National Aboriginal History Month Day Two: apihkâna

Urban Native Magazine and Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association have launched a photograph challenge (for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) in honour of National Aboriginal History Month. They’re using the Twitter hashtag #NAHM2015PhotoADay.

Here at the Cree Literacy Network, we’ve decided to play along, by gathering the images suggested – but (with help from Solomon Ratt) captioning them in Cree.

For Day Two, the word is Braids:

apihkâna / ᐊᐱᐦᑳᓇ

apihkâtam mêstakaya – he/she braids hair

I’m “borrowing” this photo from the web, since I can’t find any good photos of the people with braids I know and love best.

I learned an important cross-linguistic lesson today: This noun for braid refers to braids of *hair* – and not to braids of sweetgrass (even though sweetgrass is the hair of Mother Earth). The verb form can be used for either one!

Thanks for being a kind teacher, Sol! When did you last wear a braid?

boybraids
http://www.powwows.com/2013/01/28/native-american-hair-braid-care/

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