kikî-kakwê-kipihtowêwikonawak:
—kî-misiwanâcihtâwak kiwâhkôhtowininaw;
—kî-misiwanâcihtâwak kipîkiskwêwininaw;
—kî-misiwanâcihtâwak kitisîhcikêwininaw;
—kî-misiwanâcihtâwak kitahcahkowininaw.
âtiht kikî-misiwanâcihisonaw;
âtiht kikî-pôni-pîkiskwânaw kipîkiskwêwininaw;
âtiht kikî-wanihonaw
kâ-pihtâkwahk kipihtowêwinihk.
mâka kîtahtawê
apisci pîkiskwîwinis kîmwêw
—‘kimiskâkonawak.’
kîtahtawêw
—kâ-pihtâkwahk kipihtowêwin
kâ-kisîwêk.
ᑮ ᑲᑵ ᑭᐱᐦᑐᐍᐏᑯᓇᐘᐠ:
—ᑮ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᑖᐘᐠ ᑭᐚᐦᑰᐦᑐᐏᓂᓇᐤ;
—ᑮ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᑖᐘᐠ ᑭᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᓇᐤ;
—ᑮ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᑖᐘᐠ ᑭᑎᓰᐦᒋᑫᐏᓂᓇᐤ;
—ᑮ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᑖᐘᐠ ᑭᑕᐦᒐᐦᑯᐏᓂᓇᐤ᙮
ᐋᑎᐦᐟ ᑭᑮ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᐃᓱᓇᐤ;
ᐋᑎᐦᐟ ᑭᑮ ᐴᓂ ᐲᑭᐢᒁᓇᐤ ᑭᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᓇᐤ;
ᐋᑎᐦᐟ ᑭᑮ ᐘᓂᐦᐅᓇᐤ
ᑳ ᐱᐦᑖᑿᕽ ᑭᐱᐦᑐᐍᐏᓂᕽ᙮
ᒫᑲ ᑮᑕᐦᑕᐍ
ᐊᐱᐢᒋ ᐲᑭᐢᑹᐏᓂᐢ ᑮᒭᐤ
—ᑭᒥᐢᑳᑯᓇᐘᐠ᙮
ᑮᑕᐦᑕᐍᐤ
—ᑳ ᐱᐦᑖᑿᕽ ᑭᐱᐦᑐᐍᐏᐣ
ᑳ ᑭᓰᐍᐠ᙮
They tried to silence us:
—They ruined our families;
—They ruined our talk;
—They ruined our culture;
—They ruined our spirit.
Some of us destroyed ourselves;
Some of us stopped speaking our language;
Some of us were lost
In the sound of silence.
But suddenly
A small voice whispers
—‘They found us.”
Suddenly
—The sound of silence
Is loud.
3 Responses
Kitatamihinan ochi meyo nehiyaw pekiskwewina. Ahkumeyimok.
I’m wondering who the author is of this?
The author is Solomon Ratt. The piece was written initially in Cree, then translated into English.