Mikinaakominis
The English phrase "turtle island" is translated into Ojibwe as Mikinaakominis.
Mikinaakominis is the name used to refer to North America, functioning as a Native American name for the continent.
Meaning: Native American name for North America (name)
Did you know?
- Many Indigenous peoples use Mikinaakominis as a political statement to reject colonial names like 'North America' and reclaim an Indigenous worldview.
- The concept of Mikinaakominis is rooted in a creation story where the world was built on the back of a giant turtle after animals brought mud from the bottom of a primordial ocean.
- Ojibwe is a polysynthetic language, meaning a single word like Mikinaakominis can carry the meaning of an entire English phrase through the addition of specific suffixes.
Example conversation
A grandmother and grandson are looking at a map.
- OmaMiigizi, nanikaa Mikinaakominis.Migizi, this is called Turtle Island.
- MigiziAaniish, Mikinaakominis waa aaniid?Really, where is Turtle Island?
- OmaMikinaakominis waa gichi-biizhaa.Turtle Island is very large.
- MigiziMiigwech, Oma.Thank you, Oma.
