anang
/ʌˈnʌŋɡ/
The Ojibwe word for star is anang.
anang is used to refer to a luminous celestial body made of plasma in an astronomical context.
Meaning: (astronomy) a luminous celestial body made of plasma (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ʌˈnʌŋɡ/
Did you know?
- Some Ojibwe stories describe the Milky Way not as a collection of anang, but as a path or a river of light leading to the afterlife.
- Certain Ojibwe constellations are named after animals or ancestors, turning a collection of anang into a narrative map of the sky.
- The word anang is a cognate of the Unami word alankw and the Mohegan-Pequot ayaks.
Examples in context
- Anang wenjibaag.The star is bright.
- Anang dibiken.The star is moving.
Example conversation
Winona and Makwa are looking at the night sky.
- WinonaNiizhooniin anang gichi-biizhiw.That one star is very bright.
- MakwaEdaan anang gaa-biizhiw.The star over there is bright.
- WinonaAazhoo anang gichi-biizhiw.That star is very bright.
- MakwaAa, gichi-biizhiw anang.Yes, the star is very bright.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry anang, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anang, CC BY-SA 4.0.
