Cree Literacy Network

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

This is a story I heard as a child, I think….but I may have stolen it:

pêyakwâw êsa Wîsahkêcâhk kî-pêhtam âcimowin, ê-âcimimiht oskinîkiwa mistahi ê-itêyimisoyit, ê-kî-kihcêyimot awa oskinîkiw.  ê-kakwê-wîkimihiht êsa awa oskinîkiw, ê-kakwê-mêkiskwêwêhikot iyiniwa, mâka tahtwâw kâ-pê-asotamaht iskwêwa ta-wîkimât, âtawêyimêw! êwako ôma âcimowin kâ-pêhtahk Wîsahkêcâhk.

ᐯᔭᑳᐧᐤ  ᐁᓴ  ᐄᐧᓴᐦᑫᒑᕁ  ᑮ ᐯᐦᑕᒼ  ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ,  ᐁ ᐋᒋᒥᒥᐦᐟ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ  ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ  ᐁ ᐃᑌᔨᒥᓱᔨᐟ,  ᐁ ᑮ ᑭᐦᒉᔨᒧᐟ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐤ᙮  ᐁ ᑲᑫᐧ ᐄᐧᑭᒥᐦᐃᐦᐟ  ᐁᓴ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐤ,  ᐁ ᑲᑫᐧ ᒣᑭᐢᑫᐧᐁᐧᐦᐃᑯᐟ  ᐃᔨᓂᐊᐧ,  ᒫᑲ  ᑕᐦᑖᐧᐤ  ᑳ ᐯ ᐊᓱᑕᒪᐦᐟ  ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧ  ᑕ ᐄᐧᑭᒫᐟ,  ᐋᑕᐁᐧᔨᒣᐤ!  ᐁᐊᐧᑯ  ᐆᒪ  ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ  ᑳ ᐯᐦᑕᕁ  ᐄᐧᓴᐦᑫᒑᐦᐠ᙮

Once Wisahkecahk heard a story about a young man who thought highly of himself, this young man was conceited. People were trying to marry him off, the people were trying to offer him young women to marry but every time a young woman was offered for marriage he would reject her. This is the story Wisahkecahk hears.

êkwâni, nitawâpênikêw awa, mahtêsa tâpwê. takosin ihtâwinihk ita awa kâ-kî-âcimiht oskinîniw. sakâhk ohci kâ-kîmôtâpiw, kâ-wâpamât oskinîkiwa akâmisîpîhk, wâsakâm sîpîhk ê-matwê-kanawâpamisoyit nipîhk. mêtoni kinwêsk kanawâpamêw ôhi oskinîkiwa, osâm-piko kapêkîsik. mâmaskâtêw ôhi oskinîkiwa kâ-itahkamikisiyit, kapê-kîsik nipîhk  ê-kitâpamisoyit, êyikohk mistahi ê-itêyimisoyit! nama-nânitaw kotak kîkway atoskâtamiyiwa, nama-nânitaw itâpatisiyiwa. êkwâni êkota ohci pasikôw Wîsahkêcâhkê-mâmitonêyihtahk tânisi takî-isi-wawiyasihât ôhi oskinîkiwa.

ᐁᑳᐧᓂ,  ᓂᑕᐋᐧᐯᓂᑫᐤ  ᐊᐊᐧ,  ᒪᐦᑌᓴ  ᑖᐯᐧ᙮  ᑕᑯᓯᐣ  ᐃᐦᑖᐃᐧᓂᕁ  ᐃᑕ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐋᒋᒥᐦᐟ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᓂᐤ᙮  ᓴᑳᕁ  ᐅᐦᒋ  ᑳ ᑮᒨᑖᐱᐤ,  ᑳ ᐋᐧᐸᒫᐟ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ  ᐊᑳᒥᓰᐲᐦᐠ,  ᐋᐧᓴᑳᒼ  ᓰᐲᕁ  ᐁ ᒪᑌᐧ ᑲᓇᐋᐧᐸᒥᓱᔨᐟ  ᓂᐲᐦᐠ᙮  ᒣᑐᓂ  ᑭᓀᐧᐢᐠ  ᑲᓇᐋᐧᐸᒣᐤ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ,  ᐅᓵᒼ ᐱᑯ  ᑲᐯᑮᓯᐠ᙮  ᒫᒪᐢᑳᑌᐤ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ  ᑳ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᔨᐟ,  ᑲᐯ ᑮᓯᐠ  ᓂᐲᕁ  ᐁ ᑭᑖᐸᒥᓱᔨᐟ,  ᐁᔨᑯᕁ  ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ  ᐁ ᐃᑌᔨᒥᓱᔨᐟ!  ᓇᒪ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ  ᑯᑕᐠ  ᑮᑲᐧᕀ  ᐊᑐᐢᑳᑕᒥᔨᐊᐧ,  ᓇᒪ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ  ᐃᑖᐸᑎᓯᔨᐊᐧ᙮  ᐁᑳᐧᓂ  ᐁᑯᑕ  ᐅᐦᒋ  ᐸᓯᑰᐤ  ᐄᐧᓴᐦᑫᒑᐦᑫ ᒫᒥᑐᓀᔨᐦᑕᕁ  ᑖᓂᓯ  ᑕᑮ ᐃᓯ ᐊᐧᐃᐧᔭᓯᐦᐋᐟ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ᙮

So then he sets off to check up on this, to see if it was true. He arrives at the place where the people were living where the young man lived, according to the story. From a bush he looks on in secret, when he sees the young man across the river, along the shore of the river, he sees him looking at himself in the water. For a long time he watches this young man, almost all day! He wonders about the young man, about his actions, all day looking at himself in the water, thinking so highly of himself. He works at nothing else, he is good for nothing! From there Wîsahkêcâhk gets up wondering what he can do to play a trick on the young man.

kêtahtawê pêyak kîsikâw, êskwâ ê-kâh-kitâpamisot nipîhk awa oskinîkiw kâ-wâpamât pêyak oskinîkiskwêwa akâmisîpîhk ê-matwê-kanâcihoyit. wahwâ! akâwâtêw ôhi oskinîkiskwêwa êyikohk ê-kî-miyo-nâkosiyit. sêmâk nâtêw ohtâwiya ta-itwêstamâkot ayisk ê-nohtê-wîkimât anihi oskinîkiskwêwa. mêtoni kinwêsîs êyikohk kâ-kaskimiht awa oskinîkiskwêw ta-wîkimât ôhi oskinîkiwa. êkwâni mâka, piyisk wîkihtowak ôki. kwayask miywêyihtam awa oskinîkiw ê-wîkimât ôhi kâmâwaci miyonâkosiyit oskinîkiskwêwa. êkwa ispîhk kâ-wîhkohtowihk ati-ocêmêw oski-wîwa, mwêhci kâ-ocêmât kâ-ati-mîskotinâkosiyit, ê-ati-nâpêwinâkosiyit! wahwâ! nisitawinawêw Wîsahkêcâhkwa! Wîsahkêcâhk êsa ê-kî-iskwêwisîhot ta-wîkimât ôhi oskinîniwa mistahi kâ-itêyimisot.

ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐁᐧ  ᐯᔭᐠ  ᑮᓯᑳᐤ,  ᐁᐢᑳᐧ  ᐁ ᑳᐦ ᑭᑖᐸᒥᓱᐟ  ᓂᐲᕁ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐤ  ᑳ ᐋᐧᐸᒫᐟ  ᐯᔭᐠ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧ  ᐊᑳᒥᓰᐲᕁ  ᐁ ᒪᑌᐧ ᑲᓈᒋᐦᐅᔨᐟ᙮  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᐊᑳᐋᐧᑌᐤ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧ  ᐁᔨᑯᕁ  ᐁ ᑮ ᒥᔪ ᓈᑯᓯᔨᐟ᙮  ᓭᒫᐠ  ᓈᑌᐤ  ᐅᐦᑖᐃᐧᔭ  ᑕ ᐃᑌᐧᐢᑕᒫᑯᐟ  ᐊᔨᐢᐠ  ᐁ ᓄᐦᑌ ᐄᐧᑭᒫᐟ  ᐊᓂᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧ᙮  ᒣᑐᓂ  ᑭᓀᐧᓰᐢ  ᐁᔨᑯᕁ  ᑳ ᑲᐢᑭᒥᐦᐟ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐢᑫᐧᐤ  ᑕ ᐄᐧᑭᒫᐟ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐊᐧ᙮  ᐁᑳᐧᓂ  ᒫᑲ,  ᐱᔨᐢᐠ  ᐄᐧᑭᐦᑐᐊᐧᐠ  ᐆᑭ᙮  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᒥᔦᐧᔨᐦᑕᒼ  ᐊᐊᐧ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐤ  ᐁ ᐄᐧᑭᒫᐟ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᑳᒫᐊᐧᒋ  ᒥᔪᓈᑯᓯᔨᐟ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᑭᐢᑫᐧᐊᐧ᙮  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐃᐢᐲᕁ  ᑳ ᐄᐧᐦᑯᐦᑐᐃᐧᕁ  ᐊᑎ ᐅᒉᒣᐤ  ᐅᐢᑭ ᐄᐧᐊᐧ,  ᒣᐧᐦᒋ  ᑳ ᐅᒉᒫᐟ  ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᒦᐢᑯᑎᓈᑯᓯᔨᐟ,  ᐁ ᐊᑎ ᓈᐯᐃᐧᓈᑯᓯᔨᐟ!  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᓂᓯᑕᐃᐧᓇᐁᐧᐤ  ᐄᐧᓴᐦᑫᒑᐦᑲᐧ!  ᐄᐧᓴᐦᑫᒑᕁ  ᐁᓴ  ᐁ ᑮ ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐃᐧᓰᐦᐅᐟ  ᑕ ᐄᐧᑭᒫᐟ  ᐆᐦᐃ  ᐅᐢᑭᓃᓂᐊᐧ  ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ  ᑳ ᐃᑌᔨᒥᓱᐟ᙮

As it came about, one day, while the young man was looking at himself in the water, he sees a young woman across the river, cleansing herself. Holy! He desires this young woman, so beautiful was she! Immediately he goes to get his father to speak for him because he wants to marry this young woman. It takes a long time for the young woman to be convinced for her to marry the young man. Eventually, however, they marry. The man was very happy for marrying this most beautiful young woman. And when it was time for the wedding feast he begins to kiss his new wife, just when he was going to kiss her, she begins to change her looks, she begins to look like a man! Holy! He recognizes Wîsahkêcâhk. Apparently Wisahkecahk had dressed like a woman to marry this young who thought so highly of himself.

Word List (follows below video):