What's in a Word?

by Kyle Tadgerson & Veronica Pasfield

“Aboriginal languages are sacred to Aboriginal people. They are a central source of survival for the people, as well as a critical link to knowledge given to us by our Creator who blessed us with our languages and in them gave instructions for our development and survival. Languages are the means of communication for the full range of human experiences and critical to the survival of the culture and political integrity of any people.”
--Dr. Marie Battiste, Mi’kmaq scholar, University of Saskatchewan

One way to learn about a cultural teaching in a word is to try to connect it with related words. One simple example of this is taking a look at words that contain the root word “de” –or, in English, “heart.” Think of the root word “de” as the starting point, one of the ideas embedded in the words. It’s easy to find examples.

DE = heart
DEwegan = drum
ogitchiDE = warrior
aakwaaDEwin = bravery
dooDEm = clan
oDEnaa = village

So what’s up with all this DE? If we take it one step further, we might infer some cultural teachings in each of these words. We can do that by looking at the other parts of the words, or just connecting the words with cultural ideas. We think it’s not coincidental that our ancestors embedded the idea of “heart” into these words.

DEwegan = drum
The drum is known as the heartbeat of the community. WHY? It can’t be a coincidence that the word for “drum” contains the word for “heart.”

OgitchiiDE = warrior
Ogitchii means “big,” as in “major.” So the word for warrior is literally translated as “major heart.” WHY?

aakwaaDEwin = bravery
Aakwaa means” fierce” or “intense.” Our ancestors give us a lot to think about when they connect the idea of bravery with having a fierce heart.

dooDEm = clan
Doo is a sacred word for the spirit inside of us. When we connect it with the idea of heart, what could we think about the teachings of the word for clan? That our clan, or extended family, are the people to whom we are connected spiritually and through love? WHAT?? That they are our love spirits?

oDEnaa = village
We wonder the same sort of thing about the word for village, where our doodem lives. When we are far away, does the language have us say we are returning to our “heart place” where our “spirit-heart” people live? Anishinaabemowin gives us a lot to think about.