ANISHINAABEMOWIN (Ojibway)

In the creation story of the Anishinaabe, the word Anishinaabe means the spirit that is lowered from above and refers to Nanaboozhoo, who was lowered to the Earth. Nanaboozhoo was given the responsibility to name everything, thus creating Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabe.

Today, the language is spoken by roughly 28,000 people, mainly in Ontario and Manitoba. It is written using the Roman alphabet or syllabics. There are five dialects. In addition to Northern Anishinaabe there is Western, Central, Southern, and Mississauga East.

Feb. 1, 2023

Pronunciation: ah-NI-shi-NAH-beh-MOH-win

Regions spoken: Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec

Number of speakers (all dialects): 28,130

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A map shows five clustered areas of various sizes from Revelstoke, B.C., in the west to Kingston, Ont, in the east. The areas reach as far north as Kasabonika, Ontario and as far south as Iowa in the United States.
Source: Native Land Digital

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