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 |
| pî | ᐲ | 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
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.