Thanks to Grace Masse, from Brochet, Manitoba for offering this little âcimowin – which she wrote in Cree – for us to share here. She joined us from Brandon via Zoom for February Storytelling, (The photo of duckling sibs thanks to Solomon Ratt.)
Audio provided by Solomon Ratt.
| sîsîp otâcimowin | Duck's Story |
|---|---|
| tânisi Grace Masse nitisithihkâson ikwa anohc nika-âcimon. | Hello, my name is Grace Masse and today I will tell you a story. |
| piyak kîsikâw sîsîp mâmitonîthihtam | One-day duck was thinking. |
| asawâpamîw kotaka sîsîpa | He looked around at the other ducks. |
| tâskôc wîthawâw î-wîcîwâkanicik. | They seemed to have friends. |
| ‘tânitî îtokwî wîtha owîcîwakana?’ isi- mâmitonîthihtam. | Where were his friend he thought? |
| î-kisiwâsit ikospî î-kî-paskopitisot omîkwana. | He got so upset that he pulled off all his feathers. |
| î-kî-mosîskatît. | He was naked. |
| kî-kanawâpamisow ikwa môtha kî-nitawîthitam awiya kita-wâpamikot ikospî î-tapisît. | He looked at himself and didn’t want anyone to see him so he ran away. |
| mitoni î-sôhkîpahtât ikwa môtha kiskîthihtam tânitî î-ayât. | He ran so fast that he didn’t know where he was. |
| mwâc î-kî-wâpimât kotaka sîsîpa. | He didn’t see any other ducks. |
| mwâc î-kî-pimithât macî î-kî-paskopitisot. | He couldn’t fly to find them because he pulled off his feathers. |
| î-kî-mâtot. ithikohk î-kî-misi-mâtot ikwa î-nipât. | He cried. He cried so much that he fell asleep. |
| ikospî î-kî-waniskât ikwa î-wâpimât awiya î-kî-papâmohtîthit. | He woke up and saw something walking |
| mwâc kiskîthihtam kîkway anima. | He couldn’t make out what it was. |
| mâmitonîthihtam ikwa | He thought, |
| “maskwa nâ ana? mahihkan nâ ana?” | “Was it a bear? Was it a wolf?” |
| î-kî-sîkisit ikwa kâsôw awasîw mîtosihk kkwa kîhtwâm î-mâtot ikwa î-pasakwâpit. | He was scared that he hid behind a tree and cried again and closed his eyes. |
| ikospî pîhtam kîkway ikwa tohkâpiw. | And then He heard something and open his eyes. |
| î-wâpamât mistahi mîkwana mwâc kîkway ikosi î-kî-ohci-wâpamât. | He saw a lot of feathers something he never seen before |
| ikospî misiwî mîkwanak pahkisinwak. | Then the feathers fell. |
| osîmisa îsa ana apisi-sîsîp. | It was him little brother little duck. |
| osîmisa î-kî-pimitisahokot ostîsa ikwa î-kî-pîtamowât omîkwana. | He followed his brother and brought him his feathers. |
| kî-wîcihitowak ikwa kîhtwâm î-ahthâcik sîsîp omîkwana. | And Helping each other they put duck’s feathers on. |
| ikospî î-nîsicik pimithâwak ikospî î-kîwîhocik. | Then the two of them flew home. |
| sîsîp otâcimowin – Duck’s Story | |
| By: Grace Masse |
