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How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

makadewazheyaakizo vai [BL] h/ skin is darkened by sunburn; s/he is suburned

makadewaa vii it (canoe) is black, is dark (in color)

Paired with: makadewizi vai

makadewaabate vii it emits black smoke

makadewaabikad vii it is black (as something mineral)

Paired with: makadewaabikizi vai

makadewaabikizi vai
  1. s/he is black (as something mineral)
  2. s/he is in eclipse, there is an eclipse (of the sun or moon)

Paired with: makadewaabikad vii

makadewaabiigad vii it (string-like) is dark, is black

Paired with: makadewaabiigizi vai

makadewaabiigizi vai it (animate; string-like) is black

Paired with: makadewaabiigad vii

makadewaagamin vii it (a liquid) is black, is dark

makadewaagonagaa vii it is dark dirty snow

makadewaako-manoomin ni black wild rice

makadewaakominagad vii it is dark-grained

makadewaakozi vai s/he is black (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: makadewaakwad vii

makadewaakwad vii it is black (as something stick- or wood-like)

Paired with: makadewaakozi vai

makadewaanakwad vii it is a dark cloud

See also: makadeyaanakwad vii

makadewaanakwagoode vii there are dark clouds in the sky

makadewaande vii it is colored black

Paired with: makadewaanzo vai

makadewaanikwe vai s/he has black hair

makadewaanowe vai s/he (an animal) has a black tail

See also: makadeyaanowe vai

makadewaanzan vti dye, color it black

makadewaanzo vai s/he is colored black

Paired with: makadewaande vii

makadewaawangad vii it (granular) is black, is dark

Paired with: makadewaawangizi vai

makadewaawangizi vai it (animate; granular) is black, is dark

Paired with: makadewaawangad vii

makadewegad vii it (sheet-like) is dark, is black

Paired with: makadewegizi vai

makadewegin ni black cloth

makadewegizi vai it (animate; sheet-like) is dark, is black

Paired with: makadewegad vii

makadewibii' vta paint h/ or it (animate) black

Paired with: makadewibii'an vti

makadewibii'an vti paint it black

(detransitive) makadewibii'ige vai s/he paints (things) in black (verb of undergoing) makadewibii'igaazo vai it (animate) is painted black (by someone)
makadewibii'igaazo vai it (animate) is painted black (by someone)

makadewibii'ige vai s/he paints (things) in black

makadewibiiwaye vai s/he has black fur, has dark fur

makadewigwan na a black feather

See also: makade-miigwan na

makadewigwane vai s/he (a bird) has black feathers

makadewi' vta make h/ black

Paired with: makadewitoon vti2

makadewi'o vai s/he wears black

makadewijaane vai s/he (an animal) has a black nose

makadewijiishkiwagad vii it is black mud

makadewikonaye vai s/he dresses in black

makadewikonaye na a priest

See also: mekadewikonaye na

makadewikonayekwe na a nun

makadewikoozhe vai s/he has a black beak

makadewiminagad vii it (something small and round; grain, berry) is black

Paired with: makadewiminagizi vai

makadewiminagizi vai it (animate; something small and round; grain, berry) is black

Paired with: makadewiminagad vii

makadewinaagozi vai it (animate) looks dark or black, appears dark or black

Paired with: makadewinaagwad vii

makadewinaagwad vii it looks dark or black, appears dark or black

Paired with: makadewinaagozi vai

makadewindibe vai s/he has black hair

makadewiningwii vai s/he (a bird) has black wings

makadewitawage vai s/he has a black ear or black ears

makadewitigwaane vai [BL] s/he has black hair; s/he (a bird, an animal) has a black head

makadewitoon vti2 make it black

Paired with: makadewi' vta

makadewizi vai s/he is black, is dark

Paired with: makadewaa vii

makadewizigwaa vii there is dark ice

makadewiingwe vai s/he has a dark face, a black face

makadewiiyaas na a Black person; a person of African descent

makadewiiyaasikwe na a Black woman; a woman of African descent

makadeyaanakwad vii it is a dark cloud

See also: makadewaanakwad vii

makadeyaanowe vai s/he (an animal) has a black tail

See also: makadewaanowe vai

makak ni a semi-rigid or rigid container: a basket (especially one of birch bark), a box

(verb of making) makakoke vai s/he makes a basket (especially one of brich bark), makes a box (verb of possession) omakakomi vai s/he has a basket or baskets, has a box or boxes
makakoke vai s/he makes a basket (especially one of brich bark), makes a box

makakosag ni a large rigid containter: a tub. a barrel, a carton

makakosagodaabaan ni [BL] a boxcar

makakoshkwemag ni [BL] a birch bark basket for storage

makakoons ni a small box-like object: a small box or basket, a battery, a small radio

makam vta take (it) from h/ (forcibly), rob h/ of (it)

(reciprocal) makandiwag vai they take (it) from each other (forcibly), rob each other (of it)
makandiwag vai they take (it) from each other (forcibly), rob each other (of it)

makandwe vai s/he takes things from people (forcibly), robs people

makizin ni
  1. a shoe, a moccasin
  2. a tire

(verb of making) makizinike vai s/he makes moccasins, makes shoes
(benefactive) makizinikaw vta make moccasins for h/
(verb of possession) omakizini vai s/he has moccasins or shoes
makizinataadiwag vai they play the moccasin game with each other

(derived noun) makizinataadiwin ni moccasin game
makizinataadiwin ni moccasin game

makizinataage vai s/he plays the moccasin game

(derived noun) makizinataagewin ni moccasin game
makizinataage-nagamon ni a moccasin game song

makizinataagewin ni moccasin game

makizinens ni a small moccasin or shoe; a child's moccasin or shoe

makizineyaab ni a shoelace

makizineyaabiike vai s/he makes moccasin or shoe laces

makizinikaw vta make moccasins for h/

makizinikaan ni a moccasin in manufacture

makizinike vai s/he makes moccasins, makes shoes

mako-bimide ni bear grease

mako-miikana ni a bear path

mako-wanii'igan ni a bear trap

See also: makwanii'igan ni

mako-wiinin ni bear fat

mako-wiiyaas ni bear meat

mako-zaasiganag na bear cracklings

makobwaam ni a bear hindquarter

makoganzh na a bear claw

makokaazo vai s/he pretends to be a bear

makominagaawanzh na a mountain ash

[
American mountain ash
; 
Sorbus americana
]

makoninj ni a bear paw

makoshtigwaan ni a bear's head

makowi vai
  1. s/he is a bear, becomes a bear
  2. she comes of age, has her first menses

makozid ni a bear's foot, hindpaw

makoons na a bear cub

(verb of being) makoonsiwi vai
  1. s/he is a bear cub
  2. she comes of age, has her first menses
makoonsens na a baby bear cub

makoonsiwi vai
  1. s/he is a bear cub
  2. she comes of age, has her first menses

makoonsiwi-giizis na [BL] February

makwa na a bear

[
black bear
; 
Ursus americana
]

(verb of pretending) makokaazo vai s/he pretends to be a bear (verb of being) makowi vai
  1. s/he is a bear, becomes a bear
  2. she comes of age, has her first menses
makwanii'igan ni a bear trap

See also: mako-wanii'igan ni

makwasaagim na [ML] a bear paw snowshoe

makwasaam na [BL] a bearpaw snowshoe

makwayaan na a bear hide

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.