Reflections of the Great Lakes, part 18: They Speak From a Great Distance
- zhaawano
- Jan 19, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Gichimanidoo-giizis (Great-Spirit Moon), January 19, 2023
Updated: January 19, 2025
Wanitaw: Ojibwe verb transitive bimaadizi (AN(1)), * meaning "misunderstand what someone says."What happens when a white man (WM) tries to obtain information from a Native man (NM):
WM.· ·Would it be fair to say that -- · or to ask you the question, do humans control these Lake Huron waters or is the force of these waters too strong for humans to control?
NM.· If I understand your question correctly, are you asking if intervention by cultural practice could affect the weather conditions?
WM· ·Actually that wasn't in my mind.
NM.· ·Okay, that's how I understood your question.
WM: I was just asking about the roughness of the waters at different times of the year, whether that made it not possible for humans during those times of the year and the roughness of the waters to control the waters?
NM: · ·Yeah, well, everything up to when you say "control the waters" I can respond to because I'm not sure what that implies.
WM: I'll just leave it at that. Thank you.
NM:· ·Yeah.
Conversation taken from: Court File No. 94-CQ-50872CM ONTARIO, SUPERIOR COURT OF JUSTICE, a lawsuit in order to assess Saugeen Anishinaabeg hunting claims.
https://www.nawash.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/June-3-2019-Vol-17-FNL-TS.pdf (website is no longer available)
*For information on verb classification, refer to: Understanding Ojibwe Verb Classification Techniques for Language Learners
Illustration: Wanitawin ("Misunderstandig") - Zhaawano Giizhik (2023)\
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