Ojibwe - Name

Name

The autonym for this group of Anishinaabeg is Ojibwe (plural: Ojibweg). This name is commonly anglicized as "Ojibwa" or "Ojibway." The name "Chippewa" is an alternative anglicization. Although many variations exist in literature, "Chippewa" is more common in the United States and "Ojibwa" predominates in Canada, but both terms are used in each country. In many Ojibwe communities throughout Canada and the U.S., more members have been using the generalized name Anishinaabe(-g).

The exact meaning of the name Ojibwe is not known; the most common explanations for the name derivations are:

• from ojiibwabwe (/o/ + /jiibw/ + /abwe/), meaning "those who cook\roast until it puckers", referring to their fire-curing of moccasin seams to make them water-proof. Some early sources say this name described a method of ritual torture which the Ojibwe applied to enemies.;
• from ozhibii'iwe (/o/ + /zhibii'/ + /iwe/), meaning "those who keep records ", referring to their form of pictorial writing, and pictographs used in Midewiwin sacred rites; or
• from ojiibwe (/o/ + /jiib/ + /we/), meaning "those who speak-stiffly"\"those who stammer", an exonym or name given to them by the Cree, characterizing their language as heard by different language speakers.
• from ojibway (/o/ + /ji/ + /bway/), meaning "the spiritual ones", coinciding with the three fires confederacy member nations- the Potawatomi (meaning the fire keepers), the Odawa (meaning the ones who trade). Each of these member nations are named to each have a role in protecting a specific, important part of Anishinaabe language and coinciding culture.