Search the dictionary Advanced Search

How to use the Ojibwe People's Dictionary

giga nad

your mother

Note:
This is an word used by some older speakers. There is no simple independent word for mother. A personal prefix or a suffix goes with the dependent noun stem /=ga-/ mother to make a full word:
  • ninga, inga my mother (1s-3s)
  • giga your mother (2s-3s)
The third person possessed form is irregular:
  • ogiin h/ mother
  • [MN] ogiin h/ mother/mothers (3s-3')
  • [BL] ogiin h/ mother (3s-3's)
  • [BL] ogii’ h/ mothers (3s-3'p)
Some basic forms of
 giga my mother are:


Synonym: gimaamaa nad

giga 2s - 3s;

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.

Word Family

=ga nad STEM FOR: mother
ninga nad my mother giga nad your mother ogiin nad h/ mother (verb of possession) ogii vai s/he has a mother

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.

  • Audio recordings
  • Images
  • Video
  • Documents

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.