Page 43: PART 2:Chapter 1: TRUTH
Saturday, August 23, 2025 12:58PM
Ojibwe: Debwe means, s/he tells the truth, s/he speaks the truth
From Page 43:
“Objibwe: Debwe is a verb...an action word rather than an abstract thing”
“Objibwe is a verb-based language that creates, feels, and relates.”
From Page 43-44:
“Some studies suggest that as many as seven out of every eight words in the Ojibwe language are verbs. Whenever we add a -win suffix to the end of an Ojibwe word, it simply makes a verb a noun.”
From Page 44:
“I have hear of several etymologies of the word Debwewin. I believe that all are true.”
Ojibwe: Debwewin, is made up of the word parts -de = the heart, and -we = to speak. This translation aligns with some ancient petroglyphs and birch bark scrolls, which contain images of a being with a heart and a line going through it. The line through the heart signifies that the person is communicating; it’s a visual representation of someone expressing themselves from the very core of their being.”
From Page 44-45:
Ojibwe: Debwewin, “another possible etymology presented by Anishinaabe linguist Basil Johnson, is that the word Debwe is made up of the word parts deb- = to a certain extent, and we = s/he sounds or s/he makes a noise. Under this etymology, the Ojibwe word for truth allows for a certain amount of human error or subjectivity. To explain, Johnson relates an anecdote about a remote Ojibwe community residing in a place that could only be reached by plane, or, in the winter, by dog sled or snowmobile, because there were no roads leading in or out. This meant the community was isolated, yet insulated. Due to its insulation from Euro-Canadian culture, there were still a number of monolingual Ojibwe speakers left. They had not needed to learn English or Franch, as Ojibwe was the preferred language among community members. During a legal dispute between this Ojibwe community and the Canadian government, when asked, ‘do you promise to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth? ...some speakers responded, ‘no, I can’t do that.’ What these speakers meant was, I can say what I experienced = what I saw, heard, witnessed = and that may or may not be the whole truth. I can speak to a certain extent; I can speak my truth to you.’
From Page 45-46:
“When we talk about truth, we mean something eternal. Truth has neither an end, nor a beginning. It’s always been this way. I wonder if the language may actually be censoring itself? The spiritual definition of this word could mean: ‘I cannot define the eternal.’ If so, then words = the sound of our thoughts, which have a beginning and an end, are the wrong tools to use to describe truth. TRUTH MUST BE SOMETHING THAT IS EXPERIENCED.”
From Page 46:
“How do we seek out truth if it cannot be passed down through language?
“To find the answer, I turn to culture, ceremony, and spirituality of our ancestors.”
From Page 46:
“I found an ancient ceremony called Gii’igoshimowin, which means the vision quest. This ceremony is thousands of years old, but one account I found took place in the mid-nineteenth century. One day, a young boy awoke in his lodge to his father hold two birch bark dishes...if he wished to have a spiritual experience, he had to choose it on his own. No one could make him do it. NO ONE CAN HAVE AN EXPERIENCE FOR HIM.”
Ojibwe: Gii’igoshimowin, which means the vision quest.
From Page 47-48:
“What happens to a human being who does not have food, water, clothing, or shelter? They will certainly die.
“When European traders, pilgrims, and explorers traveled to northern Minnesota and North Dakota, the indigenous people helped them survive in a land they found strange and harsh. The Ojibwe provided food, shelter, and expertise in hunting and navigation to the people who would go on to colonize the land. Why would the ojibwe help people who meant them harm? Because it’s embedded in indigenous spirituality to help those in need.”