Anishinaabe Word of The Day

Robin (opichi)

The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a migratory bird of the true thrush genus and Turdidae, the wider thrush family. It is named after the European robin[2] because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the Old World flycatcher family. The American robin is widely distributed throughout North America, wintering from southern Canada to central Mexico and along the Pacific coast.

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Anishinaabe Stories or Other Interesting Facts!

Source: https://www.homestead.org/

The Origin of the Robin

An old man had an only son, a fine, promising lad who had come to that age which is thought by the Chippewa to be most proper to make the long and final fast that is to secure through life a guardian spirit on whom future prosperity or adversity is to depend, and who forms and establishes the character of the faster to great or ignoble deeds.

This old man was ambitious that his son should surpass all others in whatever was deemed most wise and great amongst his tribe.

To fulfill his wishes, he thought it necessary that his son must fast a much longer time than any of those persons known for their great power or wisdom, whose fame he envied.

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Related Words

Apichi nindapinikaazonan ezhi-anishinaabewinikaazoyaan.
The robin is the spirit bird that gave (my grandmother) my name.