An illustrated glossary by Zhaawano Giizhik*

The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014
GAKINA GEGOO: All Living Things.
The Anishinaabe word for dream or vision, depending on the context, is
IZHINAAMOWIN; literally: the act of seeing the world in a certain manner. The concept
of izhinamowin does not so much refer to vision with the eyes, but rather to ideas
associated with mental perception; of course, the eyes may be the gateway for that
mental perception.
From of old, ANISHINAABE IZHINAAMOWIN interprets the countless phenomena, forms,
and forces of the natural world specific to man’s immediate environment purely in a
cosmological context. An equally great respect is manifested for all entities within the
cosmos, even those that are more remote to mankind. All life forms are considered
animated and inter-related “persons” or“relatives” (called indinawemaaganag)
possessing a consciousness, rationale, and a will of their own.
This means that the world is seen as one
gigantic web of social relations, an extended
family where the relationship between
humans and the nonhuman and spirit world
is one of continuous interfusion and
reciprocal exchange. All these
indinawemaaganag or “next of kin persons”
are often described as gakina gegoo,
“everyone and everything” or “all living
things” (pronounced gu-ki-nu gay-goo). The
Anishinaabeg believe that gakina gegoo
bimaadad idash gakina awiiya
bimaadiziwag: “everything and everyone is alive”, and gakina gegoo gii ozhigigaade ge
inaabadag: “everything is created for a purpose”.
The beings that are part of the concept of gakina gegoo could be classified as follows:
oniizhoogaadeg = the two-legged ones (humans);
oniiyoogaadeg = the four-legged ones (quadruped animals);
oningwiiganiig = the winged ones (birds);
bemaadagaajig = the swimmers (fishes);
memichaakamigaajig = the creatures on the ground (plants, rocks,
the insects and worms);
manidoog = the spirits of the incorporeal worlds that exist in all layers of the
Universe;
aadizookaanag = the supernatural grandfathers of the nonhuman
category, shapeshifters and spirit helpers, often protagonists of the
aadizookaanan (sacred stories).
See also: ANISHINAABE-BIMAADIZIWIN (page 23).
Above illustration: “Anishnawbe Miinigozwin” (“Gift to the Anishinaabeg”) silkscreen by Ahmoo Angeconeb,
1973. Giizhik, the northern white cedar, connects the underworlds with the middle world (earth) and the sky
worlds. The figures in the image represent the indinawemaaganag that inhabit Aki, the cosmos.
The Universe of The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg by Zhaawano Giizhik - 2014
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