Aaniiih

— The term ‘Atsina’ is sometimes used for the language in scholarly literature, but this is a Blackfeet term and is not used or widely recognized by the Aaniiih themselves.

— Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) is a member of the Algonquian language family and is most closely related to the Arapaho language. The name now officially preferred for the language by the tribe is ‘Aaniiih,’ which is a transliteration of the Native word for the tribe ‘ɔ́ɔ́‘ɔɔɔníííh, meaning ‘white clay’ or ‘white paint.’ The terms ‘Aaniiih’ and ‘Gros Ventre’ are both widely used on the reservation, as is (sometimes) the term ‘White Clay.’