miyo-cîpayi-tipiskâwinisik
Happy Halloween Everyone!
Thanks to Wayne Jackson for sharing this list of Halloween vocabulary last year on Facebook, and to Sol for posing for this special-occasion portrait (as well as recording the vocabulary, divided into three audio files).
Apples to Flying:
Ghost to Stab:
Vampire, Witch, Zombie
| English | SRO (y-dialect from Wayne Goodspirit) | Syllabic |
|---|---|---|
| apples | picikwâsak | ᐱᒋᒁᐘᐠ |
| bat | apahkwâcîs | ᐊᐸᐦᒁᒌᐢ |
| bite (bite right off someone) | kîskam | ᑮᐢᑲᒼ |
| bite (bite someone) | tahkwam | ᑕᐦᑿᒼ |
| bite (take bite off something) | ||
| black cat | kaskitêw-minôs | ᑲᐢᑭᑌᐤ ᒥᓅᐢ |
| broomstick | wêpahikan, wêpahikanâhtik | ᐍᐸᐦᐃᑲᐣ |
| candied apples | sîwipicikwâsak | ᓰᐏᐱᒋᒁᓴᐠ |
| candies | maskihkîsak, sîwinôsak | ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᓴᐠ |
| costume | ayiwinsîkân, wawiyasêhowin | ᐊᔨᐏᐣᓰᑳᐣ |
| cut (cuts someone through) | kîskahw (VTA), kîskisa (VTI) | ᑮᐢᑲᐦᐤ |
| cut (cuts someone) | manisw (VTA); manis (VTI) | ᒪᓂᐢᐤ |
| dark | tipiskâhki, tipiskâki | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐦᑭ |
| dark (when it gets dark) | wani-tipiskâhki/wani-tipiskâki | ᐘᓂᑎᐱᐢᑲᐦᑭ |
| devil | macâyis, maci-manitow | ᒪᒑᔨᐢ, ᒪᒋᒪᓂᑐᐤ |
| eat (eat someone) | môw | ᒨᐤ |
| fear of something | ka-kostamihk | ᑲᑯᐢᑕᒥᕽ |
| flying (noun) | pimihâwin | ᐱᒥᐦᐋᐏᐣ |
| flying (verb) | pimihâ | ᐱᒥᐦᐋ |
| ghost | cîpay | ᒌᐸᐩ |
| guts | mitakisiya | ᒥᑕᑭᓯᔭ |
| hair standing on end | ê-cimatêyiki-wêscakâsa | ᐁᒋᒪᑌᔨᑭ ᐍᐢᒐᑳᓴ |
| haunted house | cîpay-kamik, âmatisowin | ᒌᐸᐩᑲᒥᐠ, ᐋᒪᑎᓱᐏᐣ |
| head | mistikwân | ᒥᐢᑎᒁᐣ |
| kill (someone) | nipah | ᓂᐸᐦ |
| mask | mihkwâkanihkân | ᒥᐦᒁᑲᓂᐦᑳᐣ |
| moon | tipiskâw pîsim | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐤ ᐲᓯᒼ |
| moonlight | nîpâyâstêw | ᓃᐹᔮᐢᑌᐤ |
| night | tipiskâw | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐤ |
| nightmare | maci-pawâmi, kostâcêhkwâmi | ᒪᒋᐸᐚᒥ, ᑯᐢᑖᒉᒁᒥ |
| possess | ê-kikiskâkot ê-macâyit, ê-macâyit | ᐁᑭᑭᐢᑳᑯᐟ ᐁᒪᒑᔨᐟ, ᐁᒪᒑᔨᐟ |
| possessed dolls | macâyawâsisihkân | ᒪᒑᔭᐚᓯᓯᐦᑳᐣ |
| pumpkin | osâwipak | ᐅᓵᐏᐸᐠ |
| scared | sêkisiw | ᓭᑭᓯ |
| scream | tâcikwêw | ᑖᒋᑵ |
| shiver | sêkiwêpayi, kostâcêwipayi, nanamipayi | ᓭᑭᐍᐸᔨ, ᑯᑖᒉᐏᐸᔨ |
| skeleton | cîpay-oskana | ᒌᐸᐩ ᐅᐢᑲᓇ |
| snake | kinêpik | ᑭᓀᐱᐠ |
| spider | apihkêsîs, ohcapihkêsîs | ᐊᐱᐦᑫᓰᐢ, ᐅᐦᒐᐱᐦᑫᓰᐢ |
| spider web | apihkêsîs-ayapiy | ᐊᐱᐦᑫᓰᐢᐊᔭᐱᐩ |
| stab (stab someone) | tahkam | ᑕᐦᑲᒼ |
| vampire | mihko kâ-ôtâtahk | ᒥᐦᑯ |
| witch | maci-nôcikwêsiw, pawâkan iskwêw, | ᑭᐢᑵᑳᐣ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ, ᐸᐚᑲᐣ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ |
| wolf | mahihkan | ᒪᐦᐄᑲᐣ |
| wolfman | mahihkanêwiyiniw | ᒪᐦᐄᑲᓀᐏᔨᓂᐤ |
| yell | têpwê | ᑌᐻ |
| zombie | onipiw ê-pimohtêt | ᐅᓂᐱᐤ ᐁᐱᒧᐦᑌᐟ |
2 Responses
Thanks to Diana Steinhauer who has written with concern about the word for “witch” used here – and a subject (vocabulary and cosmology) worth further discussion:
“Simply, I take huge objection to the use of the word kīskwēhkaniskwēw to be publicly posted in a forum that has as its audience, language teachers, to mean witch. It is part of our spiritually grounded cosmology that was known to the missionaries and clergy who have accorded a ‘heathen and pagan’ interpretation to its use.”
With Wayne’s approval, the term has been removed. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.