Nanabozho and the Ducks

“Nenbozhoonh miinwaa zhiishiibag”

Nanabozho and the ducks

Gaa-nishnaabebii’ged (Ojibwe Transcription): Evelyn Roy

Gaa-aankinootmaagejig (English Translation): Albertine Migwans

“Wiikaa na gnoondam Nenbozhoo miinwaa zhiishiibag?” ndig dash.
“Have you ever heard about Nanabozho and the ducks?” he says to me.

“Kaa, gaa go wiikaa noond-zii,” ndi-naa dash.
So I says to him, “No, I’ve never heard.”

“Zhiishiibag sa pane jiigbiig bbaa-yaawag,” kida sa, “gchi-ggizheb.
“Well, there are always ducks on the lakeshore,” he says, “early in the morning.

Gmaapii go noonj ni-mshkowaanmad; noodin.
Later on, the wind gets stronger; it’s windy.

Mii go miinwaa aanjiiyaad.
And they (the ducks) move again.

Niisaakmiiyekmigaa’sh zhiwi,” kida.
“And the land slopes down there,” he says.

“Mtigoonhsag go naa zhiwi…mtigmizhiinhsag zhiwi yaawag,” kida.
“Trees there…there are small oaks there,” he says.

“Mii-sh maaba bezhig zhiishiib bi-…bmikzhiwed zhiwi.
And so this one duck comes… paddles by there.

Mii gii-waamdang maanda pidemgag niwi niibiishan,” kida.
“And he saw the leaves fluttering in this way,” he said.

Gchi-ni-naabi giiyenh oodi.
He looks around this way and that there.

Mii giiyenh oodi gii-zaagewe-gwaashknid, maaba nihaa nishnaabe,
And then apparently an Anishinaabe (man) jumped out from there, this um man,

Nenbozhoonh.
Nanabozho.

Enwek sa giiyenh gchi-baapi.
Is he ever laughing hard.

Mshkimod giiyenh minjgonaan.
He’s holding a bag.

Maanda di-zhwebnaan wi, mii-sh miinwaa baakbidood
He’s whirling it in this way, then he opens it

mii-sh biinjgwaashknid zhiwi.
and he jumps in there.

Mii-sh gboobdood wi.
And he closes it (the bag) [with a drawstring].

Aa, mii sa pagzod zhiwi, niisaakiiyekmigaag.
And so, he throws himself there, on the slope.

Tibijiiyaashi’sh giiyenh maaba nihaa Nenbozhoonh.
And apparently he goes rolling swiftly down the hill, this um…Nanabozho.

“Enwek sa naa nminwendaagos,” kida sa giiyenh.
“Am I ever having lots fun,” he says.

Mii-sh giiyenh maaba zhiishiib…
And then this duck…

“Enwek sa naa mnwendaagzi wa Nenbozhoonh!”
“That Nanabozho sure is having lots of fun!”

“Gdaa-bi-gjitoonaawaa gegiinwaa,” kida sa giiyenh maaba Nenbosh… Nenbozhoonh.
“You [ducks] should come and try it too,” says this Nanabush…Nanabozho.

“Ka-baapim gegiinwaa,” di-naan sa giiyenh.
“You’ll laugh too,” he tells them.

“Ah, ta go gegeti oo-gjitoo-daa gegiinwi,” kida sa giiwenh maaba bezhig zhiishiib.
“Hey, let’s go try that too,” says this one duck.

“Gego,” kida sa giiyenh maaba zhiishiib.
“Don’t,” says this duck..

“Gwetaani-kiibaadzi nii wa Nenbozhoonh,” di-naan sa giiyenh.
“That Nanabozho’s really bad, you know,” he says to them.

Mii sa giiyenh miinwaa maaba gdaakiiyebtood Nenbosh.
So this Nanabush runs up the hill again.

“Aah, maajaan, bi-gjitoon gegii.”
“Okay, come here and try this too.”

Mii sa giiyenh maaba bezhig zhiishiib gii-kiibaazmin.
And so this one duck evidently got tricked.

Gii-gdaakiiye giiyenh, gii-biinjgwaashknid zhiwi mshkimdaang.
He went running up the hill, and jumped into the bag.

Mii maaba Nenbozhoonh gii-gbobdood wi,
Then Nanabozho drew that closed with the drawstring,

mtig gii-daapnang, gii-baapaagjiiwad niwi nahaan zhiishii...
picked up a stick, and started beating that um…duck....

Mii sa go gii-nsaad.
And so he killed it (the duck).

Mii geye gaa-zhi-gkendaasod wa Nenbozhoonh.
That’s how smart Nanbozho was, they say.

Dibi giiyenh…dibi giiyenh go zhaa wa Nenbozhoonh.
They say that Nanabozho goes anywhere.

Gegiinwi go maanda bmaadziiying,
Even with us, in our life,

giishpin bi-biindged wa, mii nshinaadkamgizying.
if he comes in (possesses us), we mess up.

Mii wa Nenbozhoonh nihii… {Prompter:} endoodaagyiing.
This is what that Nanabozho um…{Prompter:} does to us.
{Video fades out here; the next three lines are not on video}

Miinwaa go gbeyiinh go oodi megwe-mtigwaaki bmi-dnizi,
And stays out in the bush for long periods of time,

megwe ookaan, waawaashkeshwag, wegwendig go.
among the animals, the deer, anything.

Aapji go naa gwetaanzi wa Nenbozhoonh.
He’s very smart that Nanabozho.