Anishinaabe

Contents

Ojibwe

Alternative forms

• anishinaabe
• Nishnaabe
• Nishnawbe

Etymology

There are many differing interpretations of Anishinaabe, but it is widely accepted that "-naabe", means "a male, a male of a species", or more generally "a person" . Anishinaabe is a cognate to the Oji-cree autonym "Anishinini" ("inini" meaning man in both Oji-cree and Ojibwe) Some suggested meanings of Anishinaabe:

• an(i)- "away" + niisin "lower somebody" + naabe "a male, a male of a species", meaning "man who was lowered (from the sky)".
• anishinaa "first, original" + naabe "a male, a male of a species", meaning "first people" or "original people".

Noun

Anishinaabe (ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯ) (plural: Anishinaabeg, ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᒃ)

1. an Ojibwe
2. an Indian, a Native, an Aboriginal
   • 2014, George Kenny, Gaawiin Mawisiiwag Anishinaabeg: Indians Don't Cry, p.7:

     Gaawiin iindog mawisiiwag anishinaabeg. Gaawiin debwe iwe, inendam Frank Littledeer e-mamawid. Indians don't cry. That's bullshit, Frank Littledeer cursed as tears streamed down his broad, weather-scarred face

3. a person, a human, a man

Related terms

• anishinaabekwe
• anishinaabemo
• anishinaabemowin
• anishinaabewaki
• anishinaabewi
• anishinaabewibii'igan
• anishinaabewiwin

Translations

member of Anishinaabe people

• French: anichinabé m, anichinabée f, anichinabés m pl, anichinabées f pl
• Ojibwe: anishinaabe, anishinaabeg pl

• Ottawa: nishnaabe, nishnaabeg pl
• Potawatomi: neshnabé, neshnabék pl

References