A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

some time and effort trying to figure out an answer to one of my questions. This usage is
found in a story by one of my consultants who was speaking about the difference
between traditional medicine people and modern doctors. In short, when Indians got ill a
long time ago, they were sent to a specialist, much like people today are sent to
specialists for specific illnesses. In referring to a specialist, he uses the mystery particle
mii.
(65) Veridical mii (Clark 2003:55, audio)
Mii iniw gaa-izhinizhawaad iwidi, awedi mii gekendang i'iw mashkiki
DM that sent him/her over there another VER who knows it that medicine
ge-minokaagoyan.
that could heal you
‘They then sent him over there, to a specialist who could heal you.’
In (65), to describe a specialist, the mystery particle mii and the nominalized verb
gekendang ‘s/he who knows it’ is used, not a specialized lexical item. In his explanation
of traditional doctors, he explains that, in those days, different villages had people who
knew different medicines. When someone got ill, they were sent to those people who
possessed knowledge of the appropriate medicine for their particular illness. It is the use
of mii which allows the speaker to describe those traditional doctors who possessed an
expert knowledge for their respective medicines.
In the statement of cultural taboos or cultural beliefs, mii is utilized to show that the
speaker is certain that certain events will happen, either as a result of a broken taboo or .
speaker’s attitude of surety. This is illustrated with the following examples.
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