An illustrated glossary by Zhaawano Giizhik*

The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014
the traditional hereditary chiefs, and some of the more powerful chiefs of the
Baawitigowininiwag - the ancestors of the author who lived at the falls and rapids of
Waabiting (nowadays Sault Ste. Marie) -, met the first French explorers of Lake Superior.
Ajijaak, the spirit bird that showed the People the way during their thousands of years
lasting migration from the Land of Dawn (near the Atlantic shores) to the Great Lakes
area and beyond, is forever linked with the history of the author’s forefathers. He holds a
special place in the hearts and the stories of the Gichigamiwininiwag (the Ojibweg of the
Great Lakes) in recognition of one of the defining moments in their history: the founding
of Baawiting on Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and after that the establishing of two more
settlements much farther to the west. Baawiting, the fifth stopping place in the migration
of the Anishinaabe Peoples, was to be the political end economical center of Anishinaabe
Aki, their new land in the west, and from its rapids the diaspora spread out to the
borders and islands of Gichi-gami (Lake Superior), as far as Manidoo-miinis
and Mooningwane-kaaning-minis, two islands located respectively at the far end of Gichigami
and in a bay in the southwestern part of the lake. Here, in gaa-zaaga'eganikag, the
"land of many lakes", wild rice grew in the lakes and streams, fish and fur was plentiful
and the soil was fit to grow large patches of corn and squash; here, in the promised land,
the People found life better than it had been in the east.
Thus the crane played a central role in the creation of the fifth, sixth, and seventh
stopping place. As the miigis shell had done before the People reached Baawiting, Crane
served as a beacon for the Southern Ojibweg in their quest for gaa-zaaga'eganikag, the
"land of many lakes" and he became the symbol of the fulfillment of a Prophecy that had
been delivered to them when they still lived in the Dawn Land.
AJIJAAK BIMISEWIN (Flight of the Crane) overlay bolo tie by Zhaawano Giizhik: oval 14K white gold slide
backed by a sterling silver plate; sterling silver bolo clasp; turquoise stone in shadowbox setting, braided black
leather bolo cord with 14k. white gold tips. The bolo slide measures 55 x 45 mm (2.17 x 1.77 inches). Click on
image to read more about the topic.
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"Many moons ago, GICHI-MANIDOO sent Ajijaak (a sandhill crane) to earth on a mission.
While the spirit-bird was descending, he uttered loud and far sounding cries, which were
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The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014