From the 2011 Grandma Jean Round Dance, via YouTube, Rocky Morin of Thundering Spirit sends wishes for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with just the right amount of sâkihitowin thrown in for good measure. Here’s some help for returning those good wishes in Cree, with warmest wishes from the Cree Literacy Network! (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFfRQ_Man5c)
In Plains Cree (y-dialect) from Arok Wolvengrey:
To one person:
miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisi!
ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯ
[mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sih]
Have a Merry Christmas!
To more than one person:
miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisik!
ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐠ
[mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sihk]
Have a Merry Christmas!
To one person:
mahti ka-wî-miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisin
ᒪᐦᑎ ᑲ ᐑ ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐣ
[muh TIH kuh wee mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sin]
May you have a Merry Christmas Day!
To more than one person:
mahti ka-wî-miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisinâwâw
ᒪᐦᑎ ᑲ ᐑ ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᓈᐚ
[muh TIH kuh wee mee yo MUN toe kee sig gun SIN now wow]
May you have a Merry Christmas Day!
From Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan, provided by Russell Iron:
miyo-nîpâ-ayamihâw kîsikansi!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas: kâ-nîpâ-ayamihâhk
Russell suggests the name probably comes from the custom of praying at the church at night (Christmas Eve midnight mass?)
In Woods Cree (th-dialect) from Solomon Ratt:
mitho-makosîkîsikanisik ikwa ka-mithopathihkonâwâ kâ-pî-oskaskîwak
ᒥᖪ ᒪᑯᓰᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐠ ᐃᑿ ᒥᖪᐸᖨᐦᑯᓈᐚ ᑳ ᐲ ᐅᐢᑲᐢᑮᐘᐠ
Have a good Christmas and may good fortune happen on this coming New Year.
In Moose Cree (l-dialect, spoken in Northwestern Ontario, near James Bay),
from C. Douglas Ellis, author of Spoken Cree I & II,
Published by University of Alberta Press.
kipakosêlimitin kici-milopaliyan ê-makosê’-kîsikâk.
I wish you well on the Feast Day.
If addressed to several people, use
kipakosêlimitinâwâw kici-milopaliyêk.
I wish you all well on the Feast Day.
makosêwi-kîsikâw is widely used for ‘Christmas’.
One Response
Hi.
I work part-time as an audio book narrator. I produce talking books for people who can’t read print.
One of the books I’ve been asked to record is called “Askiwina: A Cree World” by Doug Cuthand.
There are several Cree words, such as “Askiwina,” that I don’t know how to pronounce. I was wondering if you know of someone who would be willing to assist me with this.
What I would do is send the person a list of the words, and then phone him/her when it is convenient for both of us, and get the pronunciations over the phone.
I’d appreciate any help you can give me on this.
Thanks in advance, and please let me know if you have any questions!
Kind Regards,
David Van Der Molen