Cree Literacy Network

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

kayâs kâkî-awâsisiwiyâhk nikî-wîcihinân nohtâwîpan ta-nikohtawât atâwêwikimâwa. osâm-piko kapê-nîpin nikî-nikohtânân natamihk nîkinâhk ohci. nohtâwîpan kî-kâh-kîskatahahtikwêw êkwa nîyanân nikî-nâsipêyâwatânân anihi mihta. nikî-sôhki-atoskânân mâna. piyisk mihcêt mihta nikî-âwatânân êkwa mihtot nikî-osîhtânân. nîstâw nikî-pê-wîcihikonân ta-pimitâpihpâhtwât otôtihk ohci, ta-sakahpitahk anima mihtot otôtihk. nikî-itikawinân ta-pôsiyâhk ôsihk mâka nikî-akâwâtênân tahkohc mihtotihk ta-pôsiyâhk. kî-pâhpisiw nohtâwîpaninân mâka nikî-pakitinikonân tahkohc mihtotihk ta-pôsiyâhk. wahwâ! kwayask kî-môcikan!

ᑲᔮᐢ  ᑳᑮ ᐊᐋᐧᓯᓯᐃᐧᔮᕁ  ᓂᑮ ᐄᐧᒋᐦᐃᓈᐣ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ  ᑕ ᓂᑯᐦᑕᐋᐧᐟ  ᐊᑖᐁᐧᐃᐧᑭᒫᐊᐧ᙮  ᐅᓵᒼ ᐱᑯ  ᑲᐯ ᓃᐱᐣ  ᓂᑮ ᓂᑯᐦᑖᓈᐣ  ᓇᑕᒥᕁ  ᓃᑭᓈᕁ  ᐅᐦᒋ᙮  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ  ᑮ ᑳᐦ ᑮᐢᑲᑕᐦᐊᐦᑎᑫᐧᐤ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓃᔭᓈᐣ  ᓂᑮ ᓈᓯᐯᔮᐊᐧᑖᓈᐣ  ᐊᓂᐦᐃ  ᒥᐦᑕ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᓲᐦᑭ ᐊᑐᐢᑳᓈᐣ  ᒫᓇ᙮  ᐱᔨᐢᐠ  ᒥᐦᒉᐟ  ᒥᐦᑕ  ᓂᑮ ᐋᐊᐧᑖᓈᐣ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᒥᐦᑐᐟ  ᓂᑮ ᐅᓰᐦᑖᓈᐣ᙮  ᓃᐢᑖᐤ  ᓂᑮ ᐯ ᐄᐧᒋᐦᐃᑯᓈᐣ  ᑕ ᐱᒥᑖᐱᐦᐹᐦᑖᐧᐟ  ᐅᑑᑎᕁ  ᐅᐦᒋ,  ᑕ ᓴᑲᐦᐱᑕᕁ  ᐊᓂᒪ  ᒥᐦᑐᐟ  ᐅᑑᑎᐦᐠ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᐃᑎᑲᐃᐧᓈᐣ  ᑕ ᐴᓯᔮᕁ  ᐆᓯᕁ  ᒫᑲ  ᓂᑮ ᐊᑳᐋᐧᑌᓈᐣ  ᑕᐦᑯᐦᐨ  ᒥᐦᑐᑎᕁ  ᑕ ᐴᓯᔮᐦᐠ᙮  ᑮ ᐹᐦᐱᓯᐤ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᓂᓈᐣ  ᒫᑲ  ᓂᑮ ᐸᑭᑎᓂᑯᓈᐣ  ᑕᐦᑯᐦᐨ  ᒥᐦᑐᑎᕁ  ᑕ ᐴᓯᔮᐦᐠ᙮  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᑲᐧᔭᐢᐠ  ᑮ ᒨᒋᑲᐣ!

A long time ago when we were children we helped our father to cut wood for the store keeper. We worked almost all summer at cutting wood upriver from our home. My father would chop down the trees and we would haul them down to the river. We worked hard. Eventually we had a lot of wood, so we made a raft. My brother-in-law came to help us to drag the raft with his motor boat, to tie the raft to his boat. We were told to get into the boat but we wanted to ride on top of the raft. My father laughed but he let us ride on top of the raft. Holy! It was a lot of fun.

Word List (follows below video):