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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

ode' nid h/ heart

ode'imin ni a strawberry

(verb of making) ode'iminike vai s/he picks strawberries, processes strawberries
ode'iminaganzh ni a strawberry plant

ode'imini-bakwezhigan na [BL] strawberry bannock

ode'imini-baashkiminasigan ni strawberry sauce or jam

ode'imini-giizis na June

ode'iminibag ni a strawberry leaf

ode'iminike vai s/he picks strawberries, processes strawberries

ode'iminikewi-giizis na [BL] June

odemikwaani vai s/he has a spoon or spoons, has a ladle or ladles

odemikwaani vai s/he (a turtle) has a shell

odenaniw ni [BL] trap trigger

odenaniw nid h/ tongue

odenaniwikaan ni

odengway nid [ML] h/ face

odengwaan nid [N] h/ face

nindengwaan nid [N] my face gidengwaan nid [N] your face
odenigoman nad h/ nostril

odeshkani vai s/he has horns, has antlers; it (animate; insect or bug) has antennae, has feelers

odewe'igani vai s/he has a drum or drums

odezigaami vai s/he has a woodtick or woodticks

odikinaagani vai s/he has a cradleboard, is in the cradleboard

odikomi vai s/he has lice

odikwemi vai he has a woman, has a wife

odinimaangan nid h/ shoulder

odiniigan nid h/ shoulder blade (scapula)

The Ojibwe People's Dictionary is developed and maintained by:
Nora Livesay, Editor
John D. Nichols, Founder and Linguistic Editor

with support and collaboration from the University of Minnesota's Department of American Indian Studies and University Libraries.

Additional Resources

Many of the words in the Ojibwe People's Dictionary have related resources. Click through to the full dictionary entry to hear audio recordings, see images, read documents and watch videos. Here's a key to resource icons.

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Speakers & Regions Key

Individual speakers and speakers from different regions use different words when speaking. Each audio recording is marked with the initials of the Ojibwe speaker. Click on a speaker's initials to go to the speaker's bio page. If an Ojibwe word is particular to a certain region, it will be marked with a region code. Click on the region code to go to the Regions page.