How the birds got their songs = Gaa-pi-onji mino'amaazowaad ingiweg bebaamaashiwaad

When Mother Earth was very young and the Great Spirit had created all the beings--the two-legged, the four-legged, those that swim, those that fly, and those that crawl--he noticed how quiet everything was. As he walked about the earth, listening to the sounds of the animals and the wind and the waters, some birds flying by caught his eye. He knew immediately what he needed to do. Weshkad imaa akina gegoo gaa-ozhitood awe Manidoo Naagaanizid, biinish igo ingiweg sa naazhoogaadewaad, naayogaadewaad, bebaamaashiwaad, naa ge wiinawaa bemoodewaad. Miish imaa gaa-izhi-maaminonendang awe Manidoo epiichi-bizhishigwaanig imaa. Mii go imaa akiikaang gaa-izhi-babaamosed baa-bizindawaad iniwen awesiinyan biinish igo niiwin wendaanimadinigin naa ge ezhijiwaninig iwe nibi. Miish imaa gaa-izhi maaminonenimaad iniwen aanind bineshiinyan.  Gaabige go naa gaa-izhi-gikendang ge-izhichigepan awe Manidoo Naagaanizid. Excerpted from How the Birds Got Their Songs by Travis Zimmerman All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.