Star Vocabulary from Wilfred Buck – SRO, y-dialect

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. 

You can also learn more from Wilfred Buck’s Official Website: https://acakwuskwun.com/

The book also includes some fabulous astronomical vocabulary in Cree that Solomon Ratt gathered up and rendered in SRO and syllabics.

SROSyllabicEnglish
ahcahk ᐊᐦᒐᕽ spirit
ahcahk sîpiyᐊᐦᒐᕽ ᓰᐱᕀriver of spirits or the milky way
acâhkosᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢstar
acâhkos akohp/atahkakohpᐊᒑᐦᑯᐢ ᐊᑯᐦᑊ/ᐊᑕᐦᑲᑯᐦᑊthe 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 awâsisᐊᓯᓂᕀ ᐊᐚᓯᐢstone child
asiniyak ᐊᓯᓂᔭᐠ stones, rocks
atâhkosak/acâhkosakᐊᑖᐦᑯᓴᐠ / ᐊᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠstars
atim-acâhkosak ᐊᑎᒪᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ the dog stars
atim-acâhkosak ᐊᑎᒪᒑᐦᑯᓴᐠ the little dipper
êkâ kâ-âhcîtᐁᑳ ᑳ ᐋᐦᒌᐟthe 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
kîwêtinohkᑮᐍᑎᓄᕽthe north wind
kohkominâhkîsîs ᑯᐦᑯᒥᓈᐦᑮᓰᐢ grandmother spider
kohkominâhkîsîs êkwa ahcahk sîpiyᑯᐦᑯᒥᓈᐦᑮᓰᐢ ᐁᑿ ᐊᐦᒐᕽ ᓰᐱᕀgrandmother 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 mêskanawᓃᐱᓀᓰᐢ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤthe geese's path or summer birds' path
niska ᓂᐢᑲ the goose
niska mêskanaw ᓂᐢᑲ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤ the geese's path or summer birds' path
nohkom asiniyᓄᐦᑯᒼ ᐊᓯᓂᕀgrandmother 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/mistâpêwᐑᓴᐦᑫᒑᕽ / ᒥᐢᑖᐯᐤorion and aldebaran

3 Responses

  1. I am studying “let the ponies out”
    In it there is a Cree word Chigayow
    Can anyone tell me the meaning of this word?

    Thanks!

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