii-atamaazod ge-miijid ishkwaa-ayaamagak, aaniish gaye iniw anooj editeg—asasaweminan, miinan igaye. Miish iniw gagwejimigooyaan iko aaniin gaa-izhitoowaad. Miish a’aw, dibaajimagwaa, anooj inaajimowin nimaamaanaaban, gemaa gaye gii-mawinzoyaang gaye niinawind dibi sa gaa-ondinamogwen iniw miinan. Ingoding igo aazhaa gaa-izhi-anoozhiyangid zhingaatesidooyaang omaa wagidigamig. Daa-bazakiteniwan endaawaad. Oshtiwagidigamig gii-iningaatesidooyaang iniw. Mii miinawaa gii-kanawaabamangidwaa ingiw gii-koshko’angidwaa bineshiinyag ji-miijisigwaa. Omaa apiish igo gii-paatewan iniw miinan, wawiiziigiminagoon. Mii gii-paateg. Ishkwaa-izhi-mamood, ganabaj mashkimodensing, apagiwayaanimashkimodensing ogii-atoonan. Mii gaye agoodeg apane.
[3] Baamaash ingoding ingiw, gemaa gaye gaa-piboonogwen, omaa apii gaa-izhi-mookinang iniw miinan gaa-paatenigin a’aw mindimooyenh. Nibiing gii-agwanjitood gemaa gaye