“ôma ôta ê-wîkîstamahk ministihk, iyiniw ôta ê-kî-miyikôsit ta-kisâtahk êwako ôma askiy. mâcika kîstanaw ê-kî-miyikôsiyahk nêhiyawêwin êkwa iyiniwak kotakak wîstawâw ê-kî-miyikôsicik opîkiskwêwiniwâw. kiyânaw tâpwê piko wanihtâyâhki kipîkiskwêwininaw êkosi ê-wî-wanihtâyâh. namoya kiyânaw nêtê akâmaskihk ka-kî-itohtânaw ta-nitawi-nitonamahk, ka-nitonayahk awiyak ta-âsônamâkoyahk nêhiyawêwin, kiyânaw anima ta-pimâcihtâyahk nêhiyawêwin.”
“ᐆᒪ ᐆᑕ ᐁ ᐑᑮᐢᑕᒪᕽ ᒥᓂᐢᑎᕽ, ᐃᔨᓂᐤ ᐆᑕ ᐁ ᑮ ᒥᔨᑰᓯᐟ ᑕ ᑭᓵᑕᕽ ᐁᐘᑯ ᐆᒪ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ᙮ ᒫᒋᑲ ᑮᐢᑕᓇᐤ ᐁ ᑮ ᒥᔨᑰᓯᔭᕽ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ ᐁᑿ ᐃᔨᓂᐘᐠ ᑯᑕᑲᐠ ᐑᐢᑕᐚᐤ ᐁ ᑮ ᒥᔨᑰᓯᒋᐠ ᐅᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᐚᐤ᙮ ᑭᔮᓇᐤ ᑖᐻ ᐱᑯ ᐘᓂᐦᑖᔮᐦᑭ ᑭᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᓇᐤ ᐁᑯᓯ ᐁ ᐑ ᐘᓂᐦᑖᔮᐦ᙮ ᓇᒧᔭ ᑭᔮᓇᐤ ᓀᑌ ᐊᑳᒪᐢᑭᕽ ᑲ ᑮ ᐃᑐᐦᑖᓇᐤ ᑕ ᓂᑕᐏ ᓂᑐᓇᒪᕽ, ᑲ ᓂᑐᓇᔭᕽ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᑕ ᐋᓲᓇᒫᑯᔭᕽ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ, ᑭᔮᓇᐤ ᐊᓂᒪ ᑕ ᐱᒫᒋᐦᑖᔭᕽ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ᙮”
“We live on [Turtle] Island, the indigenous people were given a land to stay here. We were gifted the nêhiyaw language and the other indigenous people were also gifted with their languages. If we lose our language then we have truly lost. We cannot travel across the ocean to search for or someone to pass on to us nêhiyawêwin, we must be the ones to keep it alive.”
Elder Eva Cardinal quoting the late Agnes Bull, transcribed in Standard Cree Alphabet and audio recording by Wayne Jackson, posted here with thanks.
