Bawaajimo

Margaret Noodin is Assistant Professor in the Department of English and the American Indian Studies program at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

• Contents N’digo: Preface N’miigwechwiwaag: Acknowledgments Ziibaaskobiige: To Set a Written Net Chapter 1. Anishinaabemowin: The Anishinaabe Language Chapter 2. Anishinaabebiige: Anishinaabe Literature Chapter 3. Gikenmaadizo miinwaa Gikenmaa’aan: Patterns of Identity in the Writing of Louise Erdrich Chapter 4. Zhaabwii’endam: Conscious Survival in the Writing of Jim Northrup Chapter 5. Giizhigomaadiziwin: Universal Life in the Writing of Basil Johnston Chapter 6. Waninawendamowinan: Stirred Thoughts in the Writing of Gerald Vizenor Chapter 7. Ziiginibiige: Poured Writing Maziniaganan Gii Gindanaanan: Works Cited Nanaandawaabanjigan: Index

Bawaajimo confirms a vision come to pass, a landmark to a vital moment in Anishinaabe history in our collective culture and country where language renewal is taking place on our tongues, on the page, and in our dreams. This work makes a significant contribution to a field with very few scholarly texts and a rising readership. An Anishinaabe-centered critical reading from a scholar with fluency in the Anishinaabe language is a singular contribution, absolutely new and years ahead of any other work that will compete on any level.—Heid E. Erdrich, author of Cell Traffic: New and Selected Poems and National MonumentsPoet and linguist Margaret Noodin sees and hears things in the Anishinaabe language that others only dream of. With Bawaajimo, she lights a pathway into the language and invites us all to come along and wonder at its complexity, power of expression, and wisdom. She shows us, patiently, a word at a time, how the Anishinaabe language is a vast reservoir of “tribal knowledge” and “indigenous systems of thinking.” These waters must be navigated with sensitivity, and with a sense of humility at the genius that the ancestors have passed down. Four contemporary Ojibwe writers—Erdrich, Northrup, Johnston, and Vizenor—guide the way. But Noodin’s great contribution is in how she illuminates and contextualizes these authors’ works, spinning a tapestry that spans millennia of Ojibwe thinking, visions, and ways of being in the landscape. It is a truly remarkable journey.—K. David Harrison, Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Swarthmore College, and Vice President, Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages Bawaajimo is grounded in a deep understanding of Anishinaabemowin, cutting-edge literary criticism, and a wide breadth of experience on the land, in classrooms, and in lodges. These rich essays of love and respect for our stories and storytellers not only set a new standard for studies in Anishinaabe literature but embody a new critical approach utilizing the ways language, creativity, and history operate in our culture. It is an honor song for our ancestors and our communities. Gichi-miigwech nimise.—Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Co-Editor of Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World through Stories