Cree Literacy Network

A really beautiful collection of video lectures from knowledge keeper (and lawyer, and Idle No More co-founder) Sylvia McAdam Saysewahum, assembled on Youtube in 2014. With Cree as her mother tongue, Sylvia does most of her teaching in English, but presents many concepts in proper Cree terms as she goes along, adding a rich layer of language teaching to what is already invaluable. [Our next challenge for the Cree Literacy Network will be to gather all of those important morsels and create a glossary in standard spelling.] Thank you, Sylvia, for permission to present your videos here: kinanâskomitin.

Each link in this list connects to an individual Youtube Video from this collection. Sylvia says they can be watched in no particular order, but I’ll put the one marked “Introduction” first. And following Sylvia’s request, take a moment to smudge and pray before you start to come to these teachings in a clean way!

• Introduction to Cree Teachings
• Protocol and Smudging
• Pipe Laws
• The Land Prophesy
• Breaking the Laws
• Mossbag and Women’s Teachings
• Uncle’s Four Laws
• Human Birth
• Wesakechak
• Suicide
• Treaties

Here’s a start on that vocabulary from the Pipe Laws. Clicking the link (on the form in SRO) will take you through to the University of Alberta’s Itwewina Dictionary where you can explore all the forms of that word: https://itwewina.altlab.app/.

• miyw-âyâwin / ᒥᔼᔮᐏᐣ / Health
• miywâtamowin / ᒥᔼᑕᒧᐏᐣ / Happiness
• wâhkôhtowin / ᐚᐦᑰᑐᐏᐣ / Generation / Relationships
• miyotêhêwin / ᒥᔪᑌᐦᐁᐏᐣ / Generosity
• kisêwâtisiwin / ᑭᓭᐚᑎᓯᐏᐣ / Compassion
• manâcihêwin / ᒪᓈᒋᐦᐁᐏᐣ / Respect
• pâh-pêyâhtakisiwin / ᐹᐦᐯᔮᐦᑕᑭᓯᐏᐣ / Quietness