Absentative Pronouns

Observation
ᐊᓂᔮ ᓅᐦᑯᒻ᙮ Click here to hear this word aniyaa nuuhkum. My late grandmother.

The absentative pronoun is made up of the demonstrative pronoun uu or ᐊᓐ an plus a suffix. The ᐆᔮ uuyaa set is used for living humans who are unexpectedly absent, while the ᐊᓂᔮ aniyaa set is used primarily for deceased people.

Absentative Pronouns: Set One
  Proximate Obviative
  singular plural singular plural
Animate Click here to hear this word ᐅᔮ Click here to hear this word ᐅᔮᐦᑳ Click here to hear this word ᐅᔮᐦ Click here to hear this word ᐅᔮᐦ
uuyaa uyaahkaa uyaah uyaah
Inanimate Click here to hear this word ᐊᓂᔮ Click here to hear this word ᐊᓂᔮᐦᑳ Click here to hear this word ᐊᓂᔮᐦ Click here to hear this word ᐊᓂᔮᐦ
aniyaa aniyaahkaa aniyaah aniyaah

Examples:

ᓂᒋᔅᒋᓰᑐᑎᐧᐋᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓅᐦᑯᒻ᙮ Click here to hear this word nichischisiitutiwaau aniyaa nuuhkum. I remember my late grandmother.
ᐄᔑ ᑖᓂᑖᐦ ᐄᔖᑳ ᐃᔨᐦᑖᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓂᑎᐧᐋᔑᔒᒻ᙮   iishi taanitaah iishaakaa iyihtaau aniyaa nitiwaashishiim. I wonder where my (lost) child is?
ᒋᔅᒋᓰᑐᑎᐧᐋᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᐦᑯᒻ᙮ Click here to hear this word chischisiitutiwaau aniyaah uhkumh. S/he remembers his/her late grandmother.
ᓂᒥᐦᑖᑖᓐ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓂᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word nimihtaateaan aniyaa nimisinihiikin. I miss my book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)
ᒥᐦᑖᑕᑎᒻ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word mihtaatim aniyaa umisinihiikin. S/he misses his/her book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)
ᒥᐦᑖᑎᐧᔓᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᐦᑖᐧᐄᐦ ᐅᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓂᔨᐤ᙮ Click here to hear this word mihtaatimwaau aniyaa uhtaawiih umisinihiikiniyiu. S/he misses his/her father’s book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)

To talk about objects that just disappeared (when you expect them to be there but they are not), there is another absentative pronoun ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ aaukwaanaayaa.

ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ ᓂᑎᔅᒡ᙮ Click here to hear this word aaukwaanaayaa  nitisch. My mitten is gone!
ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ ᓂᑎᔅᒋᓯᒡ᙮ Click here to hear this word aaukwaannaayaahkaa nitischisich. My mittens have gone!
Absentative Pronouns: Set Two
  Proximate Obviative
  singular plural singular plural
Animate Click here to hear this word ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ Click here to hear this word ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ Click here to hear this word ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ Click here to hear this word ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ
aaukwaanaayaa aaukwaannaayaahkaa aayiwikwaanaa aayiwikwaanaa
Inanimate Click here to hear this word ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ Click here to hear this word ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ Click here to hear this word ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ Click here to hear this word ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ
aaukwaanaayaa aaukwaannaayaahkaa aayiwikwaanaa aayiwikwaanaa