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Authors Note on The Ojibwe Language
AUTHOR’S NOTE ON THE OJIBWE LANGUAGE
Obijwemowin was originally a spoken, not written, language, and for that reason spellings are often idiosyncratic. There are also many, many dialects in use. To make the Obijwemowin in the text easier to read, I have often used phonetic spellings. I apologize to the reader for any mistakes and refer those who would like to encounter the language in depth to A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe, edited by John D. Nichols and Earl Nyholm; to the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, edited by Anton Treurer; and to the curriculum developed by Dennis Jones at the University of Minnesota.
GLOSSARY AND PRONUNCIATION GUIDE OF OJIBWE TERMS
aadizookaan (ahd-zoh-kahn): a traditional story that often helps explain how to live as an Ojibwe
aadizookaanag (ahd-zoh-kahn-ahg): the plural form of aadizookaan
abwi (ab-wih): paddleahneen (ah-NEEN): a greeting, sometimes in the form of a question
akik (ah-keik): kettle
aneendi g’deydey (ah-NEEN-dih gih-day-day): where is your father?
Anishinabe (AH-nish-in-AH-bay): the original name for the Ojibwe or Chippewa people, a Native American group who originated in and live mainly in the northern North American woodlands. There are currently Ojibwe reservations in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ontario, Manitoba, Montana, and Saskatchewan.
Anishinabeg (AH-nish-in-AH-bayg): the plural form of Anishinabe
asin (ah-sin): stone
asiniig (ah-sin-ig): the plural form of asin
awakaanag (ah-wah-kahn-ahg): domestic animals
ayah (ah-YAH): yes
bawa’iganakoog (bah-wah’ih-gahn-a-koog): rice knockers
biboon (bih-BOON): winter
binesi (bin-AY-sih): thunderbird
binesiwag (bin-AY-sih-wug): the plural form of binesi
booni’aa (BOO-nee-ah): leave it alone
Bwaanag (BWAHN-ug): the Dakota and Lakota people, another Native tribe, whose reservations spread across the Great Plains
chimookoman (chi-MOOK-oh-man): word meaning “big knife,” used to describe white people or non-Indians
chimookomanag (chi-MOOK-oh-man-ug): the plural form of chimookoman
daga (dah-gah): please
dagwaging (dah-GWAG-ing): fall
Deydey (DAY-day): Daddy
eya’ (ey-ah): yes
ezhichigeyan (ey-zhi-chi-GAY-an): to be doing something
ganabaj (gah-nah-BUTCH): maybe
gaween (gah-WEEN): no
geegoonyag (ghee-goon-yag): fish
geewen (gee-WEH): go home
geget (GEH-geht): surely, or for emphasis, truly or really
geget sa (GEH-geht sah): surely, with more emphasis
gego (GAY-go): exclamation meaning “stop that”
gichi-oodenan (gih-chi-oo-day-nahn): cities
gigawaabamin (gih-gah-WAH-bah-min): I will see you
ginebig (gih-NAY-big): snake
ginebigoog (gih-NAY-big-ook): the plural form of ginebig
gisina (gih-sin-ah): to be cold
gizhawenimin (gih-zha-WAY-nih-min): I love you
Gizhe Manidoo (Gih-zhay Man-ih-do): the great, kind spirit
gookoosh (goo-KOOSH): pig
gookooshag (goo-KOOSH-ug): the plural form of gookoosh
howah (HOW-ah): a sound of approval
ishkodewaaboo (ish-KODAY-wah-boo): alcohol
ishtay (ISH-tay): exclamation meaning how good, nice, pleasant
izhadah (iz-yah-dah): let’s go
jeemaan (jee-mahn): canoe
jeemaanan (jee-MAHN-an): the plural form of jeemaan
majigoode (mah-ji-GOO-day): dress
makakoon (mah-kah-koon): the plural form of makuk
makazin (MAH-kah-zin): footwear usually made of tanned moose hide or deerskin, often trimmed with beads and/or fur
makazinan (MAH-kah-zin-ahn): plural form of makazin
makuk (mah-KUK): a container of birchbark folded and often stitched together with basswood fiber. Ojibwe people use these containers today, especially for traditional feasts
Manidoo (Mah-nih-do): god, spirit
manoomin (mah-NOH-min): wild rice; the word means “the good seed”
mashkiki (mahsh-kih-kih): medicine
meegwech (mee-gwetch): thank you
memegwesi (may-may-gway-see): little person
memegwesiwag (may-may-gway-see-wug): the plural form of memegwesi
Midewiwin (mih-DAY-wih-win): religious gatherings
migiziins (mih-gih-zeens): eagle
migiziwag (mih-GEE-zih-wag): the plural form of migiziins
mi’iw minik (mih-IW min-ick): exclamation at the end of a story
moningwanay (moh-ning-wah-nay): flicker
Moningwanaykaning (moh-ning-wah-NAY-kan-ing): Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker, also known as Madeline Island, largest of the Apostle Islands in Southern Lake Superior, spiritual home of the Anishinabeg
namadabin (nah-MAH-di-bin): sit down
Nanabozho (nan-ah-boh-ZHO): the great teacher of the Ojibwe, who used his comical human side to teach lessons, often through hilarious mistakes
n’dawnis (in-DAH-nis): my daughter
neebin (nee-bin): summer
neshkey (nesh-kay): look
n’gaa (in-gah): old way of saying mother
nimisay (NIH-MIH-say): younger sister
Nokomis (no-KOH-mis): grandmother
nookoo (noo-koo): shortened version of Nokomis
Odaawa (oh-dah-wah): a tribe related to the Ojibwe
ogimaa (oh-geh-ma): head person, chief, king or queen
ogitchida (oh-GIT-chih-dah): male leader
ogitchidaag (oh-GIT-chih-dahg): the plural form of ogitchida
ogitchidakwe (oh-GIT-chih-dah-kway): female leader
okij (oh-KIHJ): pipe stem
ombay (OM-bay): come here; let’s go
omooday (oh-moo-die): bottle
owah (oh-WAH): exclamation of alarm or surprise, like “oh!”
ozhibee’igay (oh-zhi-BEE-ih-gay): writing
peendigen (peen-dig-eyn): come in
pukwe (puck-way): reed used in making mats
sabeys (sah-bays): net
tikinagun (tick-ih-NAH-gun): a cradle board made of lightweight wood, with a footrest on one end and a bow-shaped frame at the other. A baby is wrapped snugly into the tikinagun with cloth, blankets, and skins. The tikinagun can be carried on the mother’s back, leaned against a tree or a wall, or safely hung from a tree branch. Small toys, such as shells, dream catchers, or pieces of birchbark with bitten designs are often hung from the bow-shaped frame near the baby’s head to amuse him or her.
waabooz (WAH-booz): rabbit
waaboozoog (WAH-booz-oog): the plural form of waabooz
weeji’ishin (wee-jih-ih-shin): help me do something
weesinidah (wee-sin-ih-dah): let’s eat!
wegonen (way-go-nayn): what?
wesineeg (wee-sin-ig): all of you eat
weweni gagigidoon (way-way-nih gah-gih-gi-doon): speak carefully
weyass (wee-yass): meat
wigwam (WIHG-wahm): a birchbark house
wiindigoo (WIN-di-goo): a giant monster of Ojibwe teachings, often made of ice and associated with the starvation and danger of deep winter
zeegwun (ZEEG-wun): spring
zhaganashimowin (zha-gah-NAHSH-ih-moh-win): white man’s language
zhooniyaa (shoo-nih-yah): money
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LOUISE ERDRICH lives with her daughters in Minnesota. They have a very old dog, a very strange cat, and a garden devoted to rhubarb. Ms. Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe. She grew up in North Dakota and is of German-American and Chippewa descent. She is the author of many critically acclaimed and New York Times
best-selling novels for adults, including love medicine, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award, and, more recently, FOUR SOULS and THE MASTER BUTCHERS SINGING CLUB. She has also written the picture books GRANDMOTHER’S PIGEON and THE RANGE ETERNAL. THE GAME OF SILENCE continues the story begun in THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE, which was nominated for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and which was inspired when Ms. Erdrich and her mother, Rita Gourneau Erdrich, were researching their own family history.
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ALSO BY LOUISE ERDRICH
FOR CHILDREN
The Birchbark House
Grandmother’s Pigeon
ILLUSTRATED BY JIM LAMARCHE
The Range Eternal
ILLUSTRATED BY STEVE JOHNSON AND LOU FANCHER
NOVELS
Love Medicine
The Beet Queen
Tracks
The Bingo Palace
Tales of Burning Love
The Antelope Wife
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse
The Master Butchers Singing Club
Four Souls
WITH MICHAEL DORRIS
The Crown of Columbus
POETRY
Jacklight
Baptism of Desire
Original Fire
NONFICTION
The Blue Jay’s Dance
Books and Islands in Ojibwe Country
CREDITS
Jacket art © 2005 by Louise Erdrich
Jacket design by Amy Ryan
Jacket © 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
Copyright
THE GAME OF SILENCE. Copyright © 2005 by Louise Erdrich. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition June 2005 ISBN 9780061756719
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Erdrich, Louise.
The game of silence / Louise Erdrich.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: Nine-year-old Omakayas, of the Ojibwa tribe, moves West with her family in 1849.
ISBN 0-06-029789-1 — ISBN 0-06-029790-5 (lib. bdg.)
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