Gii-Ikwezensiwiyaan. By Maude Kegg 1. 3 Mii eta go gaa-tashiyaang. That s just how many of us there were.

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1 Gii-Ikwezensiwiyaan By Maude Kegg 1 1 Mewinzha gii-ikwezensiwiyaan, gaa-nibonid iniw onaabeman a aw nookomis. 2 Mii eta go gaa-tashiyaang imaa, miinawaa bezhig a aw ninoshenh. Long ago, when I was a little girl, my grandmother s husband died. That s just how many of us there were, along with one aunt of mine. 3 Mii eta go gaa-tashiyaang. That s just how many of us there were. 4 Mii azhigwa ini-ziigwaninig, ini-ziigwaninig, Oo, yay!, ikido, mii waabang ji-maajaayaang, ikido. 5 Waa, niminwendam, niminwendam; agaawaa go ingikendaan. 6 Niminwendam, niminwendam megwayaak ji-bidaayaang, megwayaak ji-bi-daayaang. Along toward spring, she, my grandmother, said, Oh, goodness, we ll leave tomorrow. My, I was really happy I barely remember it. I was really happy that we were coming to live in the woods. 7 Geyaabi goonikaa. There was still a lot of snow. 8 Onapizh ingiw bebezhigooganzhiig, odinaan iniw ikwewan. 9 Aanish, mii go apane gii-wiiji iweyaan apane ganawaabiyaan aaniin ezhichigeng. 10 Azhigwa wayaabang, azhigwa gigizheb goshkozi, akina gegoo gii-onapidood, waabooyaanan miinawaa ge-bimiijiyaang, mangaanibaajigan gaye gii-ayaamagad i iw apii. 11 Akina gaa-izhi-boozitood imaa gii-pimaajidaabii iweyaang gigizheb. 12 Ingoji go nayaawakweg, mii imaa giipagamidaabii iweyaang imaa neyaashiing, iskigamiziganing izhi-wiindemagad. Harness the horses, she told the women. Well I always tagged along watching how things were done. It was at dawn that morning when she got up and tied everything on: blankets, things to eat, and even a shovel that time. When she loaded all of it up, we drove off in the morning. About noon we arrived at the point called Iskigamiziganing The Sap Boiling Place. 13 Mii imaa endagoninig o o odasanjigoowigamig. That s where her storage lodge was located. 14 Biskitenaaganan imaa niibowa atewan, miinawaa ingiw akikoog anaamayi ii ingii-ningwa waanaanig. There were lots of sap buckets there and we had buried the kettles there underneath. 1 From: Kegg, Maude Portage Lake: Memories of an Ojibwe childhood. Edited by John Nichols. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press.

2 15 Gaawiin wiikaa awiiya ogii-pabaamenimaasiin iniw akikoon. Nobody ever bothered the kettles. 16 Oo, yay, wewiibitaag, ikido. Oh, hurry up! she said. 17 Wiigiwaamaak gaye ganabaj imaa gii-ayaa. I think there was a wigwam frame there. 18 Agaawaa go ingikendaan. I barely remember it. 19 Mii eta go badakibidood, babaa-mamaashkawapidood wiigiwaamaak. 20 Mii go imaa iniw apakweshkwayan gii-ayaag, miinawaa go wiigwaasabakwayan. She only had to pull the wigwam frame upright and tie it tight all around. There were cattail mats there and birch bark roofing rolls. 21 Wewiibitaag, ikido. Hurry up, she said. 22 Mangaanibaadamok, ikido. Shovel it out, she said. 23 Mangaanibaajigewaad ingiw ikwewag, gaawiin inini giiayaasiin, mangaanibaadamowaad. 24 Mii azhigwa gegaa onaagoshig gichi-boodawewaad gaye ningizod a aw goon. 25 Miish azhigwa onaagoshig, azhigwa, miish i iw akina giiatoowaad gii-apakwaadamowaad i iw wiigiwaam. 26 Miish miinawaa azhigwa gii-wenda-ginzhizhawizid a aw mindimooyenh, miinawaa azhigwa gaa-izhi-desa oniked. The women shovelled there wasn t any man around, so they shovelled it out. When it was nearly evening, they built a big fire and the snow melted. Then it was evening and they put everything in place, covering the wigwam with mats. The old lady really was industrious and made sleeping platforms. 27 Mitigoon ogii-aabajitoonan imaa. She used sticks. 28 Miish imaa azhigwa debikak, mii imaa gii-nibaayaang. When it got dark, we slept there on them. 29 Nisaabaawe i iw aki. The ground was wet. 30 Gegizhebaawagak azhigwa miinawaa, Mii jibwaaonjigaag iniw mitigoon, ikido, bawinang iniw obiskitenaaganan, akina gegoo gii-pawinang, miinawaa akikoog, giziibiiginaawaad iniw akikoon. When it was morning again, she said, The trees aren t running yet, and shook out the sap buckets, shook everything out and washed the kettles. 31 Mii sa go ozhiitaawaad igo. They were getting ready. 32 Ingoding igo azhigwa, apane endaso-giizhig igo waabamaad iniw mitigoon. 33 Ingoding igo azhigwa, Way, yay, wewiib endagizhigaawan iniw ininaatigoon, ikido. The time came that she was looking at the trees every day. Then it was time: Goodness gracious, hurry, the maples are running just fast, she said.

3 34 Mii go gaye giizhaa gaa-izhi-manisewaad ingiw ikwewag. The women had cut wood beforehand. 35 Giishkiboojigan ogii-ayaanaawaa. They had a saw. 36 Neniibowa ogii-okosidoonaawaan iniw misan. They had piled up a whole lot of firewood. 37 Gii-michaa dash i iw wiigiwaam. The wigwam was big. 38 Agaamindesiing mii iwidi gii-ayaawaad a aw inzhishenh iniw wiiwan miinawaa bezhig ikwezens. On the other side of the fire were my uncle, his wife, and one little girl. 39 Gii-agaashiinyi. She was small. 40 Baanimaa gaa-ozhigeyaang, gii-pi-dagoshinoog. They arrived sometime after we had done the building. 41 Gaye wiinawaa gii-pi-bagamidaabii iwewag, ingiw bebezhigooganzhiig, mashkosiwan imaa gii-piidood ashamaawaad bebezhigooganzhiin. They too drove a team and brought hay to feed the horses. 42 Oo, yay, ikido, azhigwa onjigaawan iniw mitigoon. Oh, my, she said, those trees are running now. 43 Babaa-wiijiiwishin, Naawakamigook, indig. Come around with me, Naawakamigook! she said to me. 44 Bi-dakonan iniw biskitenaaganan, ikido. Carry those sap buckets! she said. 45 Miish i iw ezhichiged, mii bezhig iniw mitigoon ezhinaazikawaad, ezhi-ozhitood i iw ayi ii, iniw ayi iin negwaakwaanan, ezhi-bimoondang iko, gichiginwegambizod ganawaabamag iko, gichi-nisaabaawed, gichi-gagaanwegadinig iniw ogoodaasiwaan gichinisaabaawed, ganawaabamag iko babaa-ozhiga iged, gaye niin ezhi-bimiwidooyaan midaaso-okwapidewan biskitenaaganan. 46 Mii go ezhi-waabandamaang ji-onjigaasinog mii onjigaag, bigiw imaa ezhi-agokanangid. This is what she did: when she went up to a tree, she carried on her back the taps she had made she had a long skirt on I was watching her and she got wet their skirts were so long then she got really wet, and as I watched her, she went around tapping trees; as for me, I carried along the bundles of sap buckets, ten to a bundle. We looked to make sure they wouldn t leak and if they did, we stuck pitch on them. 47 Weweni atoon, indig. Place them carefully, she told me. 48 Gego ganage ziigwebinangen, ikido. Don t spill any, she said. 49 Mewinzha giiwenh gaawiin ogii-siigwebinanziinaawaa ziinzibaakwadwaaboo. 50 Gego ziigwebinangen, indig, i iw ayi ii ziinzibaakwadwaaboo. It s said that long ago they never spilled any sap. Don t spill any of that sap, she said to me.

4 51 Miish azhigwa, gichi-niibowa azhigwa gii-ayaang i iw ziinzibaakwadwaaboo. 52 Mii gaye iniw makakosagoon atoobaanan iidog izhiwiindewan. 53 Azhigwa onaagoshig, mii go azhigwa mooshkinebiig iniw ayi iin biskitenaaganan, azhigwa naadoobiiwaad ingiw ikwewag imaa ziiginamowaad, ayi ii bagiwayaanish imaa ziikoobiiginamowaad i iw ziinzibaakwadwaaboo. 54 Mii azhigwa niswi go mooshkinebiig iniw makakoon waabaninig, ezhi-onakinaawaad. 55 Biindig igaye dash iskigamizigewag, gaawiin agwajiing, iskigamizigewaad, atoowaad. 56 Miish i iw enanokiiyaan niin, mii ezhi-niibawiyaan jiigishkode ganawaabandamaan gegoo iwidi ziigigamidesinog, ezhi-dakonag zhingobaandag, ikwewag boodawewaad. 57 Mii go imaa ziigigamideg, mii imaa o-gondaabiiginag zhingobaandag akikong. She got lots of sap then. There were barrels there called atoobaanan. In the evening, when the sap buckets were full, the women carried the sap and poured it into them, straining the sap through a cloth. In the morning there were three barrels full, so they hung the kettles. They boiled sap inside, not outside; when they boiled sap, they put it there. What I did was stand by the fire watching things so they didn t boil over, holding a fir bough, while the women stoked the fire. If it boiled over, I dipped the bough in the kettle. 58 Mii eta go enanokiiyaan, mii go gabe-giizhig. That s what I did all day. 59 Bezhig azhigwa a aw akik, mii imaa ani-ziiginamowaad i iw azhigwa ayaamowaad, giizhigamizigewaad. 60 Bezhig a aw akik miinawaa dibikak, mii a aw eshkwegoojing, bezhig iwidi akik eta go, mii i iw zhiiwaagamizigan. 61 Gabe-dibik ezhi-ishkodewang imaa miinawaa gigizheb azhigwa ziikoobiiginamowaad i iw. There was one pail there where they poured what they had when they finished boiling. By night, that single pail, the one that hung last in the row, just the one pail there, was syrup. There was a fire there all night and in the morning they strained it. 62 Ogii-kiziibiiginaan-sh iko iniw akikoon. She washed the kettles. 63 Giziibiiginik ongo akikoog, gii-ikido. Wash these kettles, she said. 64 Miinawaa gimiwang, mii i iw apii giziibiiginigaadewan iniw ayi iin biskitenaaganan, apane gii-kiziibiiginang. And if it rained, then the sap buckets were washed; she was always washing them. 65 Gaawiin ginwenzh ogii-kanawendanziin. She didn t keep the syrup long. 66 Mii go ingo-ombigamizigan ikidom, eni-izhi-biina ang makakong, wiigwaasi-makakong, ombigamizigewaad, eni-izhi-biina amowaad imaa i iw ayi ii, i iw ziinzibaakwad. They say that the results of each sugaring should be put away as you go into the boxes, birch bark boxes, so as they sugared off, they put in the sugar.

5 67 Miinawaa adaawewininiwan ogii-adaamigowaan ziiga iganan. 68 Miish ko gii-adaawewaad bakwezhiganan, aniibiish, bimide, waa-miijiwaad. 69 Miinawaa ingiw ikwewag gii-wenda-ginzhizhawiziwag madaabiiwaad, ezhi-bagida waawaad daashkikwadininig, mii imaa iniw asabiin onaabiiginaawaad. The storekeeper bought sugar cakes from them. They used to buy flour, tea, lard, whatever they wanted to eat. Those ladies worked hard going to the shore and setting a net through a crack in the ice. 70 Iniw giigoonyan niibowa onisaawaan. They got lots of fish. 71 Mii ezhi-abwewaad iniw giigoonyan, gaye wiiizhi aawaad igo. Then they roasted the fish or fixed them in other ways. 72 Maagizhaa odoonzwaawaan maagizhaa odabwenaawaan. They might boil them or roast them by the fire. 73 Miish azhigwa, miish azhigwa ishkwaagamizigeyaang, miish azhigwa aniibiishensan ayaamagak. 74 Ishkwaagamizigeyaang, mii ezhi-asiginamaang akina gegoo giziibiiginamaang gaye iniw biskitenaaganan ezhidakobidooyaang. Then when we got done boiling sap, there were leaf buds on the trees. When we got done boiling sap, we gathered everything together, washed the sap buckets, and tied them up. 75 Mii ezhi-madaabii-goziwaad, jiigibiig izhi-goziwag. Then they moved camp down to the shore, moved to the lake. 76 Imaa akina gegoo gii-asiginamaang. We gathered everything up. 77 Miish imaa endaawaad imaa jiigibiig, wewebanaabiiwaad. They lived there by the lake and fished. 78 Ogii-adaawaagenaawaan iko iniw giigoonyan. They used to sell the fish. 79 Gii-paatayiinowag giigoonyag. There were lots of fish. 80 Aabita-zhooniyaans ingo-dibaabiishkoojigan iko gii-izhimiinaawag ogaawan. They were given a nickel a pound for walleyes. 81 Apane go wewebanaabiiwaad imaa jiigibiig. They were always fishing there by the lake. 82 Mii azhigwa mawinzong, azhigwa mawinzowaad iniw miinan. Then in berry-picking time, they picked blueberries. 83 Mii ezhi-giiweyaang akawe. But first she went home. 84 Miinawaa go da-o-gitige akawe, ogitiged, a aw mindimooyenh o-gitiged. First the old lady went to do the planting. 85 Gii-michaani ogitigaan. Her garden was big.

6 86 Gii-michaani iko ogitigaan a aw mindimooyenh gaa-izhigitiged. The garden the old lady planted was big. 87 Mii azhigwa jiigayi ii wii-aabita-niibininig. Then it was close to the middle of the summer. 88 Miish aanind, miish azhigwa opiniin giizhiginid miinawaa ezhi-maajaayaang, babaa-mawinzoyaang. 89 Mii go ingiw bebezhigooganzhiig gichi-ziibiing iko ingiiizhi-mawinzomin. Some of the potatoes were full-grown and we left to go around picking berries. We used horses and went to pick at the Mississippi. 90 Bagiwayaanegamig omaajiidoonaawaa. They took along a tent. 91 Mii iwidi mawinzoyaang waa-adaawaageyaang iniw miinan. 92 Miish akeyaa bakwezhiganan ezhi-adaawewaad, miinawaa ziinzibaakwad, miinawaa adaawewaad aniibiish, makade-mashkikiwaaboo, ge-wii-miijiwaad igo. 93 Miinawaa ishkwaa-mawinzoyaang, mii ezhi-biidooyaang aanind. 94 Mii ezhi-gibaakobidood nookomis maagizhaa gaye ninoshenh. We went berry-picking in order to sell the blueberries. Then they bought flour, sugar, tea, coffee, and whatever they wanted to eat. And after we got through picking berries, we brought some of them back there. My grandmother, or maybe my aunt, canned them. 95 Mii go akina gegoo ezhi-gibaakobidood. She canned everything. 96 Miish akeyaa gaa-izhi-bimaadiziwaad. That s how they lived. 97 Akina gegoo ogii-gibaakobidoon. She canned everything. 98 Mawinzoyaan gaye niin. I picked berries too. 99 Akina gegoo ingii-ozhitoon. I made everything.

Gii-ikwezensiwiyaan. When I Was a Little Girl. (from Portage Lake: Memories of an Ojibwe Childhood)

Maude Kegg Gii-ikwezensiwiyaan. When I Was a Little Girl. (from Portage Lake: Memories of an Ojibwe Childhood) Those who have just begun learning a foreign language can first read the text with the prompts