kî-ayamihi-kîsikâw. mâka mîna nikî-nitawi-ayamihânân ayamihikamikosihk. nikânihk mâna nîthanân nikî-apihikawinân. ispî mâna kâ-mâci-ayamihâyâhk kihcâyamihikimâw mâna ikwa kotakak ayamihikimâwak otahk ayamihikamikosihk ohci pî-ohtohtîwak, kahkithaw î-nikamoyahk ayamâwi-nikamon. nikî-kanawâpamâwak ôko ayamihikimâwak. piyak î-nîhithawinâkosit. iyako ana î-kî-kitâpimak ispî kâ-pihtawak nitôtîm î-kîmôc-ayamihit.
“cîst, kimâmâ ana!”
kâ-itâpiyân itî kâ-itwahikît, ôtahk ayamihikamikosihk. tâpwî mâni mâka! nimâmâ ikotî otahk kâ-matwî-apit î-wâwâstahamowit, î-pâhpihkwîsit.
sîmâk nikakwî-nâcipahâw mâka ninakinik nitôtîm.
“pôni-ayamihâyâhki ka-kiyokâtonâwâw misawâc,” itwîw.
kî-ayamihâniwin. pîthisk ana kâ-nîhithawi-nâkosit ayamihikimâw kâ-tîpwâtiht ta-sâh-sihkimâwasot. Rev. Ahenakew kî-itâw.
kâ-pôni-ayamihâyâhk nîtha ikwa nîtisânak (nistîs, ikwa nimisak) nikî-kiyokawânân nikâwîpaninân. pihtaw namôtha kinwîsk ikwa sâsay âhkosîwikamikohk kâ-isi-tâpâsot. î-katohpinît ikospî mâka sîyâkîs î-kî-isi-ayât kâ-kî-ohci-pakitiniht ta-pî-kiyokâkoyâhk itâ kâ-kitîthimikawiyâhk wahthaw nîkinâhk ohci kita-ayamihcikîyâhk.
ᑮ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ᙮ ᒫᑲ ᒦᓇ ᓂᑮ ᓂᑕᐏ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᓈᐣ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑲᒥᑯᓯᕽ᙮ ᓂᑳᓂᕽ ᒫᓇ ᓃᖬᓈᐣ ᓂᑮ ᐊᐱᐦᐃᑲᐏᓈᐣ᙮ ᐃᐢᐲ ᒫᓇ ᑳ ᒫᒋ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᔮᕽ ᑭᐦᒑᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐤ ᒫᓇ ᐃᑿ ᑯᑕᑲᐠ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐘᐠ ᐅᑕᕽ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑲᒥᑯᓯᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐲ ᐅᐦᑐᐦᑏᐘᐠ, ᑲᐦᑭᖬᐤ ᐄ ᓂᑲᒧᔭᕽ ᐊᔭᒫᐏ ᓂᑲᒧᐣ᙮ ᓂᑮ ᑲᓇᐚᐸᒫᐘᐠ ᐆᑯ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐘᐠ᙮ ᐱᔭᐠ ᐄ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐏᓈᑯᓯᐟ᙮ ᐃᔭᑯ ᐊᓇ ᐄ ᑮ ᑭᑖᐱᒪᐠ ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᐱᐦᑕᐘᐠ ᓂᑑᑏᒼ ᐄ ᑮᒨᒐᔭᒥᐦᐃᐟ᙮
“ᒌᐢᐟ, ᑭᒫᒫ ᐊᓇ!”
ᑳ ᐃᑖᐱᔮᐣ ᐃᑏ ᑳ ᐃᑢᐦᐃᑮᐟ, ᐆᑕᕽ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑲᒥᑯᓯᕽ᙮ ᑖᐿ ᒫᓂ ᒫᑲ! ᓂᒫᒫ ᐃᑯᑏ ᐅᑕᕽ ᑳ ᒪᑜ ᐊᐱᐟ ᐄ ᐚᐚᐢᑕᐦᐊᒧᐏᐟ, ᐄ ᐹᐦᐱᐦᑹᓯᐟ᙮
ᓰᒫᐠ ᓂᑲᑹ ᓈᒋᐸᐦᐋᐤ ᒫᑲ ᓂᓇᑭᓂᐠ ᓂᑑᑏᒼ᙮
“ᐴᓂ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᔮᐦᑭ ᑲ ᑭᔪᑳᑐᓈᐚᐤ ᒥᓴᐚᐨ,” ᐃᑜᐤ᙮
ᑮ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᓂᐏᐣ᙮ ᐲᖨᐢᐠ ᐊᓇ ᑳ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐏ ᓈᑯᓯᐟ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐤ ᑳ ᑏᑇᑎᐦᐟ ᑕ ᓵᐦ ᓯᐦᑭᒫᐘᓱᐟ᙮ Rev. ᐊᐦᐁᓇᑫᐤ ᑮ ᐃᑖᐤ᙮
ᑳ ᐴᓂ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᔮᕽ ᓃᖬ ᐃᑿ ᓃᑎᓵᓇᐠ (ᓂᐢᑏᐢ, ᐃᑿ ᓂᒥᓴᐠ) ᓂᑮ ᑭᔪᑲᐚᓈᐣ ᓂᑳᐑᐸᓂᓈᐣ᙮ ᐱᐦᑕᐤ ᓇᒨᖬ ᑭᐣᐑᐢᐠ ᐃᑿ ᓵᓴᐩ ᐋᐦᑯᓰᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ ᑳ ᐃᓯ ᑖᐹᓱᐟ᙮ ᐄ ᑲᑐᐦᐱᓃᐟ ᐃᑯᐢᐲ ᒫᑲ ᓰᔮᑮᐢ ᐄ ᑮ ᐃᓯ ᐊᔮᐟ ᑳ ᑮ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐸᑭᑎᓂᐦᐟ ᑕ ᐲ ᑭᔪᑳᑯᔮᕽ ᐃᑖ ᑳ ᑭᑏᖨᒥᑲᐏᔮᕽ ᐘᐦᖬᐤ ᓃᑭᓈᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ ᑭᑕ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᒋᑮᔮᕽ᙮
It was Sunday. As usual we went to church service at the chapel. We sat at the front of the church. When services began the head minister along with other ministers came from the back of the church, all of us signing hymns. I watched these priests, one of them looked like a Cree. I was looking at him when I heard my friend whisper.
“Look! That’s your mom!”
I looked where he pointed. Sure enough I saw her sitting way over in the back, waving at me and smiling.
Right away I tried running to her but my friend stopped me.
“When we finish church service y’all can visit each other,” he says.
The service continued. Eventually the one who looked like a Cree was called up to give encouragement. He was called Rev. Ahenakew.
When we finished church service me and my siblings (my older brother and my older sisters) visited with our late mother. Unfortunately it wasn’t long before she rode back to the hospital. She had had tuberculosis then and it had gone into remission allowing her to come visit us where we were kept to go to school far away from home.
