1. Respect – kistêyihtamowin – ᑭᐢᑌᔨᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ

Solomon Ratt: Cree Cultural Teachings – nêhiyaw-isîhcikêwin – ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤᐃᓯᐦᒋᑫᐃᐧ

[1] ispîhk kâ-kî-awâsisiwiyâhk niya êkwa nimis nikî-kanâcihtânân yîkwahaskân akâmihk ita ohci kâ-kî-wîkiyâhk. cîmânihk nikî-pôsinân ê-âsowahamahk sîpiy. kî-miyo-kîsikâw.

ᐃᐢᐲᕁ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᐋᐧᓯᓯᐃᐧᔮᕁ  ᓂᔭ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓂᒥᐢ  ᓂᑮ ᑲᓈᒋᐦᑖᓈᐣ  ᔩᑲᐧᐦᐊᐢᑳᐣ  ᐊᑳᒥᕁ  ᐃᑕ  ᐅᐦᒋ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐄᐧᑭᔮᐦᐠ᙮  ᒌᒫᓂᕁ  ᓂᑮ ᐴᓯᓈᐣ  ᐁ ᐋᓱᐊᐧᐦᐊᒪᕁ  ᓰᐱᕀ᙮  ᑮ ᒥᔪ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ᙮

When I was a child, me and my older sister cleaned the graveyard which was across the water from where we lived. We boarded a canoe and crossed the river. It was a good day.

[2] nikî-mâci-kanâcihtânân yîkwahaskân. kapê-kîsik nikî-kanâcihcikânân. kêtahtawê, ê-pôni-âpihtâkîsikâk, kâ-ati-sôhkiyôwêk êkwa ê-pêtânaskwâk. kwayask kî-kaskitêwânaskwâw êkwa mîna kwayask kî-sôhkiyôwêw! piyêsiwak kî-kâh-kitowak êkwa kî-wâh-wâsaskotêpayin!

ᓂᑮ ᒫᒋ ᑲᓈᒋᐦᑖᓈᐣ  ᔩᑲᐧᐦᐊᐢᑳᐣ᙮  ᑲᐯ ᑮᓯᐠ  ᓂᑮ ᑲᓈᒋᐦᒋᑳᓈᐣ᙮  ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐁᐧ,  ᐁ ᐴᓂ ᐋᐱᐦᑖᑮᓯᑳᐠ,  ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᓲᐦᑭᔫᐁᐧᐠ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐁ ᐯᑖᓇᐢᑳᐧᐠ᙮  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᑮ ᑲᐢᑭᑌᐋᐧᓇᐢᑳᐧᐤ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᒦᓇ  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᑮ ᓲᐦᑭᔫᐁᐧᐤ!  ᐱᔦᓯᐊᐧᐠ  ᑮ ᑳᐦ ᑭᑐᐊᐧᐠ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᑮ ᐋᐧᐦ ᐋᐧᓴᐢᑯᑌᐸᔨᐣ!

We started to clean the cemetery. We cleaned all day. All of a sudden it was afternoon when a big wind picked up and clouds rolled in. They were very dark clouds and it was very windy. Thunder started to roll and lightning flashed.

[3] mâka-mîna niya nikî-nohtê-mâyêyihtên ôma kâ-isi-wêpahk, nikî-kaskimâw nimis kita-kakwê-âsowahamahk kiyâm ôma kâ-isi-wêpahk. êkwâni nikî-pôsinân. wahwâ! kwayask kî-mâh-misi-mamahkâhan mâka kiyâpic nipimiskânân, ê-nanimahamâhk! kwayask nimâh-mâkwahikonân yôtin êyikohk ê-mâh-misi-mamahkâhahk mâka piyisk nimisakânân nikînâhk. nikî-mah-mamihcihisonân kâ-kî-isi-mâyêyihcikêyâhk…mâka nohtâwînân nikîkihkâmikonân, ê-kî-itikoyâhk takî-kistêyihtamahk anima kâ-kî-isi-wêpahk, namôya pakwanita ta-kî-pôsiyâhk ispîhk kâ-sôhkiyôwêk mîna kâ-mâh-misi-kîstihk.

ᒫᑲᒦᓇ  ᓂᔭ  ᓂᑮᓄᐦᑌᒫᔦᔨᐦᑌᐣ  ᐆᒪ  ᑳᐃᓯᐁᐧᐸᐦᐠ,  ᓂᑮᑲᐢᑭᒫᐤ  ᓂᒥᐢ  ᑭᑕᑲᑫᐧᐋᓱᐊᐧᐦᐊᒪᕁ  ᑭᔮᒼ  ᐆᒪ  ᑳᐃᓯᐁᐧᐸᐦᐠ᙮  ᐁᑳᐧᓂ  ᓂᑮᐴᓯᓈᐣ᙮  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᑮᒫᐦᒥᓯᒪᒪᐦᑳᐦᐊᐣ  ᒫᑲ  ᑭᔮᐱᐨ  ᓂᐱᒥᐢᑳᓈᐣ,  ᐁᓇᓂᒪᐦᐊᒫᐦᐠ!  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᓂᒫᐦᒫᑲᐧᐦᐃᑯᓈᐣ  ᔫᑎᐣ  ᐁᔨᑯᕁ  ᐁᒫᐦᒥᓯᒪᒪᐦᑳᐦᐊᕁ  ᒫᑲ  ᐱᔨᐢᐠ  ᓂᒥᓴᑳᓈᐣ  ᓂᑮᓈᐦᐠ᙮  ᓂᑮᒪᐦᒪᒥᐦᒋᐦᐃᓱᓈᐣ  ᑳᑮᐃᓯᒫᔦᔨᐦᒋᑫᔮᐦᐠ…ᒫᑲ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᓈᐣ  ᓂᑮᑭᐦᑳᒥᑯᓈᐣ,  ᐁᑮᐃᑎᑯᔮᕁ  ᑕᑮᑭᐢᑌᔨᐦᑕᒪᕁ  ᐊᓂᒪ  ᑳᑮᐃᓯᐁᐧᐸᐦᐠ,  ᓇᒨᔭ  ᐸᑲᐧᓂᑕ  ᑕᑮᐴᓯᔮᕁ  ᐃᐢᐲᕁ  ᑳᓲᐦᑭᔫᐁᐧᐠ  ᒦᓇ  ᑳᒫᐦᒥᓯᑮᐢᑎᐦᐠ᙮

As usual I wanted to challenge the weather. I convinced my older sister for us to try to go across the water in spite of the weather! We got on board (the canoe). Holy! The waves were huge but still we paddled on, we paddled against the wind! The wind gave us a real tough time because of the big waves but we eventually arrived on shore where we lived. We were so proud of ourselves for meeting the challenge … but our father scolded us, told us to respect the weather when it was storming, to not go on board a canoe for any reason when it was storming.

From University or Regina: a Youtube version that highlights one Cree phrase at a time in SRO:

Word List:

akâmihk ᐊᑳᒥᕁ across the water
âsowaha ᐋᓱᐊᐧᐦᐊ go across water (VTI-1)
awâsisi ᐊᐋᐧᓯᓯ be a child (VAI)
cîmân ᒌᒫᐣ canoe
ê-î-itikoyâhk ᐁ ᐄ ᐃᑎᑯᔮᕁ he/she told us (VTA)
êkwa ᐁᑲᐧ and
êkwa mina ᐁᑲᐧ ᒥᓇ and also
êkwâni ᐁᑳᐧᓂ then
êyikohk ᐁᔨᑯᕁ is so
ispîhk ᐃᐢᐲᕁ when
ita ohci ᐃᑕ ᐅᐦᒋ where from
kâ-isi-wêpahk ᑳ ᐃᓯ ᐁᐧᐸᕁ the way the weather is (VII)
kanâcihcikê ᑲᓈᒋᐦᒋᑫ clean (VAI)
kanâcihtâ ᑲᓈᒋᐦᑖ clean it (VTI-2)
kapê-kîsik ᑲᐯ ᑮᓯᐠ all day
kaskim ᑲᐢᑭᒼ convince someone (VTA)
kaskitêwânaskwâw ᑲᐢᑭᑌᐋᐧᓇᐢᑳᐧᐤ there are dark clouds (VII)
kêtahtawê ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐁᐧ all of a sudden
kîkihkâm ᑮᑭᐦᑳᒼ scold/argue (VTA)
kiyâm ᑭᔮᒼ it does not matter
kwayask ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ very/right
mâka kiyâpic ᒫᑲ ᑭᔮᐱᐨ but still
mâka-mîna ᒫᑲ ᒦᓇ as usual
mâkwahiko ᒫᑲᐧᐦᐃᑯ given a difficult time (VAI)
mamahkâhan ᒪᒪᐦᑳᐦᐊᐣ there are waves (VII)
mamihcihiso ᒪᒥᐦᒋᐦᐃᓱ be proud of oneself (VAI)
mâyêyihcikê ᒫᔦᔨᐦᒋᑫ be challenging/disrespectful
mâyêyihta ᒫᔦᔨᐦᑕ be challenging/disrespectful (VTI-1)
misakâ ᒥᓴᑳ arrive by canoe/boat (VAI)
misi-kîstin ᒥᓯ ᑮᐢᑎᐣ there is a big storm
miyo-kîsikâw ᒥᔪ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ it’s a good day (VII)
namôya pakwanita ᓇᒨᔭ ᐸᑲᐧᓂᑕ for no reason
nanimaha ᓇᓂᒪᐦᐊ paddle against the winVTI-1)
nikînâhk ᓂᑮᓈᕁ at our home
nimis ᓂᒥᐢ my older sister
niya ᓂᔭ I/me
nohtâwînân ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᓈᐣ our father
pêtânaskwâw ᐯᑖᓇᐢᑳᐧᐤ clouds roll in (VII)
pimiskâ ᐱᒥᐢᑳ paddle (VAI)
piyêsiwak kî-kâh-kitowak ᐱᔦᓯᐊᐧ ᑮ ᑳᐦ ᑭᑐᐊᐧᐠ thunder sounds
piyisk ᐱᔨᐢᐠ eventually
pôni-âpihtâkîsikâw ᐴᓂ ᐋᐱᐦᑖᑮᓯᑳᐤ it is afternoon (VII)
pôsi ᐴᓯ board (VAI)
sîpiy ᓰᐱᕀ river
sôhkiyôwêw ᓲᐦᑭᔫᐁᐧᐤ it is very windy (VII)
takî-kistêyihtamahk ᑕᑮ ᑭᐢᑌᔨᐦᑕᒪᕁ we should respect (VTI-1)
wahwâ ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ holy!
wâsaskotêpayin ᐋᐧᓴᐢᑯᑌᐸᔨᐣ there is lightning (VII)
wîki ᐄᐧᑭ reside (VAI)
yîkwahaskân ᔩᑲᐧᐦᐊᐢᑳᐣ graveyard
yôtin ᔫᑎᐣ wind

7 Responses

  1. This is great! The audio, the words written in Cree, English and syllabics are so right! I am learning how to spell Cree in my 60s so I can pass on to the people and this is an invaluable resource. I am grateful for this gift.

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