Little Hospital – A personal story from Solomon Ratt (th-dialect)

nicahkosîwikamikos / ᓂᒐᐦᑯᓰᐏᑲᒥᑯᐢ / My Little Hospital

Salamô âcimow

Another original story written by Solomon Ratt in his own th-dialect Woods Cree (and translated into English).

Click the audio link to listen and read along!

[1] iskwîyânihk kâ-kî-kiyokawak nikâwîpan nikî-âcimostâk ispî kâ-kî-nihtâwîkiwak:

ᐃᐢᑮᐧᔮᓂᕁ  ᑳ ᑮ ᑭᔪᑲᐊᐧᐠ  ᓂᑳᐄᐧᐸᐣ  ᓂᑮ ᐋᒋᒧᐢᑖᐠ  ᐃᐢᐲ  ᑳ ᑮ ᓂᐦᑖᐄᐧᑭᐊᐧᐠ

The last time I visited my late mother she told me the story of the time I was born:

[2] ikospî îsa î-kî-mikiskâk, kaskatinowipîsim î-kî-akimiht, kâ-kî-pimôtîhocik ninîkihikwak ikwa otôtîmiwâwa, wanihikîskanâhk î-kî-itôtîhocik. tâwic ôma îsa î-kî-otâpahastimwîcik ispî kâ-kî-ati-âhkosit nikâwîpan, athisk îsa ikospî î-kî-kikiskawâwasot, nîtha ôma îsa ikota î-kî-kikiskawit. wihtamowîw nohtâwîpana î-wî-âhkosit, ocâpânâskosihk îsa î-kî-pôsit îskwâ nohtâwîpan. î-pimitisahastimwît.

ᐃᑯᐢᐲ  ᐄᓴ  ᐄ ᑮ ᒥᑭᐢᑳᐠ,  ᑲᐢᑲᑎᓄᐃᐧᐲᓯᒼ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐊᑭᒥᐦᐟ,  ᑳ ᑮ ᐱᒨᑏᐦᐅᒋᐠ  ᓂᓃᑭᐦᐃᑲᐧᐠ  ᐃᑲᐧ  ᐅᑑᑏᒥᐋᐧᐊᐧ,  ᐊᐧᓂᐦᐃᑮᐢᑲᓈᕁ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐃᑑᑏᐦᐅᒋᐠ᙮  ᑖᐃᐧᐨ  ᐆᒪ  ᐄᓴ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐅᑖᐸᐦᐊᐢᑎᒦᐧᒋᐠ  ᐃᐢᐲ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᐋᐦᑯᓯᐟ  ᓂᑳᐄᐧᐸᐣ,  ᐊᐟᐦᐃᐢᐠ  ᐄᓴ  ᐃᑯᐢᐲ  ᐄ ᑮ ᑭᑭᐢᑲᐋᐧᐊᐧᓱᐟ,  ᓃᐟᐦᐊ  ᐆᒪ  ᐄᓴ  ᐃᑯᑕ  ᐄ ᑮ ᑭᑭᐢᑲᐃᐧᐟ᙮  ᐃᐧᐦᑕᒧᐄᐧᐤ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᓇ  ᐄ ᐄᐧ ᐋᐦᑯᓯᐟ,  ᐅᒑᐹᓈᐢᑯᓯᕁ  ᐄᓴ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐴᓯᐟ  ᐄᐢᑳᐧ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ᙮  ᐄ ᐱᒥᑎᓴᐦᐊᐢᑎᒦᐧᐟ᙮

At that time it was freeze-up, during the Freeze up Moon (November) when my parents and their friends were travelling, they were travelling to the trapline. They were way out in the lake, driving a dog team when my late mother began labour, as she was with child, it was me she was carrying. She told my late father that she was going into labour, she was in the dogsled while my late father was driving the dog team. 

[3]  sîmâk tîpwâtîw owîcîwâkana nohtâwîpan, î-wihtamowât î-wî-âhkosithit nikâwîpana. tâpwî-pokâni nâtakâm isi-otâpahastimwîwak. ikotî nîtî kîwîtinohk, sîpânakiciwanohk kâ-kî-ati-kipihcîcik. wâsakâm ikota î-kî-ati-mânokîcik.

ᓰᒫᐠ  ᑏᐹᐧᑏᐤ  ᐅᐄᐧᒌᐋᐧᑲᓇ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ,  ᐄ ᐃᐧᐦᑕᒧᐋᐧᐟ  ᐄ ᐄᐧ ᐋᐦᑯᓯᐟᐦᐃᐟ  ᓂᑳᐄᐧᐸᓇ᙮  ᑖᐲᐧ ᐳᑳᓂ  ᓈᑕᑳᒼ  ᐃᓯ ᐅᑖᐸᐦᐊᐢᑎᒦᐧᐊᐧᐠ᙮  ᐃᑯᑏ  ᓃᑏ  ᑮᐄᐧᑎᓄᐦᐠ,  ᓰᐹᓇᑭᒋᐊᐧᓄᕁ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᑭᐱᐦᒌᒋᐠ᙮  ᐋᐧᓴᑳᒼ  ᐃᑯᑕ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᒫᓄᑮᒋᐠ᙮

Right away my late father calls his companions telling them that my late mother was going into labour. Immediately they drove their dog teams to shore. It was there to the north at the place where the current goes underground where they stopped. It was there they set up camp.

[4] wahway, kwayask îsa kî-sôhki-atoskîwak aniki nâpîwak, î-kîskatahahtikwîcik ,î-wî-wâskahikanîstamawâcik nikâwîpana ita kita-nihtâwîkiwak. miscikosa î-kî-apahkwêcik kisik mîna maskîkwa î-tahkohtastâcik apahkwânihk. namôtha kinwîsk ispî kâ-kîsi-wâskahikanihkîcik ispî kâ-pî-nihtâwîkiyân.

ᓰᒫᐠ  ᑏᐹᐧᑏᐤ  ᐅᐄᐧᒌᐋᐧᑲᓇ  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ,  ᐄ ᐃᐧᐦᑕᒧᐋᐧᐟ  ᐄ ᐄᐧ ᐋᐦᑯᓯᐟᐦᐃᐟ  ᓂᑳᐄᐧᐸᓇ᙮  ᑖᐲᐧ ᐳᑳᓂ  ᓈᑕᑳᒼ  ᐃᓯ ᐅᑖᐸᐦᐊᐢᑎᒦᐧᐊᐧᐠ᙮  ᐃᑯᑏ  ᓃᑏ  ᑮᐄᐧᑎᓄᐦᐠ,  ᓰᐹᓇᑭᒋᐊᐧᓄᕁ  ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᑭᐱᐦᒌᒋᐠ᙮  ᐋᐧᓴᑳᒼ  ᐃᑯᑕ  ᐄ ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᒫᓄᑮᒋᐠ᙮

Wow, these men worked very hard, cutting down trees as they were set on building a cabin for my late mother where I would be born. They used small trees for the roof and put moss on top for the roof. Not long after they were finished building the cabin I came to be born.

[6] nikâwîpan nikî-itik: “î-kî-âhkosîwikamikohkâkawiyan ikospî.”

ᓂᑳᐄᐧᐸᐣ  ᓂᑮ ᐃᑎᐠ:  ᐄ ᑮ ᐋᐦᑯᓰᐃᐧᑲᒥᑯᐦᑳᑲᐃᐧᔭᐣ  ᐃᑯᐢᐲ

My late mother told me: “They had built a hospital for you at that time.”

WORD LIST
âcimostaw ᐋᒋᒧᐢᑕᐤ tell someone a story (VTA)
âhkosi ᐋᐦᑯᓯ ready to give birth (VAI)
âhkosîwikamikohkâkawi ᐋᐦᑯᓰᐏᑲᒥᑯᐦᑳᑲᐏ have a hospital made for someone (VAI)
akim ᐊᑭᒼ count it (VTT)
aniki ᐊᓂᑭ those
apahkwânihk ᐊᐸᐦᒁᓂᕽ on the roof
apahkwê ᐊᐸᐦᑵ shingle (VAI)
athisk ᐊᖨᐢᐠ because
ati ᐊᑎ begin (PV)
atoskî ᐊᑐᐢᑮ work (VAI)
ikospî ᐃᑯᐢᐲ at that time
ikota ᐃᑯᑕ there
ikota ᐃᑯᑕ there
ikotî nîtî kîwîtinohk ᐃᑯᑏ   ᓃᑏ ᑮᐑᑎᓄᕽ there, to the north
ikwa ᐃᑿ and
îsa ᐄᓴ apparently
îskwâ ᐄᐢᒁ while
iskwîyânihk ᐃᐢᑹᔮᓂᕽ the last time
ispî ᐃᐢᐲ when
itôtîho ᐃᑑᑏᐦᐅ travel there (VAI)
kaskatinowipîsim ᑲᐢᑲᑎᓄᐏᐲᓯᒼ November
kikiskaw ᑭᑭᐢᑲᐤ wear it (VTA)
kikiskawâwaso ᑭᑭᐢᑲᐚᐘᓱ be withchild (VAI)
kipihcî ᑭᐱᐦᒌ stop
kîsi ᑮᓯ finish (PV)
kisik mîna ᑭᓯᐠ   ᒦᓇ also/too
kîskatahahtikwî ᑮᐢᑲᑕᐦᐊᐦᑎᑹ cut trees (VAI)
kiyokaw ᑭᔪᑲᐤ visit someone (VTA)
kwayask ᑿᔭᐢᐠ extremely
mânokî ᒫᓄᑮ pitch camp
maskîkwa ᒪᐢᑮᑿ moss
mikiskâw ᒥᑭᐢᑳᐤ ice freeze up time
miscikosa ᒥᐢᒋᑯᓴ small trees (sticks)
namôtha kinwîsk ᓇᒨᖬ   ᑭᣉᐢᐠ not long
nâpîw ᓈᐲᐤ man
nâtakâm ᓈᑕᑳᒼ at the shore
nicahkosîwikamikos ᓂᒐᐦᑯᓰᐏᑲᒥᑯᐢ my small hospital
nihtâwîki ᓂᐦᑖᐑᑭ be born (VAI)
nikâwîpan ᓂᑳᐑᐸᐣ my late mother
nikî-itik ᓂᑮ ᐃᑎᐠ she/he said to me
ninîkihikwak ᓂᓃᑭᐦᐃᑿᐠ my parents
nîtha ᓃᖬ me
nohtâwîpan ᓄᐦᑖᐑᐸᐣ my late father
ocâpânâskosihk ᐅᒑᐹᓈᐢᑯᓯᕽ in the toboggan
ôma îsa ᐆᒪ ᐄᓴ thus apparently
otâpahastimwî ᐅᑖᐸᐦᐊᐢᑎᒱ drive a dog team (VAI)
otôtîmiwâwa ᐅᑑᑏᒥᐚᐘ their friends
owîcîwâkana ᐅᐑᒌᐚᑲᓇ his companions
come (PV)
pimitisahastimwî ᐱᒥᑎᓴᐦᐊᐢᑎᒱ follow the dogs (VAI)
pimôtîho ᐱᒨᑏᐦᐅ travel (VAI)
pôsi ᐴᓯ get on board (VAI)
sîmâk ᓰᒫᐠ right away
sîpânakiciwanohk ᓰᐹᓇᑭᒋᐘᓄᕽ place where current goes under
sôhki ᓲᐦᑭ hard
tahkohtastâ ᑕᐦᑯᐦᑕᐢᑖ set on top (VAI)
tâpwî-pokâni ᑖᐿ ᐳᑳᓂ right away
tâwic ᑖᐏᐨ far from shore
tîpwâs ᑏᑇᐢ call out to someone (VTA)
wahway ᐘᐦᐘᕀ wow
wanihikîskanâhk ᐘᓂᐦᐃᑮᐢᑲᓈᕽ at the trap-line
wâsakâm ᐚᓴᑳᒼ along the shore
wâskahikanîstamaw ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓃᐢᑕᒪᐤ make a house for someone (VTA)
wihtamow ᐏᐦᑕᒧᐤ tell him/her (VTA)

One Response

  1. Tansi,

    I am hoping you can help a friend of mine. He is a pastor of a church that is close to three reserves and wants to welcome Aboriginal people to the church. The church is about 45 minutes south of Edmonton Alberta. Here is his request. I am thinking using both would be good – syllabics and orthographics. Please reply to all. Thank you very much.

    Dear Sharon, One of our projects here at Immanuel has been to redo our sign. It occurred to me that if we had some cree on the sign it would help a bit.

    So, Are syllabics or orthographics most common here? How do you say things like Immanuel Anglican Church All are Welcome and so on.

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