"The Ojibwe word “Onishishin” is a lovely and reassuring. It translates, literally, into English as “that’s pretty,” but has meaning and implication far beyond the literal.

I believe this is due to differences between Ojibwe and majority American cultures, in both language and ways in which the world is viewed. Those differences are, to me, sometimes funny and sometimes poignant, but always endearing and interesting.

The statement that something is pretty can be made in Ojibwemowin or in English.

Most of the time I have heard it said, it has been by an older person. “Onishishin” or “That’s

pretty” can apply to an attractive sight, a way of behaving, or something that is right and good, something that is nice. The term, spoken in either language, grounds the comment or compliment in Ojibwe tradition and world view."

Get the Story:
Linda LeGarde Grover: ‘Onishishin’ has many meanings, all good (The Duluth Budgeteer News 8/8)
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