giiwedinong | north

Kiiwedinong means ‘to the North’ (spelled phonetically). The Nichols & Nyholm dictionary gives the spelling of North as Giiwedin. The spirit of the North, as Larry Aitken explains, brings the harshness of cold and snow as a sign of cleansing and purification. It is embodied by large birds such migiziwag (‘bald eagles’), giniwag (‘golden eagles’), and gakekwag (‘hawks’).