The story of an old lady who swallows increasingly ridiculous things is a playful variation on an old folk rhyme about a problem made worse by increasingly complicated solutions. To help kids see that any fun to be had in English can be had in Ojibwe, we offer this translation of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro and Jared Lee. Of course, you’ll find a few differences if you follow along . . . because “mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak” (that’s the way it happened)!

Translated by Margaret Noodin and Michael Zimmerman Jr.

Listen to the Story: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat

1)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan apakwaanaajiinhyan.

Once an old lady she swallowed a bat.

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak.

So that’s what happened.

2)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon

Once an old lady she swallowed an owl

3)

mii dash gichi-waawoonod!

and then she really howled!

4)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon ji-bizaanabi’aanid apakwaanaajiinhyan

She swallowed the owl to quiet the bat.

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak.

So that’s what happened.

5)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan gaazhagan.

Once an old lady she swallowed a cat.

6)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gaazhagan ji-biminaazhikawaanid gookooko’oon.

She swallowed the cat to chase the owl.

7)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon ji-bizaanabi’aanid apakwaanaajiinhyan

She swallowed the owl to quiet the bat.

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak!

So that’s what happened!

8)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan jiibayan.

Once an old lady she swallowed a ghost.

Aaniin enendaman?

What do you think?

9)

Aapiji ogii-minwenimaan!

Very much she liked it!

10)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan jiibayan ji-debibizhaanid gaazhagan.

She swallowed the ghost to catch the cat.

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gaazhagan ji-biminaazhikawaanid gookooko’oon.

She swallowed the cat to chase the owl.

11)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon ji-bizaanabi’aanid apakwaanaajiinhyan

She swallowed the owl to quiet the bat.

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak!

So that’s what happened!

12)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan maji-manidoon.

Once an old lady she swallowed a goblin.

13)

Ogii-giiwaashkweyendam ge-giiwitaabizod.

She was so dizzy she started to spin.

14)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan maji-manidoon

She swallowed a goblin

15)

ji-zegi’aanid jiibayan.

to scare the ghost.

16)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan jiibayan ji-debibizhaanid gaazhagan.

She swallowed the ghost to catch the cat.

17)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gaazhagan ji-biminaazhikawaanid gookooko’oon.

She swallowed the cat to chase the owl.

18)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon ji-bizaanabi’aanid apakwaanaajiinhyan

She swallowed the owl to quiet the bat.

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak.

So that’s what happened.

19)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gondaanan okaanan.

Once an old lady she swallowed some bones.

20)

Baatayiinadoon ogii-maajimamaadwe mii dash majibiiniskwaagamiziged*.

There were so many she started to groan and then had a stomach ache

*(bad-inside-bloody-liquid-actions).

21)

Ogii-gondaanan okaanan maji-manidoon ji-nishkendaminid.

She swallowed the bones for the goblin to be rattled.

22)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan maji-manidoon ji-zegi’aanid jiibayan.

She swallowed a goblin to scare the ghost.

23)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan jiibayan ji-debibizhaanid gaazhagan.

She swallowed the ghost to catch the cat.

24)

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gaazhagan ji-biminaazhikawaanid gookooko’oon.

She swallowed the cat to chase the owl.

Ogii-gonzhi’aan gookooko’oon ji-bizaanabi’aanid apakwaanaajiinhyan

She swallowed the owl to quiet the bat.

25)

Gaawiin ingikendanziin wenji-gonzhi’aad apakwaanaajiinhyan.

I don’t know why she swallowed the bat.

Mii ingwana gaa-izhiwebak!

So that’s what happened!

26)

Aabiding mindimooyenh ogii-gonzhi’aan memaanjinonid.

Once an old lady she swallowed a wizard.

27)

ji-bimwashkwaanigod miidash bibaagid,

so that he would cast a spell on her so she could yell,

28 and 29)

“Gidaa-giibaazomin gemaa daa-miizhiyan ziinzibaakwadoons?”

“Should I trick you or would you give me candy?”

(“Trick or Treat!)

30)

Mii dash ogii-aagade miinawaa idang,

So then she burped and she said,

“Gimiigwechiwi’in gaa-miizhiyan!”

“I thank you for your gift to me!”