Cree Literacy Network

Cree-speaking pre-reader hard at work!

In this beautiful documentary of an East Cree winter hunting camp, an NFB crew accompanies a small family group  – a pêyakôtênaw – on their winter trapping roundseast of James Bay.
pêyakôtênaw could be literally translated as “one town,” but in the traditional sense, it referred to one family, or small group of families, living and hunting together, just like this video shows. Perhaps this is the real origin of the Cree word otênaw ‘town’.

Listening carefully to the Cree, I could recognize a few words here and there. Real speakers will surely do better, despite the dialect difference. I love the visuals, and the  teaching of children by their parents how to continue to care for the land they live on. The still photo I chose to use here is a favourite moment (among many): the beautiful nosiness of the pre-schooler watching the trader write his cheque and do his books around 41′. Perfect pre-literacy in action! http://www.nfb.ca/film/cree_hunters/

University of Alberta Cree Language Courses

Thank you to Arok Wolvengrey for letting me know that there is still lots of space available in  this summer’s Cree Immersion course in Regina at First Nations University. (Cree 150).

Arok is probably the best source for details. His email appears below:

Arok Wolvengrey

awolvengrey<at>firstnationsuniversity.ca

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Incredible news today from University of Alberta, and from First Nations University: both are offering Cree courses as part of their Spring/Summer programs, and in both cases, the courses are already full!

UofA’s Spring offerings are shown on the poster;

FNUC is offering Cree 100 (online) and Cree 150 (immersion).

The University of Manitoba is also offering its Cree Language Institute through the Faculty of Native Studies: no word yet on their enrolment limits. Here is the URL with information about UofM’s courses this summer in Winnipeg:
http://umanitoba.ca/admin/indigenous_connect/media/Summer_Institute_-_Cree_Language_and_Narrative_Studies2013.pdf

Looks like it’s going to be a great Cree summer!

For those who’ve missed out for this year, now might be a great time to start research options for the fall!

Thank you to Debra Laliberte at SICC for forwarding news of their teacher training program. There is are so many exciting opportunities for speaking and learning Cree this summer in western Canada!
Click here to download poster as pdf:
FNUC First Nations Language Instructors Certificate Program

University of Alberta Cree Language Courses

Incredible news today from University of Alberta, and from First Nations University: both are offering Cree courses as part of their Spring/Summer programs, and in both cases, the courses are already full!

UofA’s Spring offerings are shown on the poster;

FNUC is offering Cree 100 (online) and Cree 150 (immersion).

The University of Manitoba is also offering its Cree Language Institute through the Faculty of Native Studies: no word yet on their enrolment limits. Here is the URL with information about UofM’s courses this summer in Winnipeg:
http://umanitoba.ca/admin/indigenous_connect/media/Summer_Institute_-_Cree_Language_and_Narrative_Studies2013.pdf

Looks like it’s going to be a great Cree summer!

For those who’ve missed out for this year, now might be a great time to start research options for the fall!

iskwewak

“Facelifted” with thanks to Tyrone Tootoosis (For those learning SRO, equivalents appear in brackets):

The Plains Cree word for Fire is “Iskotew”(iskotêw). The “otawew” (otêh ’heart’) of our lodges/tipis is always the iskotew, as without fire, we would not have survived. As such, fire is seen and understood as “pimatisowin” (pimâtisiwin ’life’). The keeper of the lodge fire is iskwew (iskwêw ’woman’). Iskwewak (iskwêwak, plural) are the givers of life which is why the second root word in iskotew comes from the Cree word for heart. “Kaytayak” (kêhtê-ayak ‘elders’) say that the heart and strength of the Nations comes from our women and the initial thread of this power is transferred in infancy during the time when a child is breastfed. Half of the woman’s spiritual power, her strong physical health, her courage, her kindness etc. is passed on to the child during this time. Kaytayak say that there is nothing so strong as this gentleness because there is nothing more gentle than this real strength.

Ken Paupanekis speaks Cree at language round table.

Ken Paupanekis brought Cree to the language roundtable discussion today at the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers 2013 Conference at the Delta Winnipeg. It’s good to share support and strategies from others who understand the strength that comes from knowing more than one language — but especially in knowing one’s heritage language.

Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus), white morph, Shirleys Bay, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Photographed by D. Gordon E. Robertson

tâns âta wîya nitôtêmitik!   kayâs mâna wâpos-tâpakwêwin iskwêw-atoskêwin. nikâwiy mîna kî-itwêw mân ôhi wâpôs-mêyisa ê-maskihkîwahk.

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Sometime ago we had a conversation about horses nikâwiy ê-mâmiskocikêyak. nêhiyawêwin ohci. It is rich in this language because horses were important to nêhiyâwak. These specific words will probably be lost soon because not everyone has horses in everyday life like they used to. First the horse paraphernalia:

• otâpânîyaapîya harness
•  tâpitonêpicikan bridle
•  nakânikan yoke
•  âpasoy the pole in the middle on which the harness is attached

The horses themselves:

• nôsê-aya female animal or being, including horses but it could be female moose
• kiskisis young female horse
• oskastimowi be a young horse (verb)
• ayêhkwêwatim gelding; a male who has been cut
• wâpihkwêwatim whiteface horse
• wâpihkwêwânak whiteface female

[Note: the suffix -(w)atimor -(w)astim indicates male; the suffix -ânak indicates female]

• wâpastim all white horse (male)
• wâpânak all white horse (female)
• askicakowês grey horse (male) [no suffix -atim I double checked]
• askihtakwewânak /  grey horse (female)
• mihkwatim/mihkwastim red horse
• mihkwânak red female
• wacokowês blood clot red horse or chocolate colored reddish brown
• wacokânak female version
• osâwastim light brown horse
• osâwânak light brown female
• wîpastim / dark colored horse (whether it was red or brown)
• wîpânak /  dark female

Another interesting tidbit nikâwiy shared: some people called this dark colour âpakosís-pîway(-astim) mouse fur horse

• cahcakatim spotted horse
• cahcakânak spotted female
• kaskitêwastim black horse
• kaskitêwânak black female

nikâwiy said stallions were not common in every owner’s herd. She said ê-ki-ayimsicik - they were hard to control. Only owners who were into breeding had stallions.

Mary Cardinal Collins

êkosi mâka. mîna kîhtwâm. Mary Cardinal Collins