In the Ojibwe language, there is a powerful word: Aanikobijigan.
It is a word used both for a great-grandparent and a great-grandchild. In a single term, the Ojibwe language connects people across seven generations, reminding us that the past and the future are deeply intertwined.
This teaching sits at the heart of Ojibwe language, history, and education. It asks us to think beyond ourselves and consider what responsibilities we carry for the generations yet to come.
The Meaning of Aanikobijigan
In English, ancestors and descendants are treated as separate ideas. In Ojibwe, Aanikobijigan connects them.
The word reflects a worldview in which:
Time is relational
Generations are interconnected
Our decisions ripple forward and backward through time
This is closely tied to what many people call Seven Generations thinking—the idea that our choices should consider the wellbeing of people seven generations into the future.
Seven Generations Ago
Seven generations ago, Ojibwe people faced extraordinary challenges.
Communities were navigating:
Treaty negotiations
Land dispossession
Assimilation pressures
Attacks on Indigenous language and culture
Loss of political and economic autonomy
Indigenous people were often forced into impossible choices. Resistance carried severe consequences, but accommodation often resulted in losses as well.
Even in those circumstances, our ancestors thought carefully about future generations.
They asked:
What will our descendants need in order to survive and thrive?
What Our Ancestors Knew Future Generations Would Need
The answers were clear then, and they remain clear today.
Our ancestors understood that future generations would need:
Sovereignty and self-rule
Land
Clean water
Culture
Language
Community
These were not abstract ideas. They were the foundations of identity, wellbeing, and survival.
Because earlier generations fought to preserve these things, many continue to exist today despite tremendous pressure and hardship.
What Future Generations Will Need From Us
Seven generations from now, very few people will remember our names.
Books, careers, and accomplishments fade with time. But the conditions we leave behind will shape the lives of future generations long after we are gone.
The real question is not whether we will be remembered.
The question is:
Will future generations know who they are and have a real opportunity for a healthy, meaningful life?
The needs of future generations are likely to be the same as they were generations ago:
Sovereignty
Land
Clean water
Language
Culture
Strong communities
If we can help preserve and strengthen those things, then our efforts will matter.
Seven Generations Thinking and Indigenous Education
Seven Generations thinking is a foundational concept in Indigenous education.
It teaches:
Long-term responsibility
Stewardship
Interconnectedness
Community-centered decision making
Ojibwe teachings encourage us to think farther ahead and consider how today’s decisions will affect people generations into the future.
This perspective has relevance far beyond Indigenous communities.
Language Carries Worldview
The existence of a word like Aanikobijigan demonstrates how deeply worldview is embedded in language.
Ojibwe language carries:
Cultural teachings
Philosophical ideas
Ethical responsibilities
Relational ways of thinking
Language revitalization is therefore about more than preserving vocabulary. It is about protecting entire systems of knowledge and understanding.
When Indigenous languages disappear, unique ways of understanding the world disappear with them.
Core Teaching: We Are Caretakers
At the center of Seven Generations thinking is a simple but profound teaching:
We are temporary caretakers of things that must outlive us.
That includes:
The land
The water
The language
The culture
The community
Our responsibility is not simply to inherit these things, but to strengthen them for those who come next.
Q&A: Aanikobijigan and Seven Generations Thinking
Q: What does Aanikobijigan mean?
A: It is an Ojibwe word used for both great-grandparents and great-grandchildren, symbolically connecting generations across time.
Q: What is Seven Generations thinking?
A: It is the idea that decisions should consider the wellbeing of people seven generations into the future.
Q: Why is this important in Indigenous education?
A: It teaches responsibility, stewardship, and long-term thinking rooted in Indigenous worldviews.
Q: How does language connect to these teachings?
A: Ojibwe language carries cultural values and philosophical teachings directly within its words and concepts.
Connecting This Teaching to My Work
Much of my work focuses on preserving and sharing Ojibwe language and culture in ways that help future generations thrive.
In The Cultural Toolbox, I explore how cultural values shape communication, worldview, and relationships. Seven Generations thinking is one of the clearest examples of how Indigenous cultural teachings influence everyday life.
In The Language Warrior’s Manifesto, I discuss the urgency of Indigenous language revitalization. Preserving Ojibwe language is not only about saving words—it is about preserving the knowledge, ethics, and teachings embedded within them.
Through my books, speaking engagements, and educational work, I aim to support Indigenous education and deepen understanding of Native American history and Ojibwe cultural teachings.
Recommended Links
Anton Treuer Books
Anton Treuer Resources
Ojibwe Language and Cultural Teachings
Seven Generations and Indigenous Values
Native American History and Ojibwe Identity
Ojibwe Cultural Teachings Series