Young Adult Stories

Warrior Girl Unearthed

Warrior Girl Unearthed, the sequel to Angeline Boulley’s New York Times bestselling novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter, follows Ojibwe teen Perry Firekeeper-Birch and her fight to protect her community and the rights of her ancestors.

While visiting a local university, Perry is introduced to the “Warrior Girl”, an Anishinaabe ancestor whose bones and belongings are stored in the museum archives. Unsettled, she learns all she can about NAGPRA, the federal law that allows tribes to request the return of ancestral remains and sacred items and ultimately realizes that the university has been using legal loopholes to hold onto Warrior Girl and twelve other Anishinaabe ancestors’ remains. With the help of a ragtag group of friends (aptly named the “Misfits”), Perry takes matters into her own hands to protect her community and bring her ancestors home where they belong, all while facing challenges including generational grudges, bureaucratic subterfuge, unnerving stories of missing women, family secrets, and painful realities about the legacy of colonialism.

Perry and the Misfits’ solution–a thrilling heist–gives way to a complex and compelling mystery, ultimately exploring themes of identity, family, and reclamation in a Native community.

Here we share notes on the unique setting (Sugar Island), NAGPRA, and Anishinaabemowin Words & Phrases from the book.

The Setting

With special thanks to Sault Ste. Marie tribal member, Jim Langdon, for contributing information about Sugar Island.

Sugar Island has been a place of abundance and spiritual connection for Ojibwe peoples for centuries. The Island lies in the St. Mary’s River just downstream from bawating, the rapids at Sault Ste. Marie, where Lake Superior’s waters tumble toward the lower lakes. The river slows to surround the island with its wealth of wildlife, fish, timber and maple trees for sugar making.

Sugar Island is part of the Sault Ste. Marie community, a transportation crossroads for indigenous and European travelers since the 1600s. Control of the area shifted from Ojibwe to French to British to American authorities by the 1840s. But through it all, Ojibwe people remained on the Island. Today many of its 600 residents are indigenous and most of them belong to either the local Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians or the Bay Mills Indian Community.

Despite 90,000 people living in nearby Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and dozens of lake freighters and ocean-going vessels passing along its western shore each week, Sugar Island remains largely undeveloped. The Island has no village and a few roads through its vast forests connect residents with a ferry that crosses the river to the mainland. Although it is surrounded by industry and development, the Island retains the same natural character that has sustained countless generations of Ojibwes.

Native traditions continue to thrive on the Island, such as the annual Sugar Island Pow Wow, Ziisbaakwad Minising Jiingtamok, held each summer and the Sault Ste. Marie Chippewa’s fall Fasting Ceremony, Mukade Kewinan. Sugar Island remains a place of great importance to local Ojibwes who turn to its forests and shores for spiritual and cultural nourishment.

Author’s Note on NAGPRA

NAGPRA (Native American Graves and Repatriation Act) was signed into law in 1990 and is meant to protect and ensure the return of stolen Native remains and funerary objects to their original communities, ultimately recognizing that human remains–from any group–”must at all times be treated with dignity and respect.”

In her Author’s Notes, Angeline Boulley explains that Warrior Girl Unearthed is ultimately “about the need to control Indigenous bodies–both in the past and today.” Although NAGPRA was passed over 30 years ago, many universities and museums continue to maintain control of Native remains and funerary objects despite objections by Native communities. In Warrior Girl Unearthed, the story represents this ongoing debate about who has a right to control the Native bodies of the past while paralleling an ongoing threat to the Native bodies of today: the high numbers of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) in Canada and the United States. Both of these issues represent an existential threat to Natives’ bodily autonomy.

At the time of the book’s publication in September 2022, more ancestors remain in collections (52 percent) than have been returned (48 percent).

In 2014, the rate of homicide of Indigenous women in Canada (3.64 per 100,000) was almost six times higher than non-Indigenous women (0.65 per 100,000). (source)

A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the United States found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence. (source)

You can learn more about NAGPRA at the Department of the Interior’s NAGPRA website as well as with the many links to articles, films, and other resources in the Author’s Notes.

Anishinaabemowin Word & Phrases

Below is a list of the words and phrases Angeline Boulley infused into her novel, Warrior Girl Unearthed. Over 130 times she paused as a storyteller and inserted Anishinaabemowin. This is what revitalization and respect for the language looks like. As her story unfolds, so does the language. Her characters work to repatriate ancestors and they model bringing the language back into Anishinaabe lives and communities.

The words and phrases are listed below as they appear in the book with an occasional alternate spelling so that speakers of the language across and far beyond the vast Anishinaabe diaspora can recognize the language they may encounter as they work with local elders and teachers. We are honored to support the work of Angeline and hope her novels invite you to learn more Anishinaabemowin. To use some of the words on the list:

Gego gotaajiken ji-gikinoo’amaageyan. – Don’t be afraid to learn.

Gimikwendaamin. We are remembering.

Bi-giiwen enji-zaagigooyan. – Come home where you are loved.

Recommended Resource: To understand how Anishinaabemowin is commonly written and the sounds you will hear, review our The Sound of Our Language lesson.

A

  • 1
    Aaniin – hello, hi
  • 2
    Aaniin apii – when
  • 3
    Aaniin enendaman? – What are you thinking about?
  • 4
    Aaniin (name) indizhinikaaz. – Hello (name) is my name.
  • 5
    Aaniin gaa-dashiwaad? Aaniin gaa-dazhiwaad? – How many were there? (As in how many beings in that location.)
  • 6
    Aaniindi wenjiiyan? / Aaniindi wenjibayan? – Where are you from?
  • 7
    Aanike-ogimaa – sub-chief, connected leader
  • 8
    Aanikoobijiganag – connected ones, ancestors, great-grandparents
  • 9
    Aanikoobijiganag gaajigaazowag. – The ancestors are hidden.
  • 10
    Aazha gegaa – soon
  • 11
    Aho – it is so, okay
  • 12
    Amii izhi nibaan. – Go to sleep now.
  • 13
    Ando-babaamibizodaa – Let’s ride over to a place.
  • 14
    Ango-giizis / Ingo-giizis – one month
  • 15
    Anishinaabe – Anishinaabe person who may be Ojibwe, Odawa or Potawatomi
  • 16
    Anishinaabek / Anishinaabeg – Anishinaabe people
  • 17
    Anishinaabemowin – Anishinaabe language
  • 18
    Aazha gegaa – soon, already
  • 19
    Akii / Aki – earth
  • 20
    Akii-zagaskway / Zagaskwe. – earthworm / leech (sucker or one who draws in)
  • 21
    Ambe – come, as in come here

B

  • 1
    Baamaa / Baamaapii – bye, see ya, later
  • 2
    -bah / -iban – an ending added to the names of people who have passed away
  • 3
    Bezhig – one
  • 4
    Bigiiwen enji-zaagigooyin. / Bi-giiwen enji-zaagigooyan. – Come home where you are loved.
  • 5
    Binoojii / Abinoojii – baby
  • 6
    Bizaan ayaan. – You be quiet.
  • 7
    Boogid / Boogidi – to fart
  • 8
    Bwaating / Baawiting – Sault Ste. Marie, the name of a Band of Anishinaabe, and name of a city in Michigan and Ontario

C

  • 1
    Chi- / Gichi- – big, very – both of these are added to the start of words to imply something is bigger or more intense (e.g., chi-gaaming for big lake, chi-miigwech for thank you very much)
  • 2
    Chi Mukwa / Chimakwa – big bear
  • 3
    Chippeway / Chippewa / Ojibwe – The word for Ojibwe people has been spelled many different ways over time. There is no consensus on what the word means. Some say it refers to pucker-toed moccasins, others say it references the role of storyteller in the Three Fires Confederacy.

D

  • 1
    Daga wiiji’ishin. – Please help me.
  • 2
    Daunis / Daanis – daughter

E

  • 1
    Ekinoomaagaazad ndaaw. / E-gikinoo’amaagaazod indaaw. – I am a learner. I am a student.
  • 2
    Eya / Enya / Enh – yes

G

  • 1
    Gaawiin – no
  • 2
    Gagiibaajishimo – to dance silly
  • 3
    Gego gotaajiken. – Don’t be afraid.
  • 4
    Gichimanidoo – Great Spirit
  • 5
    Gichimiigwech – thanks very much
  • 6
    Gichimiigwech akii-zagaskway. / Gichimiigwechiwi’in zagaskwe. – Thank you very much leech.
  • 7
    Gichimiigwech Nisayenh. – Thank you older brother.
  • 8
    Gichiwipizon – put on your belt
  • 9
    Giigoonh gi-ga-miijimin. – We will all eat fish.
  • 10
    Gii-ishkwaabimaadizi niizhoodenh. My twin is in his or her afterlife.
  • 11
    Giishkwebi / Giiwashkwebi – to be drunk and confused
  • 12
    Gii-wenaazha. / Giiwen aazhe. – Go home already.
  • 13
    Giizhik – cedar
  • 14
    Gikaadendam – to have serious thoughts
  • 15
    Gimaamiikwenmin. – I remember you.
  • 16
    Ginitaanokii Wiidookaagewikwezans – You do good work Helper Girl.
  • 17
    Gizaagi’in – I love you
  • 18
    Gwetaankamig! Aabji daa-anakiiyin! – That’s right! You should keep working!

H, I

  • 1
    Haaw / Ahaaw – ok
  • 2
    Iigw / Miigwewin – a gift
  • 3
    Imbaabaa – my father
  • 4
    Indaanis – my daughter
  • 5
    Ingozisens. Gego ozaam waasa izhaaken. – My son. Don’t go too far.

K

  • 1
    Kewadin / Giiwedin – north
  • 2
    Kinomaage / Gikinoo’amaage – to teach
  • 3
    Kwe / Ikwe – woman
  • 4
    Kwewag / Ikwewag – women
  • 5
    Kwezans / Ikwezens – young woman
  • 6
    Kwezanswag / Ikwezensag – young women

M

  • 1
    Maamaa / Nimaamaa – mother, my mother
  • 2
    Maanaadan – It is a bad thing.
  • 3
    Manidoo Giizis – Spirit Moon, January
  • 4
    Manitou / Manidoo – a non-human spirit being
  • 5
    Miigwech – thanks, from the word “miigiwe” which means to give
  • 6
    Migizi – eagle
  • 7
    Mikwendaagozi – he or she is remembered
  • 8
    Minobimaadiziwin – the good life, the good path
  • 9
    Minogiizhigad – good day
  • 10
    Mino-gizhep / Minogizheb – good morning
  • 11
    Minwaadizi nini. / Minowaadizi inini. – He is a good man.
  • 12
    Mishiike – turtle
  • 13
    Mishomis / Nimishomis – grandfather / my grandfather
  • 14
    Miskomini Giizis / Miskominigiizis – Raspberry Moon, July
  • 15
    Mizhakiinoodin – tornado, a wind that hits its target

N

  • 1
    Naadamaw. – Help him or her.
  • 2
    Neebish / Aniibiish – leaf, the source of nibi (water) for trees, especially deciduous trees as one might find on Neebish Island
  • 3
    Niijiikwe – girlfriend, female friend
  • 4
    Niimidana – forty
  • 5
    Niizhi – two
  • 6
    Niizho-dwaate / Niizho-anama’e-giizhik – two weeks
  • 7
    Nigwaiinomaa. / Nigwiinawenimaa. – I long for him or her.
  • 8
    Nimaanendam. – I am sorrowful.
  • 9
    Nimamiskojaab – I have red eyes.
  • 10
    Niminjinawez. – I am regretful, sorry.
  • 11
    Nindaatagaadendam. – I am overwhelmed by the task.
  • 12
    Nindoozhimikwe / Nidooshimikwem – my niece
  • 13
    Nish kwe / Nish kwewag – slang for Anishinaabekwe / Anishinaabekwewag meaning Anishinaabe woman or women
  • 14
    Netamop Ogidaaki – the name Sits On the Earth
  • 15
    Nin-gawe-nitaa-nanda-gikendan. / Ningagwej nitaa-nandagikendamaan. – I am trying to learn it well.
  • 16
    Niswi – three
  • 17
    Niwanishin.- I am lost.
  • 18
    Niwiisagendam gii-zhiishig – It hurts when I pee.
  • 19
    Nodin / Noodin – wind

O, P, S

  • 1
    Ogichidaakwezans – warrior girl
  • 2
    Ogimaa – leader
  • 3
    Ojibwe – Ojibwe person, also spelled Ojibway, Chippeway, Chippewa
  • 4
    Ojibwemowin – Ojibwe language
  • 5
    Okomis / Nokomis – grandmother / my grandmother
  • 6
    Onaagoshi wiisinidaa. Let’s eat this evening.
  • 7
    Onizhishin – great, well done
  • 8
    Ozagakim / Zagakim – to settle down
  • 9
    Pajog – slang for penis
  • 10
    Semaa / Asemaa – tobacco

W

  • 1
    Waabizhish indoodem. / Waabzheshiinh indoodem. – pine marten is my clan.
  • 2
    Waabun – east, tomorrow
  • 3
    Waakaayaabide – the name Crooked Tooth
  • 4
    Washkiyaanimad – the wind that changes directions
  • 5
    Weweni izhichigen. – Be careful what you do.
  • 6
    Wewiib – quick, hurry
  • 7
    Wiidookaagewikwezans – Helper Girl
  • 8
    Wiidookodaadimin. / Giwiidookodaadimin. – We are helping each other.
  • 9
    Wiindigoo – a greedy cannibal that grows larger and more powerful with each person it consumes
  • 10
    Wiingashk – sweetgrass
  • 11
    Wiiyagasenhkwe – dirty, dusty woman

Z

  • 1
    Zagaskway / Ozagaskwaajime – leech
  • 2
    Zhaaganaash – this word is used for both Canadian or British citizens and sometimes people from any European nationality or ethnicity
  • 3
    Zhaangaswi – nine
  • 4
    Zhiishigi – to urinate
  • 5
    Zhooniyaa – money
  • 6
    Ziindabi mazina’igani-onaagan-wazisong. – She sits in cardboard boxes.
  • 7
    Ziisabaaka Minising indonjibaa. / Ziinzibaakwado Minising indonjibaa. – Sugar Island is where I am from.
  • 8
    Ziisibaakodoke Giizis – Sugar-making Moon, April

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