A recent request on nêhiyawêwin (Cree) Word of the Day asked for a th-dialect version of the 23rd psalm, so committed heathen Solomon Ratt immediately jumped right to the rescue. Fortunately for us, Dolores Sand had already jumped to our rescue first, working with Gayle Weenie, Jean Okimâsis and others on the latest translation of the Bible into Plains Cree from the Canadian Bible Society (so Sol had a really good example to follow).
You can download pdf versions of the Books of Psalms, Mark, and Ruth from the Canadian Bible Society – all in Plains Cree – at http://biblesociety.ca/translation/cree-plains. You will even find audio links to hear them all read in y-dialect by Dolores Sand. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to read and hear Dolores’s version of Psalm 23.)
Here is his th-dialect (Woodlands) version, adapted by Solomon Ratt, who also recorded the accompanying audio.
kâ-tipîthihcikît okanawîthimāthatihkwîw onikamon 23 David
1 kâ-tipîthihcikît iwako nikanawîthimâthatihkwîm; kahkithaw kīkway nika-tîpipathin.
2 nipakitinik kita-âstîsiniyân ita î-timaskâk mîna nipimohtahik ita î-kâmwâtahk nipiy.
3 kâwi nimîthik nisôhkâtisiwin. nikiskinohtahik tânihi kwayask mîskanawa, owîhthowinihk ohci.
4 kiyâm âta pimohtîyâni pasahcâhk ita î-kaski-tipiskâk namôtha nika-kostâcin, athisk kiwîcîwin; kikanawîthimâthatihkwîwâhtik kitohci-kanawîthimin.
5 kikwayâtastamawin wîhkohkîwin ita î-kitâpamicik aniki kâ-pakwâsicik; kitôministikwânînin î-kihci-pamihiyan mîna kitôsâmi-sâkaskinâhtân niminihkwâkan.
6 kikisîwâtisiwin mîna kisâkihiwîwin îkâ wîhkâc kâ-kîsipipathik nika-pimitisahokon isko kâ-pimâtisiyân. ikosi kâkikî nika-wîkin owâskâhikanihk kâ-tipîthihcikît.
Dolores Sand reads Psalm 23 in y-dialect (from Canadian Bible Society)
nikamowin 23
kā‑tipēyihcikēt okanawēyimāyatihkwēw onikamon David
1 kā‑tipēyihcikēt ēwako nikanawēyimāyatihkwēm; kahkiyaw kīkway nika-tēpipayin.
2 nipakitinik kita-āstēsiniyān ita ē‑timaskāk mīna nipimohtahik ita ē‑kāmwātahk nipiy.
3 kāwi nimiyik nisōhkātisiwin. nikiskinohtahik tānihi kwayask mēskanawa, owīhowinihk ohci.
4 kiyām āta pimohtēyāni pasahcāhk ita ē‑kaski-tipiskāk namōya nika-kostācin, ayisk kiwīcēwin; okanawēyimāyatihkwēwāhtik kitohci-kanawēyimin.
5 kikwayātastamawin wīhkohkēwin ita ē‑kitāpamicik aniki kā‑pakwāsicik; kitōministikwānēnin ē‑kihci-pamihiyan mīna kitōsām-sākaskinātān niminihkwākan.
6 kikisēwātisiwin mīna kisākihiwēwin ēkāya wīhkāc kā‑kīsipipayik nika-pimitisahokon isko kā‑pimātisiyān. ēkosi kākikē nika-wīkin owāskāhikanihk kā‑tipēyihcikēt.
3 Responses
The audio does not play. Does it require any kind of plug in? The written cree is a valuable resource for me even though my dialect is the swampy cree ‘n’. Thank you for your continued work to keep our language alive and well!
Hi Ronnie – I’ve just replaced the audio file with an MP3 which may work better with your system. I hope that works better for you!
Hi my name is Runningwolf I was raised Woodland Cree I am learning to speak my woodland Cree Language again .I lost it during Residential school. I used firefox Browser and it work fine my os his Ubuntu . You should be able to listen to the audio with a up to date firefox browser . I hope that this was helpful .