It’s been exciting to see Rosanna’s beautiful book, Calling Down the Sky (Bookland, 2015) nominated for so many literary awards this spring. Rosanna’s telling of her mama’s residential school story brought tears to many eyes at the 47th Algonquian Conference last October, where I got to introduce Rosanna to Solomon Ratt. Both Sol and Rosanna’s mama, Edna, share the th-dialect as a mother tongue.
Rosanna is one of hundreds of thousands of children or grandchildren of residential school survivors whose birthright of Cree language and culture was stolen through the wilful destruction of residential school policy. Imagining the powerlessness of a child being condemned to hell for expressing themselves with the only words they knew, her vision from the beginning included translation into Cree as an additional act of restoration.
Sincere thanks to Rosanna and to Sol for permission to post this first translation here. The columns, I’m afraid, are not as pretty as they will be in print, but thanks to Sol’s recording, you can click the audio link and listen while you read along in SRO or syllabics.
Read more about Rosanna and Edna’s story: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/honouring-the-women-who-raised-us-1.3566232/poetry-as-witness-rosanna-deerchild-shares-her-mother-s-residential-school-story-1.3568662
9 August 2016: View re-cut CBC video here: https://www.facebook.com/CBCArts/videos/1247368635287002/
when i think of mama in residential school /
ispî kâ-mâmitonîthimak mâmâ ohpimî-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk kâ-kî-ayât
ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳᒫᒥᑐᓃᖨᒪᐠ ᒫᒫ ᐅᐦᐱᒦ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ ᑳᑮᐊᔮᐟ
| when i think of mama in residential school | ispî kâ-mâmitonîthimak mâmâ ohpimî-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk kâ-kî-ayât | ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳᒫᒥᑐᓃᖨᒪᐠ ᒫᒫ ᐅᐦᐱᒦ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ ᑳᑮᐊᔮᐟ |
| i think of my girls | nimâmitonîthimâwak nitânisak | ᓂᒫᒥᑐᓃᖨᒫᐘᐠ ᓂᑖᓂᓴᐠ |
| my sun | nipîsim | ᓂᐲᓯᒼ |
| first to reach my horizon | nîkân î-takosihk niwahthaw-kîsinôkwanimihk | ᓃᑳᐣ ᐄᑕᑯᓯᕽ ᓂᐘᐦᖬᐤᑮᓯᓅᑿᓂᒥᕽ |
| my moon | nitipiskâwipîsim | ᓂᑎᐱᐢᑳᐏᐲᓯᒼ |
| a dream come true | nipowâtamowin î-tâpwîpathik | ᓂᐳᐚᑕᒧᐏᐣ ᐄᑖᐿᐸᖨᐠ |
| long lithe limbs | sîkwâpî-kinokâtîwak | ᓰᒁᐲᑭᓄᑳᑏᐘᐠ |
| sweet berry mouths | sîwâwa mînis mitôna | ᓰᐚᐘ ᒦᓂᐢ ᒥᑑᓇ |
| brown eyes shimmer | osâwahcâpa cahcahkâtîpathinwa | ᐅᓵᐘᐦᒑᐸ ᒐᐦᒐᐦᑳᑏᐸᖨᓌ |
| skin burnished copper | wasakay kosawihkasimihk sôniyâwâpisk | ᐘᓴᑲᐩ ᑯᓴᐏᕽᐊᓯᒥᕽ ᓲᓂᔮᐚᐱᐢᐠ |
| if the indian agent came | kîspin sôniyâwikimâw pî-itohtîci | ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᓲᓂᔮᐏᑭᒫᐤ ᐲᐃᑐᐦᑏᒋ |
| commanded give me your children | nitisiwâtik mîthin kicawâsimisak | ᓂᑎᓯᐚᑎᐠ ᒦᖨᐣ ᑭᒐᐚᓯᒥᓴᐠ |
| if the mounties came | kîspin simâkanisak pî-itohtîtwâwi | ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᓯᒫᑲᓂᓴᐠ ᐲᐃᑐᐦᑏᐚᐏ |
| demanded stand aside | nititikwak îkatî-kapawi | ᓂᑎᑎᑿᐠ ᐄᑲᑏᑲᐸᐑ |
| if the government came | kîspin okimâwowin pî-itohtîci | ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᐅᑭᒫᐓᐏᐣ ᐲᐃᑐᐦᑏᒋ |
| declared it is the law | itwîw othasowîwin ôma | ᐃᑜᐤ ᐅᖬᓱᐑᐏᐣ ᐆᒪ |
| if they came for them | kîspin pî-nâtâtwâwi | ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᐲᓈᑖᑤᐏ |
| what would i do | tânisi îtokî nikakî-itôtamohtay | ᑖᓂᓯ ᐄᑐᑮ ᓂᑲᑮᐩᐃᑑᑕᒧᐦᑕᐩ |
| would i call down the sun | nikakî-nihci-tîpwâtâhtay cî pîsim | ᓂᑲᑮ ᓂᐦᒋ ᑏᑇᑖᑕᐩ ᒌ ᐲᓯᒼ |
| would i call down the moon | nikakî-nihci-tîpwâtâhtay cî tipiskâwi-pîsim | ᓂᑲᑮ ᓂᐦᒋ ᑏᑇᑖᑕᐩ ᒌ ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐏᐲᓯᒼ |
| if they came for my girls | kîspin pî-nâtâtwâwi nitânisa | ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᐲ ᓈᑖᑤᐏ ᓂᑖᓂᓴ |
| would i call down the sky | nikakî-nihci-tîpwâtîhtay cî kîsik | ᓂᑲᑮᓂᐦᒋᑏᑇᑏᐦᑕᐩ ᒌ ᑮᓯᐠ |
| what solace would i find | kîko nahîthihtamowin nikakî-miskamohtay | ᑮᑯ ᓇᐦᐄᖨᐦᑕᒧᐏᐣ ᓂᑲᑮᒥᐢᑲᒧᐦᑕᐩ |
| there in the silence | ikota kipihtowîwinihk | ᐃᑯᑕ ᑭᐱᐦᑐᐑᐏᓂᕽ |
