Today’s article by Janet French from Saskatoon’s StarPhoenix features students from Priscilla St. John’s Grade 1 class, who performed an Elvis Presley song in Cree at the second annual St. Frances Cree Language Festival on the school’s front lawn on Tuesday. How fabulous to see Dolores Sand’s translations put to use in Grade 1. And you just know there are kohkoms all over the place looking at each one of those little guys as a Hunk-a-hunk-a burnin’ love. 😉
Read the article: Students embrace Cree language.
For those who’d like to sing along, here are the words in Cree courtesy of Dolores Sand and the elders of Muskeg Lake FN.
ninanamipayin
tānisi ōma ē-is-āyāyān
nānitaw ōma ē-ispayiyān
ē-kīskwē-ayāt nitikwak ēkwa
nisākihāw, ninanamipayin
mm mm mm mm ye ye ye
ninanamicihcān, nihcikwana mīna
namoy kwayask nikī-nīpawin
awīna nika-nanāskomāw
nisākihāw ninanamipayin
mm mm mm mm ye ye ye
ēkāy kīkway kakwēcimin
niwā-wanēyihtamimācihon
ē-nakiskawak awa ē-sākihak
ninanamitēhēpayin, o, awīya!
kā-sakiniskēnit
tānisi nitamācihon
nikīsison māna kā-ocēmak
nimamihcihik awa nīcimos
nisākihāw, ninanamipayin
mm mm mm mm ye ye ye
moy māna nikī-pīkiskwān
pihcāyihk ninanamipayin
pēyak kīkway piko ihtakon
kā-ayāwak ana kā-sākihak
kā-sakiniskēnit
tānisi nitamācihon
nikīsison māna kā-ocēmak
nimamihcihik awa nīcimos
nisākihāw, ninanamipayin
mm mm mm mm ye ye ye
ninanamipayin
• translated by Muskeg Lake Cree Nation Elders
