Ojibwemowin Audio – Place Names

Story and image by the National Park Service

For millennia, Native Americans had their own names for the islands and area places. These names were passed down through the generations in stories and everyday communication. Non-natives who came to the area had to quickly learn the Native place names in order to integrate within the community. Many of these Ojibwe names are still used throughout communities today.

Sources used for this group of place names come from Gidakiiminaan (Our Earth) – An Anishinaabe Atlas of the 1836 (Upper Michigan), 1837, and 1842 Treaty Ceded Territories, published by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and additionally, in consultation with local Elders.

Ojibwemowin (the Ojibwe Language) is traditionally an oral language, so it is important to not just see the words, but to hear them. Hearing and speaking these words helps preserve the culture of this special place.

Hear and learn more here.