Angeline Boulley’s bestselling young adult novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter is fantastic on multiple levels. Through the eyes of Daunis Fontaine, readers learn the language and culture of the Anishinaabe people as she becomes entangled in an adventure larger than any she ever imagined. On this page you will find translations for the beautiful art by Moses Lunham which was commissioned for the novel along with audio to practice the empowering phrases he illustrated. You will also find full translations of the two prayers that represent the two sides of Daunis’ ancestry. For those who want to go the extra mile, we’ve included a list of some of the most important Ojibwe words and phrases Angeline Boulley includes in the book.

Note: Woven throughout the book as Daunis greets each day is an important cultural teaching called the Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers. This teaching is grounded in community survival and has something to offer all of us. Please remember that Anishinaabe culture is not monolithic and different communities and elders offer different interpretations of the teachings and it would likely be best for individuals to develop their own set of beliefs and behaviors. Learn more about this traditional knowledge by exploring two variations on the teaching here with our Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers page (based on interpretation by Dominic Eshkakogan and Wilma Henry) as well as our Seven Grandfather Words page (based on interpretation by Helen Roy Fuhst).

On page 115 Daunis and her family attend a community funeral and, although the Anishinaabe people have a complex history with Catholicism, she says the Lord’s Prayer in Ojibwe.

Lord’s Prayer

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Miinshinaang noongom gizhigak inbakwezhiganinaan minik waayaang endaso gizhigag,
Give us today our daily bread as we are given each day,

boonigidetawishinaang gaawiin ezhi-nishkiigoosii’aan
forgive us our anger

ezhi-bonigedetawangidwaa gaa ezhi-nishkinawiyangidwaa.
as we forgive others who are angry at us.

Gego gaye ezhi-wijishikangen gagwedibeningwewining,
And don’t lead us away together and tempt our devotion,

miidash miidaawenimiyaang dash maji-inakamigag.
but give us mercy from evil.

Ahow
Amen

On page 488 Daunis offers a prayer to close the circle of the narrative as the drumbeats in her own heart guide her dancing.

Daunis’s Prayer

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Boozhoo, Aaniin Gichimanidoo.
Greetings Creator.

Miskwamakwakwe indizhinikaaz. Makwa indoodem. Bahweting indonjiba.
Red Bear Woman I am called. Bear is my clan. The Place of the Rapids is where I come from.

Gizhemanido naadamawishinaam ji-mashkawiziyaang
Creator help us to be strong

miinawaa naadamaw ikwewag wii-ganawendaagoziwaad,
and help the women to be safe,

ininiwag wii-mino-ayaawaad,
the men to be well,

gichi-ayaawag ji-minawaanigoziwaad,
the elders to be happy

gaye oniijaanisag ji-inaabandamowaad Anishinaabemong.
and the children to dream in our Anishinaabe language.

Angeline Boulley uses over 100 Ojibwe words in this book as a demonstration of the way Anishinaabe language is a part of the culture. Like Louise Erdrich in The Birchbark House, she uses them in a way that makes their meaning clear to the reader. Many of the words can be found with audio in the Ojibwe People’s Dictionary. Here are a few of the most important words and phrases readers may want to practice after reading the book.

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Original story by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

Translated by Angela Mesic, Margaret Noodin, Susan Wade and Michael Zimmerman Jr.

Cover designed by Rachel Butzin

Ogimaans is the first translation of The Little Prince in an Indigenous language of the North American continent. Overall, the book has now been translated into 445 languages and dialects! Ogimaans is #134 by Edition Tintenfass. Edition Tintenfass hopes that The Little Prince will be translated into more indigenous languages of North America, and they would be happy to help.

Le Petit Prince is a story beloved by readers across the globe. It is an aadizookaan, an epic teaching tale, that speaks to our souls about the secrets and lessons of being alive. As it moves from one language to another the core meaning remains the same, but each translation offers a perspective on being that contributes to our shared understanding. For instance, when the little prince visits with the fox before leaving, we see through translation, the various ways separation and secrets are viewed. Moving between languages in the same Indo-European family, the differences are subtle. “Adieu,” dit le renard. “Voici mon secret. Il est trés simple: on ne voit bien qu’avec le coeur. L’essential est invisible pour les yeux.” is very similar to “Good-bye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” However, when the sentiment moves into a language of another family, in this case Anishinaabemowin, an interjection becomes a verb phrase and a promise to be together again. Additionally, the metaphors are entirely changed. There is no comparison between seeing with one’s heart or with one’s eyes. There is instead a reminder that by letting go of what is material one can best understand emotions and ideas. The literal translation of “Giga-waabamin,” ogii-idamini waagoshan. “Noongom giwii-wiindamoon gaadooyaan, wenipanag: Mii eta dash giwii-nisidawendaan apii boonigidetaazoyan bwaa-waabanjigaadeg maamawigichi-inendaagwag.” is close to: “I will see you again, said the fox. Now I will tell you what I have been hiding which is simple: You will understand when you let go of everything that the unseen is most important.” This is the magic of the little prince, by listening to him, we learn to listen better to ourselves and all the beings who have secrets to share.

Anishinaabemowin is the language of the Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibwe people centered in the Great Lakes region of North America. It is currently used in more than two hundred Anishinaabe communities in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Like many indigenous languages, its vitality is precarious. Although some of our most beloved elders and teachers left us in recent years, the number of speakers is beginning to hold steady. What we write today will be the bridge our future children have to the past.

This edition conforms to the spelling used in the western part of the diaspora. A few practical facts bear repeating to encourage those not familiar with Anishinaabemowin to dive into a book filled with long lines in a new language. The spelling system used in this volume is called Fiero Double Vowel. Although this is the most common writing system in the southern Great Lakes region, there are syllabic alphabets, folk-phonetic systems, alternate spellings, and other vocabulary choices that make the language of each community distinct.

To sound out the words remember the following comparisons to English: A single a sounds like the u in cup. / Double aa’s sound like the a in father. / One e sounds like the e in the French word café. / One i sounds like the i in words like bit, little, sip. / Two ii’s sound like the ee or ea in knee, peach or each. / A single o may sound like the au in caught, or the u in put. / Double oo’s sound like oo’s in too, soon or moon. / Consonants represent the same sounds as in English, but f, l, r, v, and x are never used. There are also consonant clusters: sk, shp, sht, shk, mb, and nd.

We thank the little prince, the fox, his rose and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for the original story. We thank Edition Tintenfaas, Jean-Marc Probst, and all the translators before us for extending its reach. We thank the maanidog and aanikoobijiganag of Anishinaabemowin who created the language we continue to use. And we thank all the friends and family who encouraged us for the many years it took to complete this project, especially Walter and Nadine Sauer who always believed it could be finished one day.

– Margaret Noodin

Here are some of the most interesting or frequently used words from the translation.

Nouns with a parenthesis attached to it note the plural ending.

For example, gichi-jiingwaan(an) – asteroid. Gichi-jiingwaan (one asteroid), gichi-jiingwaanan (more than one asteroid).

aadawaa’am-ogimaa(g) – planet(s)
Akiing – Earth
anamikaw – to salute someone
aniibiish – petal
awiiya – someone, somebody
babaami-ayaad geyaabi – continue on his journey
bagwadakamik(oon) – desert
biiwaabiko-zagaakwa’igan(an) – bolt(s), as in the metal fastener
bingwi(in) – sand(s)
gaawizigan (an) – thorn(s), something used for someone to be sharp
gagiibaadizi – to be absurd
gibidoonezhigan(an) – muzzle(s)
gichi-inendaadgwad(oon) – matters of consequence that which are important
gichi-jiingwaan(an) – asteroid
goopaadizi – naive
maamiikwaazowinini – conceited man
maji-izhewebag – catastrophe
mayagigin – weed
minwaabam – to admire someone
minwaabanjigaazo – to admire
netaaminikweshkijin – tippler
niijiins – my little man, my dear little man
ogimaakandaago – to be ordered
ogin(iig) – rose(s), used as animate when speaking of THE rose
wawiizhimigo – to praise
wayaazakonenjiged – lamplighter, someone who lights the street lamp
wedaawewinini – businessman
weweni – respectfully
zaagikii(n) – plant, something that grows out of the earth

Over the years many of the quotes have become quite well known. Here are a few favorites!