While we’re all in isolation, we’re going to try to post one video a day from Sol’s existing teaching library, and the teaching libraries of some of his friends. Like Sasquatch himself, Solomon Ratt has experience with self isolation. Who better to help out with online Cree lessons for remote learning?
Today Sol has provided an original meme with audio, based on his own photo of last week’s pink moon. It’s a reminder of what all we have to gain by retaining the Cree language. You’re welcome to print the image to read along!
Text follows here follow with the click-and-read tool (use alt-click or option-click on each word, to get dictionary lookup.)
ispîhk kâ-miciminamahk kipîkiskwêwininaw
kimiciminênaw kâ-âh-isi-pîkiskwâtitoyahk;
ispîhk kâ-miciminamahk kâ-âh-isi-pîkiskwâtitoyahk
kimiciminênaw kitâtayôhkêwininawa;
ispîhk kâ-miciminamahk kitâtayôhkêwininawa
kimiciminênaw kikiskinwahamâkosiwininaw;
ispîhk kâ-miciminamahk kikiskinwahamâkosiwininaw
kimiciminênaw kinêhiyawâtisowininaw.
ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᒥᒋᒥᓇᒪᕽ ᑭᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᓇᐤ ᑭᒥᒋᒥᓀᓇᐤ ᑳ ᐋᐦᐃᓯ ᐲᑭᐢᒁᑎᑐᔭᕽ;
ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᒥᒋᒥᓇᒪᕽ ᑳ ᐋᐦᐃᓯ ᐲᑭᐢᒁᑎᑐᔭᕽ ᑭᒥᒋᒥᓀᓇᐤ ᑭᑖᑕᔫᐦᑫᐏᓂᓇᐘ;
ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᒥᒋᒥᓇᒪᕽ ᑭᑖᑕᔫᐦᑫᐏᓂᓇᐘ ᑭᒥᒋᒥᓀᓇᐤ ᑭᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑯᓯᐏᓂᓇᐤ;
ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᒥᒋᒥᓇᒪᕽ ᑭᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑯᓯᐏᓂᓇᐤ ᑭᒥᒋᒥᓀᓇᐤ ᑭᓀᐦᐃᔭᐚᑎᓱᐏᓂᓇᐤ᙮
When we hold on to our language we hold on to our oral tradition;
when we hold on to our oral tradition we hold on to our sacred stories;
when we hold on to our sacred stories we hold on to our education system;
when we hold on to our education system we hold on to our Cree essence.
(About Sol’s shirt: https://creeliteracy.org/2020/03/17/awas-go-away-most-dialects/)
