Good morning folks, today marks the beginning of some things we would like to share with ya all on our people and our various beliefs as Neshnabek, and the various spellings of our name for ourselves. As one can readily see, we do not call ourselves Indians. That name came from the many misguided teachings or historical references to one Christopher Columbus and his mistaken notions of having discovered a country that was already quite well populated with people whom he referred to as Indios, which means "Children of God".
So here we go.....
The meaning of Anishnaabeg is "First-" or "Original-Peoples". Another definition refers to "the good humans", or good people, meaning those who are on the right road/path given to them by the Creator or Gitchi-manitou (Great Spirit).
Not all Anishinaabemowin speakers, however, call themselves Anishinaabeg. The Ojibwe people who movedto what are now the prairie provinces of Canada call themselves Nakawē(-k) and their branch of the Anishinaabe language, Nakawēmowin. (The French ethnonym for the group was the Saulteaux). Particular Anishinaabeg groups have different names from region to region.
Anishinaabe and Anishinini distribution around 1800
There are many variant spellings of the Anishinaabe name, depending on the transcription scheme and also on whether the name is singular or plural. Therefore, different spelling systems may indicate vowel length or spell certain consonants differently (Anishinabe, Anicinape); meanwhile, variants ending in -eg/ek (Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek) come from an Algonquian plural, while those ending in an -e come from an Algonquian singular.
The name Anishinaabe is realised as Nishnaabe, in some parts of North America, most prominently among the Odawa. The cognate word Neshnabé comes from the Potawatomi, a people long allied with the Odawa and Ojibwe in the Council of Three Fires. Identified as Anishinaabe, but not part of the Council of Three Fires, are the Nipissing, Mississauga and Algonquin.
More shall follow in the days to come.....
Nin se Neaseno.