Page 26 - Moose Deer Point First Nation

Language

We are the Pottawatomi Nishnaabe people of the ancient
Council of the Three Fires.

You might notice that the word Nishnaabe is similar to the word
Anishinaabe. They mean the same thing. The spelling difference
shows us that, although the people speak the same language,
the way it is spoken is slightly different between communities
and also between the Anishinaabeg and the Pottawatomi.

WORDS TO KNOW We call the difference between how a language is spoken in
dialect: a form of language that different communities dialect. Think of the difference between
is unique to a certain region or
the way Canadians speak English, and the way Australians speak
social group
English. Most of the words are the same, but they often sound
slightly different from each other. Canadians may use words that
Australians do not use, and vice versa.

We do not have speakers in our community who carry the
Pottawatomi dialect. We have memories of them, and some of
us remember hearing the dialect in use.

This prayer is the result of a project funded with an Aboriginal Language
Initiative grant.

24 Moose Deer Point First Nation

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