aanii wiigwaaso-mitig / hello birch bark tree – updated

noongom / today     mino giizhgad / it’s a good day   zoogpo gwaajing / it’s snowing outside

aanii kina wiya / hello everyone, miigwech / thank you for all the new likes and subscribers! i’ve also enjoyed following some new wordpress bloggers and reading the diversity of voices. miigwech!

gonna give a shout out to wiigwaaso-mitig / birch bark tree! our ancestral anishnaabeg have used the birch tree for so many things including: homes, travel, containers, and for art. there were some words that i couldn’t find like: birch bark scrolls or birch bark biting. so, if you’re reading this please feel free to add a comment below. or if you have a few words or phrases to contribute. your contribution is appreciated.

i got most of these words from the app i mentioned jiinaago / yesterday, mikan, and from the eastern ojibway-chippewa-ottawa dictionary by richard a. rhodes. chi wendam  / i’m happy for these resources, and for the teams of people who made them. aho, miigwech!

our ancestors used containers and bags used during the harvesting of the good seed / manoomin and for maple sap / ziisbaakdooke, which is also the month where we harvest maple sap. this moon or month is a great celebration. we are nearing the end of winter. the days will get warmer and nights will still be cold creating the best atmosphere for the running of maple sap. a friend and fellow blogger, waaseyaa’sin christine sy, has researched and spent lots of time in the sugar bush. listen here to a poem she wrote and also visit her blog. waaseyaa’sin continues to support and inspire my learning, creating, and stoking the love for anishnaabemowin. gchi miigwech waaseyaa’sin!

wiigwaaso-mitig / kidwenan       birch tree / words

wiigwaas – birch paper
jiiman – canoe (can also mean the sound of a ‘kiss’ – for real)
abwi – paddle
gaandakii’iganaak – pull sticks / used for manoominike (harvesting the good seed aka wild rice)
bawa’iganaakoog – knocker / used for manoominike
wiigwaasinaagan – birch bark container
manoominiwaazh – the good seed aka wild rice container
wiigwaam – wigwam aka house
wiigwaamens – bathroom or outhouse
wiigwaas-mkak – birchbark box

new words added:

nooshkaachinaagan – winnowing tray (used for manoominke)
wiigwaasi-jiimaan – birch canoe
wanagekogamig – birch house

miigwech to cecelia rose lapointe for contributing to the new words associated with wiigwaasi-mitig. you can also visit her blog and read some of her writing. cecelia also does great work in the community, facilitates workshops, and also creates seminars and workshops in poetry, niizh manidoowag/ two-spirit identity, environmental education, water protection and sustainability, and much more. miigwech niij! thanks friend!

keep learning anishnaabemowin kina wiya! keep writing in anishnaabemowin kina wiya! keep sharing the love for anishnaabemowin kina wiya!

stay true fam. we need your voice and your writing!