Solomon Ratt: Cree Cultural Teachings – nêhiyaw-isîhcikêwin – ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤᐃᓯᐦᒋᑫᐃᐧ
nikiskisin kâ-kî-awâsisiwiyâhk nikî-nitomikawinân niya mîna nistês ta-nitawi-nikwatisoyâhk. pêyak awa niwâhkômâkaninân ê-kî-nipahât môswa êkwa wâhyaw nohcimihk sakâhk ê-kî-nakatât ê-kî-pê-nâtât owâhkômâkana ta-nikwatisoyit, êkosi mâna kayâs omâcîwak ê-kî-itôtahkik. tahto-wîtisânîhtowinihk nitomêw kanakê pêyak nâpêsis ta-nitawi-nikwatisoyit. nistês kî-wîsâmâw niwîtisânîhtowininâhk ohci êkwa nîsta nikî-wîsâmikawin ta-nâtamawak môso-wiyâs pêyak nohkom kâ-pêyakowîkit. wîpac ê-kîkisêpâk nikî-sipwêhtânân, niyanân nâpêsisak mîna nâpêwak. kinwêsk nohcimihk sakâhk nikî-pimohtânân. nikî-môcikihtânân, ê-âh-âcimocik nâpêwak mîna ê-nâh-nanôyacihikoyâhkik. piyisk nitakohtânân minahowinihk. nâpêwak kî-mâh-manisâwâtêwak anihi môswa êkwa nikî-âh-asowatânân môso-wiyâs nimaskimotininâhk. kâwi nikî-kîwânân. ispîhk kâ-takohtêyâhk nikapêsîwininâhk nikî-wîhkohkênân. ana nohkom kâ-kî-pêtamawak wiyâs nikî-kîsisamâk môso-wiyâs, ê-kî-nawacîstamawit. wahwâ! kwayask nikî-wîhkistên êwako môso-wiyâs! kwayask mîna nikî-môcikihtân êkospîhk kâkî-nitawi-nikwatisoyâhk.
ᓂᑭᐢᑭᓯᐣ ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᐋᐧᓯᓯᐃᐧᔮᕁ ᓂᑮ ᓂᑐᒥᑲᐃᐧᓈᐣ ᓂᔭ ᒦᓇ ᓂᐢᑌᐢ ᑕ ᓂᑕᐃᐧ ᓂᑲᐧᑎᓱᔮᐦᐠ᙮ ᐯᔭᐠ ᐊᐊᐧ ᓂᐋᐧᐦᑰᒫᑲᓂᓈᐣ ᐁ ᑮ ᓂᐸᐦᐋᐟ ᒨᓴᐧ ᐁᑲᐧ ᐋᐧᐦᔭᐤ ᓄᐦᒋᒥᕁ ᓴᑳᕁ ᐁ ᑮ ᓇᑲᑖᐟ ᐁ ᑮ ᐯ ᓈᑖᐟ ᐅᐋᐧᐦᑰᒫᑲᓇ ᑕ ᓂᑲᐧᑎᓱᔨᐟ, ᐁᑯᓯ ᒫᓇ ᑲᔮᐢ ᐅᒫᒌᐊᐧᐠ ᐁ ᑮ ᐃᑑᑕᐦᑭᐠ᙮ ᑕᐦᑐ ᐄᐧᑎᓵᓃᐦᑐᐃᐧᓂᕁ ᓂᑐᒣᐤ ᑲᓇᑫ ᐯᔭᐠ ᓈᐯᓯᐢ ᑕ ᓂᑕᐃᐧ ᓂᑲᐧᑎᓱᔨᐟ᙮ ᓂᐢᑌᐢ ᑮ ᐄᐧᓵᒫᐤ ᓂᐄᐧᑎᓵᓃᐦᑐᐃᐧᓂᓈᕁ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐁᑲᐧ ᓃᐢᑕ ᓂᑮ ᐄᐧᓵᒥᑲᐃᐧᐣ ᑕ ᓈᑕᒪᐊᐧᐠ ᒨᓱ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ ᐯᔭᐠ ᓄᐦᑯᒼ ᑳ ᐯᔭᑯᐄᐧᑭᐟ᙮ ᐄᐧᐸᐨ ᐁ ᑮᑭᓭᐹᐠ ᓂᑮ ᓯᐯᐧᐦᑖᓈᐣ, ᓂᔭᓈᐣ ᓈᐯᓯᓴᐠ ᒦᓇ ᓈᐯᐊᐧᐠ᙮ ᑭᓀᐧᐢᐠ ᓄᐦᒋᒥᕁ ᓴᑳᕁ ᓂᑮ ᐱᒧᐦᑖᓈᐣ᙮ ᓂᑮ ᒨᒋᑭᐦᑖᓈᐣ, ᐁ ᐋᐦ ᐋᒋᒧᒋᐠ ᓈᐯᐊᐧᐠ ᒦᓇ ᐁ ᓈᐦ ᓇᓅᔭᒋᐦᐃᑯᔮᐦᑭᐠ᙮ ᐱᔨᐢᐠ ᓂᑕᑯᐦᑖᓈᐣ ᒥᓇᐦᐅᐃᐧᓂᐦᐠ᙮ ᓈᐯᐊᐧᐠ ᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒪᓂᓵᐋᐧᑌᐊᐧᐠ ᐊᓂᐦᐃ ᒨᓴᐧ ᐁᑲᐧ ᓂᑮ ᐋᐦ ᐊᓱᐊᐧᑖᓈᐣ ᒨᓱ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ ᓂᒪᐢᑭᒧᑎᓂᓈᐦᐠ᙮ ᑳᐃᐧ ᓂᑮ ᑮᐋᐧᓈᐣ᙮ ᐃᐢᐲᕁ ᑳ ᑕᑯᐦᑌᔮᕁ ᓂᑲᐯᓰᐃᐧᓂᓈᕁ ᓂᑮ ᐄᐧᐦᑯᐦᑫᓈᐣ᙮ ᐊᓇ ᓄᐦᑯᒼ ᑳ ᑮ ᐯᑕᒪᐊᐧᐠ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ ᓂᑮ ᑮᓯᓴᒫᐠ ᒨᓱ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ, ᐁ ᑮ ᓇᐊᐧᒌᐢᑕᒪᐃᐧᐟ᙮ ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ! ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ ᓂᑮ ᐄᐧᐦᑭᐢᑌᐣ ᐁᐊᐧᑯ ᒨᓱ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ! ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ ᒦᓇ ᓂᑮ ᒨᒋᑭᐦᑖᐣ ᐁᑯᐢᐲᕁ ᑳᑮ ᓂᑕᐃᐧ ᓂᑲᐧᑎᓱᔮᐦᐠ᙮
I remember when we were children, me and my older brother, we were invited to go fetch meat from a kill. One of my relatives had killed a moose and it was deep in the forest where he had left it to come get his relatives to go fetch the meat, this is what hunters did a long time ago. From every family he invited at least one boy to go fetch meat. My older brother was invited from my family and I was also invited so I can fetch moose-meat for a grandmother who lived alone. Early in the morning we left, us boys and the men. We walked in the forst for a long time. We had fun, the men would tell stories and they would tease us boys. We eventually arrived at the kill-site. The men cut up the moose and we filled our bags with moose-meat. We went back home. When we arrived at out camp we made a feast. That grandmother for whom I brought moose-meat cooked moose-meat for me, she had roasted it for me on a stick. Holy! I really liked the taste of that moose-meat. I had lots of fun at that time when we went to fetch meat at the killing site.
Word List (follows below video):
âcimo | ᐋᒋᒧ | tell a story | (VAI) |
asowatâ | ᐊᓱᐊᐧᑖ | put it in a bag | (VTI-2) |
awâsisiwi | ᐊᐋᐧᓯᓯᐃᐧ | be a child | (VAI) |
ê-kî-nakatât | ᐁ ᑮ ᓇᑲᑖᐟ | he/she had left it | (VTA) |
ê%kî-pê-nâtât | ᐁ ᑮ ᐯ ᓈᑖᐟ | he/she came to get | (VTA) |
ê%kîkisêpâk | ᐁ ᑮᑭᓭᐹᐠ | as it was morning | (VII) |
êkosi%%mâna | ᐁᑯᓯ ᒫᓇ | that’s the usual way | |
êkospîhk | ᐁᑯᐢᐲᕁ | at the time | |
êkwa | ᐁᑲᐧ | and | |
ispîhk | ᐃᐢᐲᕁ | when | |
itôta | ᐃᑑᑕ | do it | (VTI-1) |
kanakê | ᑲᓇᑫ | at least | |
kâwi | ᑳᐃᐧ | back | |
kayâs | ᑲᔮᐢ | a long time ago | |
kî-mâh-manisâwâtêwak | ᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒪᓂᓵᐋᐧᑌᐊᐧᐠ | they cut s.o. up | (VTA) |
kî-wîsâmâw | ᑮ ᐄᐧᓵᒫᐤ | he/she was invited | |
kinwêsk | ᑭᓀᐧᐢᐠ | a long time | |
kîsisamaw | ᑮᓯᓴᒪᐤ | cook it for s.o. | (VTA) |
kiskisi | ᑭᐢᑭᓯ | remember | (VAI) |
kîwê | ᑮᐁᐧ | go home | (VAI) |
kwayask | ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ | very | |
mîna | ᒦᓇ | also | |
minahowinihk | ᒥᓇᐦᐅᐃᐧᓂᕁ | place of killing game | |
môcikihtâ | ᒨᒋᑭᐦᑖ | have fun | (VAI) |
môso-wiyâs | ᒨᓱ ᐃᐧᔮᐢ | moose-meat | |
môswa | ᒨᓴᐧ | moose | |
nanôyacih | ᓇᓅᔭᒋᐦ | tease s.o. | (VTA) |
nâpêsis | ᓈᐯᓯᐢ | boy | |
nâpêsisak | ᓈᐯᓯᓴᐠ | boys | |
nâpêwak | ᓈᐯᐊᐧᐠ | men | |
nawacîstamaw | ᓇᐊᐧᒌᐢᑕᒪᐤ | roast it for s.o. | (VTA) |
nikapêsîwininâhk | ᓂᑲᐯᓰᐃᐧᓂᓈᕁ | at our campsite | |
nikwatiso | ᓂᑲᐧᑎᓱ | fetch meat from a killing place | (VAI) |
nimaskimotininâhk | ᓂᒪᐢᑭᒧᑎᓂᓈᕁ | in our bags | |
nipah | ᓂᐸᐦ | kill s.o. | (VTA) |
nîsta | ᓃᐢᑕ | me too | |
nistês | ᓂᐢᑌᐢ | my older brother | |
nitawi | ᓂᑕᐃᐧ | go and | (PV) |
nitom | ᓂᑐᒼ | invite s.o. | (VTA) |
nitomêw | ᓂᑐᒣᐤ | he/she invites s.o. | (VTA) |
niwâhkômâkaninân | ᓂᐋᐧᐦᑰᒫᑲᓂᓈᐣ | our relative | |
niwîtisânîhtowininâhk | ᓂᐄᐧᑎᓵᓃᐦᑐᐃᐧᓂᓈᕁ | at our family | |
niya | ᓂᔭ | I/me | |
niyanân | ᓂᔭᓈᐣ | us | |
nohcimihk | ᓄᐦᒋᒥᕁ | inland | |
nohkom | ᓄᐦᑯᒼ | my grandmother | |
ohci | ᐅᐦᒋ | from | |
omâcîwak | ᐅᒫᒌᐊᐧᐠ | hunters | |
owâhkômâkana | ᐅᐋᐧᐦᑰᒫᑲᓇ | his/her relatives | |
pêtamaw | ᐯᑕᒪᐤ | bring it for s.o. | (VTA) |
pêyak | ᐯᔭᐠ | one | |
pêyak | ᐯᔭᐠ | one | |
pêyakowîki | ᐯᔭᑯᐄᐧᑭ | live alone | (VAI) |
pimohtê | ᐱᒧᐦᑌ | walk | |
piyisk | ᐱᔨᐢᐠ | eventually | |
sakâhk | ᓴᑳᕁ | in the bush | |
sipwêhtê | ᓯᐯᐧᐦᑌ | leave | (VAI) |
tahto-wîtisânîhtowinihk | ᑕᐦᑐ ᐄᐧᑎᓵᓃᐦᑐᐃᐧᓂᕁ | every place of family | |
takohtên | ᑕᑯᐦᑌᐣ | arrive by foot | (VAI) |
wahwâ | ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ | Holy! | |
wâhyaw | ᐋᐧᐦᔭᐤ | far | |
wîhkista | ᐄᐧᐦᑭᐢᑕ | like the taste of it | (VTI-1) |
wîhkohkê | ᐄᐧᐦᑯᐦᑫ | make a feast | (VAI) |
wîpac | ᐄᐧᐸᐨ | early/soon | |
wiyâs | ᐃᐧᔮᐢ | meat |