Cree Literacy Network

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

kayâs mâna mihcêtwâw nikî-nitawiminânân natimihk ita ohci kâ-kî-wîkiyâhk. niya, nîtisânak, nikâwiy êkwa pêyak nôhkom nikî-pôsinân mâna cîmânihk natimihk ê-isicimêyâhk ta-nitawiminêyâhk nohcimihk ita ê-ispatinâk. nikî-kospinân mâna êkwa nikî-mâh-mawisonân. namôya mâna kinwêsk âsay kâ-iskatêyihtamâhk ta-mawisoyâhk, niya, nistês êkwa pêyak nisîmis. nikî-mâh-mâci-mêtawânân êskwâ ê-mawisocik nikâwiy, nôhkom êkwa nisîmisak, aniki iskwêsisak. mêtoni mâna kapê-kîsik ê-mâh-mêtawêyâhk. piyisk kâ-ati-otâkosik nitêpwâtikonân nikâwiy êkwa kâ-takopâhtâyâhk nititikonân ta-nayahtâyâhk mînisa nâsipêtimihk isi. mêtoni mâna mistahi miscikowacisa ê-kî-sâh-sâkiskanâhtâcik iyinimina ohci. kî-kosikwanwa mâna anihi mînisa êkwa wâhyaw ta-isi-nayahtâyâhk nâsipêtimihk isi mâka namôya nânitaw nikî-itêyihtênân ayisk êkosi mâna kapê ê-kî-isi-atoskêhikawiyâhk niyanân nâpêsisak.

ᑲᔮᐢ  ᒫᓇ  ᒥᐦᒉᑖᐧᐤ  ᓂᑮ ᓂᑕᐃᐧᒥᓈᓈᐣ  ᓇᑎᒥᕁ  ᐃᑕ  ᐅᐦᒋ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐄᐧᑭᔮᐦᐠ᙮  ᓂᔭ,  ᓃᑎᓵᓇᐠ,  ᓂᑳᐃᐧᕀ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐯᔭᐠ  ᓅᐦᑯᒼ  ᓂᑮ ᐴᓯᓈᐣ  ᒫᓇ  ᒌᒫᓂᕁ  ᓇᑎᒥᕁ  ᐁ ᐃᓯᒋᒣᔮᕁ  ᑕ ᓂᑕᐃᐧᒥᓀᔮᕁ  ᓄᐦᒋᒥᕁ  ᐃᑕ  ᐁ ᐃᐢᐸᑎᓈᐠ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᑯᐢᐱᓈᐣ  ᒫᓇ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓂᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒪᐃᐧᓱᓈᐣ᙮  ᓇᒨᔭ  ᒫᓇ  ᑭᓀᐧᐢᐠ  ᐋᓴᕀ  ᑳ ᐃᐢᑲᑌᔨᐦᑕᒫᕁ  ᑕ ᒪᐃᐧᓱᔮᐦᐠ,  ᓂᔭ,  ᓂᐢᑌᐢ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐯᔭᐠ  ᓂᓰᒥᐢ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒫᒋ ᒣᑕᐋᐧᓈᐣ  ᐁᐢᑳᐧ  ᐁ ᒪᐃᐧᓱᒋᐠ  ᓂᑳᐃᐧᕀ,  ᓅᐦᑯᒼ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓂᓰᒥᓴᐠ,  ᐊᓂᑭ  ᐃᐢᑫᐧᓯᓴᐠ᙮  ᒣᑐᓂ  ᒫᓇ  ᑲᐯ ᑮᓯᐠ  ᐁ ᒫᐦ ᒣᑕᐁᐧᔮᐦᐠ᙮  ᐱᔨᐢᐠ  ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᐅᑖᑯᓯᐠ  ᓂᑌᐹᐧᑎᑯᓈᐣ  ᓂᑳᐃᐧᕀ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᑳ ᑕᑯᐹᐦᑖᔮᕁ  ᓂᑎᑎᑯᓈᐣ  ᑕ ᓇᔭᐦᑖᔮᕁ  ᒦᓂᓴ  ᓈᓯᐯᑎᒥᕁ  ᐃᓯ᙮᙮᙮  ᒣᑐᓂ  ᒫᓇ  ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ  ᒥᐢᒋᑯᐊᐧᒋᓴ  ᐁ ᑮ ᓵᐦ ᓵᑭᐢᑲᓈᐦᑖᒋᐠ  ᐃᔨᓂᒥᓇ  ᐅᐦᒋ᙮  ᑮ ᑯᓯᑲᐧᓇᐧ  ᒫᓇ  ᐊᓂᐦᐃ  ᒦᓂᓴ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐋᐧᐦᔭᐤ  ᑕ ᐃᓯ ᓇᔭᐦᑖᔮᕁ  ᓈᓯᐯᑎᒥᕁ  ᐃᓯ  ᒫᑲ  ᓇᒨᔭ  ᓈᓂᑕᐤ  ᓂᑮ ᐃᑌᔨᐦᑌᓈᐣ  ᐊᔨᐢᐠ  ᐁᑯᓯ  ᒫᓇ  ᑲᐯ  ᐁ ᑮ ᐃᓯ ᐊᑐᐢᑫᐦᐃᑲᐃᐧᔮᕁ  ᓂᔭᓈᐣ  ᓈᐯᓯᓴᐠ᙮

A long time ago there were a lot of times we’d go berry picking up river from where we lived. Me, my siblings, my mother and one of my grandmothers went on board a canoe and paddled up-river to go berry-picking inland where there are high hills. We went inland into the bush and picked berries. It wasn’t long before I, my older brother and one of my younger siblings get tired of picking berries. We played while my mother, my grandmother and my younger siblings, those girls, picked berries. We played practically all day. Eventually, in the late afternoon our mother called for us and when we arrived running she told us to carry the berries on our backs to the shore of the lake. There were a lot of little boxes filled with blueberries. Those berries were heavy and we had to carry them far to the shore but we thought nothing of it because this is the way we boys were always made to work.

Word List (follows video):