Anishinabe - Definition and Overview

Anishinaabe is a self-description often used by people belonging to the indigenous Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonkin peoples of North America, who share closely related Algonkian languages. There are many variant spellings of this name, depending on the transcription scheme and also on whether the name is singular or plural. So, different spelling systems may indicate vowel length or spell certain consonants differently (Anishinabe, Anicinape); meanwhile, variants ending in -eg/ek (Anishinaabeg, Anishinabek) come from an Algonkian plural, while those ending in an -e come from an Algonkian singular.

The cognate word Neshnabe comes from Potawatomi, a people long allied with Odawas and Ojibwes in the Council of Three Fires.

Anishinaabe peoples are governed under many tribal governments (or "bands" or "First Nations") in both the northern United States and southern Canada, chiefly in the Great Lakes system.