Lesson 16 of 18 · Unit 6: Reading real Ojibwe
Reading a Story
Your first whole story — 17 documented sentences, read one at a time, with the markers you know lighting the way.
By the end of this lesson you'll be introduced to
- Your first whole story in Ojibwe — 17 documented sentences
- The markers you know, carrying a real narrative
- One more sound pattern, used as a reading aid: the consonant change after gii- and wii-
This is a traditional story — the moccasin flower story — as this course's notes carry it. It is shared here for reading practice, sentence by sentence, in the course's own words and its own English. Nothing has been added to it.
The story
Read it yourself
The moccasin flower story
NewTake it one sentence at a time. The highlighted pieces are markers you already know — try each line before showing the course's English.
Aabiding gii-sanagad (past) oodenaang.
The consonant change, as a reading aid
A reading aid
One more thing your eyes just did
NewSome verbs in the story look one letter off from their dictionary shapes — Gii-soogipon where the dictionary has Zoogipon. That is a documented change: after gii- and wii- (or their changed forms), an initial consonant shifts.
- B → P
- D → T
- G → K
- J → CH
- Z → S
The three instances the corpus lets this course verify
Gimiwan → gii-kimiwan
rain · G→K
Zanagad → gii-sanagad
be difficult · Z→S
Zoogipon → gii-soogipon
snow · Z→S
Applies to: reading, after the named markersThe notes state this change happens after the markers gii- and wii- (or their changed forms gaa- and waa-) — and the longer write-up behind the chart says it happens only there, nowhere else. This course uses it as a reading aid: only three instances in the whole corpus can be independently verified, far too few to drill, so nothing here scores it.
Try it
While reading, you meet a verb starting with P where the dictionary shape starts with B. What most likely happened?
Words from these class days
New- View entry →aaniish
and how
- View entry →Niimidaa
let's dance
- View entry →AsemaaNoun
tobacco
- View entry →Chi-waakaa'iganNoun
the big house
- View entry →Miigwech Gii-pi-izhaayan Endaayaan
Welcome to My Home
- View entry →NoongomGrammar Word
now, today, nowadays
Seen before
ReviewCheck your understanding
You don't need a perfect score — finishing is what completes the lesson.
Preparing your questions…
Finish this lesson
Work through the lesson's activities, then mark it complete. Your quiz score doesn't have to be perfect.
- Read the whole story — not yet done
- Read through a consonant change — not yet done
- Finish Check your understanding — not yet done
Source
This lesson draws on three class days (the third near-identical to the second, kept as provenance). The story is presented exactly as the notes carry it, with the course's own English. The consonant-change chart is the notes' own; its scope statement is corroborated by Anton Treuer, SPPS Ojibwe Curriculum, Spring 2009. Every Ojibwe sentence on this page is a documented dictionary entry.
More from this stretch
This lesson covers several class days from the original course. The extra vocabulary and documented examples those days brought are here — try each example before its English shows.
Class day: December 2
New vocabulary this day (4)
Examples from this day
"Maagizhaa da-ayaamagad mashkiki awas oodenaang," gii-ikido maamaanaan.
What does it say?
"Onzaam da-zanagad da-naazikaadeg," gii-ikido maamaanaan.
What does it say?
Aabiding gii-sanagad oodenaang.
What does it say?
Aaniindi eteg?
What does it say?
Aaniindi waa-wiisiniyan?
What does it say?
Aaniindi?
What does it say?
Aaniish waa-izhichigeyan?
What does it say?
Ani-dibikak gii-maajaa ikwezens.
What does it say?
Class day: December 3
Review dayThis class's material is nearly identical to Dec 2's (only the date sentence differs).
Examples from this day
"Maagizhaa da-ayaamagad mashkiki awas oodenaang," gii-ikido maamaanaan.
What does it say?
"Onzaam da-zanagad da-naazikaadeg," gii-ikido maamaanaan.
What does it say?
Aabiding gii-sanagad oodenaang.
What does it say?
Aaniindi eteg?
What does it say?
Aaniindi waa-wiisiniyan?
What does it say?
Aaniindi?
What does it say?
Aaniish waa-izhichigeyan?
What does it say?
Ani-dibikak gii-maajaa ikwezens.
What does it say?
From memory
You've met all of these. Place each one from memory before peeking.
Aaniin apii
What does it say?
aaniish
What does it say?
Asemaa
What does it say?
Awenen
What does it say?