Wilfred Buck’s Tipiskawi Kisik / Night Sky Star Stories must have reached best seller status at McNally Robinson – and at Manitoba First Nations Education Centre where it was produced. It’s really a beauty. Here’s a link that includes a preview of the book and ordering instructions from MFNERC: https://mfnerc.org/product/tipiskawi-kisik-night-sky-star-stories/ It’s also available at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg and in Saskatoon.
The book also includes some fabulous astronomical vocabulary in Cree that Solomon Ratt gathered up and rendered in SRO and syllabics.
| SRO | Syllabic | English |
|---|---|---|
| ahcahk | ᐊᐦᒐᕽ | spirit |
| ahcahk sîpiy | ᐊᐦᒐᕽ ᓰᐱᕀ | river of spirits or the milky way |
| acâhkos | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ | star |
| acâhkos akohp/atahkakohp | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᐊᑯᐦᑊ/ᐊᑕᐦᑲᑯᐦᑊ | the star blanket |
| acâhkos iyiniwak (Y) ininêwak (N) ithiniwak (TH) | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᐃᔨᓂᐘᐠ (Y) ᐃᓂᓀᐘᐠ (N) ᐃᖨᓂᐘᐠ (TH) | the star people |
| acâhkos iskwêw | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᐃᐢᑵᐤ | star woman |
| acâhkosak | ᐊᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ | the stars |
| askiy | ᐊᐢᑭᕀ | earth |
| asiniy awâsis | ᐊᓯᓂᕀ ᐊᐚᓯᐢ | stone child |
| asiniyak | ᐊᓯᓂᔭᐠ | stones, rocks |
| atâhkosak/acâhkosak | ᐊᑖᐦᑯᓴᐠ / ᐊᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ | stars |
| atim-acâhkosak | ᐊᑎᒪᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ | the dog stars |
| atim-acâhkosak | ᐊᑎᒪᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ | the little dipper |
| êkâ kâ-âhcît | ᐁᑳ ᑳ ᐋᐦᒌᐟ | the standing still star, north star |
| ininêwak (N); iyiniwak (Y); ithiniwak (TH) | ᐃᓂᓀᐘᐠ (N); ᐃᔨᓂᐘᐠ (Y); ᐃᖨᓂᐘᐠ (TH) | cree |
| iskwêwak | ᐃᐢᑵᐘᐠ | woman |
| kayâs | ᑲᔮᐢ | long ago |
| kîwêtin | ᑮᐍᑎᐣ | polaris |
| kîsikôwak | ᑮᓯᑰᐘᐠ | beings of light |
| kîwêtin | ᑮᐍᑎᐣ | going home star, north star |
| kîwêtinohk | ᑮᐍᑎᓄᕽ | the north wind |
| kohkominâhkîsîs | ᑯᐦᑯᒥᓈᐦᑮᓰᐢ | grandmother spider |
| kohkominâhkîsîs êkwa ahcahk sîpiy | ᑯᐦᑯᒥᓈᐦᑮᓰᐢ ᐁᑿ ᐊᐦᒐᕽ ᓰᐱᕀ | grandmother spider and the river of spirits or the milky way |
| mâhtâtisân | ᒫᐦᑖᑎᓵᐣ | corona borealis |
| mihkinâhk | ᒥᐦᑭᓈᕽ | the turtle |
| mahkêsiw | ᒪᐦᑫᓯᐤ | the fox; urodelus |
| matotisân | ᒪᑐᑎᓵᐣ | the sweat lodge |
| matotisân/têpakohp piyêsîsak (pinêsîsak) | ᒪᑐᑎᓵᐣ / ᑌᐸᑯᐦᑊ ᐱᔦᓰᓴᐠ (ᐱᓀᓰᓴᐠ) | corona borealis |
| mahihkan | ᒪᐦᐃᐦᑲᐣ | the wolf; polaris |
| mêscacâkanis | ᒣᐢᒐᒑᑲᓂᐢ | the coyote; yildum |
| misiwê (IPC) | ᒥᓯᐍ (IPC) | all that is |
| misti-maskwa | ᒥᐢᑎ ᒪᐢᑿ | big dipper |
| misti-maskwa | ᒥᐢᑎ ᒪᐢᑿ | the great bear |
| mistâpêw (Big Foot!) | ᒥᐢᑖᐯᐤ (Big Foot!) | giant; orion |
| misti-maskwa | ᒥᐢᑎ ᒪᐢᑿ | the big dipper |
| motôtison / matotisân asiniyak | ᒧᑑᑎᓱᐣ / ᒪᑐᑎᓵᐣ ᐊᓯᓂᔭᐠ | pleiades |
| maskihkiy iskotêw | ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑭᕀ ᐃᐢᑯᑌᐤ | medicine fire |
| nitôtêmak | ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ | relatives |
| nimosôm asiniy | ᓂᒧᓲᒼ ᐊᓯᓂᕀ | grandfather rock |
| nîpin piyêsiw (pinêsiw - N) | ᓃᐱᐣ ᐱᔦᓯᐤ (ᐱᓀᓯᐤ - N) | the star of libra on its right wing |
| nîpinêsîs mêskanaw | ᓃᐱᓀᓰᐢ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤ | the geese's path or summer birds' path |
| niska | ᓂᐢᑲ | the goose |
| niska mêskanaw | ᓂᐢᑲ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤ | the geese's path or summer birds' path |
| nohkom asiniy | ᓄᐦᑯᒼ ᐊᓯᓂᕀ | grandmother rock |
| ocêk acâhkosak | ᐅᒉᐠ ᐊᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ | fisher star; the big dipper |
| opâskwêyâhk | ᐅᐹᐢᑵᔮᕽ | The Pas |
| pakonê-kîsik | ᐸᑯᓀ ᑮᓯᐠ | the hole in the sky; pleiades |
| pimâtisiwin | ᐱᒫᑎᓯᐏᐣ | life |
| pihpihcêw | ᐱᐦᐱᐦᒉᐤ | the robin |
| pipon piyêsiw (pinêsiw) | ᐱᐳᐣ ᐱᔦᓯᐤ (ᐱᓀᓯᐤ) | draco and little dipper |
| pipon | ᐱᐳᐣ | winter |
| pîsim | ᐲᓯᒼ | the sun |
| sîkwan | ᓰᑿᐣ | spring |
| sîsîkwan | ᓰᓰᑿᐣ | the rattle; polaris and cepheus |
| têpakohp piyêsîsak (pinêsîsak) | ᑌᐸᑯᐦᑊ ᐱᔦᓰᓴᐠ (ᐱᓀᓰᓴᐠ) | the seven birds; corona borealis |
| mitihkom | ᒥᑎᐦᑯᒼ | the louse |
| tipiskâw kîsik | ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐤ ᑮᓯᐠ | night sky |
| wîsahkêcâhk/mistâpêw | ᐑᓴᐦᑫᒑᕽ / ᒥᐢᑖᐯᐤ | orion and aldebaran |
1 Response to Star Vocabulary from Wilfred Buck – SRO, y-dialect