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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

gwekishim vta put h/ so s/he is turned, put it (animate) so it is turned

Paired with: gwekisidoon vti2

gwekishin vai s/he turns lying in place

Paired with: gwekisin vii

gwekishkan vti wear it turned around

gwekishkaw vta wear it (animate) turned around

Paired with: gwekishkan vti

gwekitaa vai s/he turns (h/ body); s/he changes h/ way of doing something or h/ belief

gwekiweba'an vti flip it (using something forcefully); turn it around (using something forcefully)

Paired with: gwekiweba'wi vta [BL]

gwekiweba'igan ni a spatula; a turner

gwekiweba'wi vta [BL] flip it (animate) (using something forcefully); turn it (animate) around (using something forcefully)

Paired with: gwekiweba'an vti

gwekiwebin vta flip h/ over; turn h/ quickly

Paired with: gwekiwebinan vti

gwekiwebinan vti flip it over; turn it quickly

Paired with: gwekiwebin vta

(derived noun) gwekiwebinigan na a pancake (verb of making) gwekiwebiniganike vai s/he makes pancakes
gwekiwebinigan na a pancake

gwekiwebiniganens na a pancake [normal small size]

gwekiwebiniganensike vai [BL] s/he makes pancakes (normal small size)

gwekiwebiniganike vai s/he makes pancakes

gwekiigin vta turn or flip it (animate; sheet-like) over

Paired with: gwekiiginan vti

gwekiiginan vti turn or flip it (sheet-like) over

Paired with: gwekiigin vta

gwekwekikweni vai

gwendaaseg ni-v liniment

gwenibii vai s/he gives up, ignores something, quits thinking about something

gwiinawanokii vai s/he is unable to find work, unable to find a job

gwiinawaabam vta fail to see h/, be unable to see h/

Paired with: gwiinawaabandan vti

gwiinawaabandan vti fail to see it, be unable to see it

Paired with: gwiinawaabam vta

gwiinawendan vti miss, feel the absence of it

Paired with: gwiinawenim vta

gwiinawenim vta miss, feel the absence of h/

Paired with: gwiinawendan vti

gwiinawi- pv lex not able; not knowing

gwiinawi-doodam vai2 s/he doesn't know what to do or think, is dumbfounded

gwiinawi-inendam vai2 s/he doesn't know what to think

gwiingwa'aage na a wolverine

[
Gulo gulo
]

gwiingwiishi na a Canada jay

[
grey jay, Canada jay, whisky jack
; 
Perisoreus canadensis
]

gwiinobii vai s/he is unable to find a drink

gwiinom vta miss h/; be lonesome for h/

gwiinoobii vai s/he is unable to find water (or another liquid)

gwiinoobiiga'an vti

gwiishkoshi vai s/he whistles

gwiishkoshim vta whistle to h/

gwiishkoshwewegamide vii it whistles from boiling

gwiishkoshwewegamizo vai s/he whistles from boiling

gwiiwizens na a boy

(verb of being) gwiiwizensiwi vai s/he is a boy (verb of pretending) gwiiwizensikaazo vai s/he pretends to be a boy
gwiiwizensikaazo vai s/he pretends to be a boy

gwiiwizensiwi vai s/he is a boy

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.