cîst!
mâmitonîthita ôma:
î-awâsisîwiyan, kîwîtinohk pikwâcaskîhk î-wîcâyâmacik kinîkihikwak, kîtisânak, mîna kiwâhkômâkanak, kanâtaskihk î-pimâcihoyîk. mâhtâwisîpîhk î-papâmôtîhoyîk, mâmihk isi ikwa kâwi natamihk, âskaw mâna î-nitawi-kiyôtîyîk mistahi-sâkahikanihk. kikî-mitho-pimâtisinâwâw. kikî-cîhkîthihtîn î-wîcihowiyan ita kâ-pimahkamikisicik kinîkihikwak mîna kiwâhkômâkanak. kikî-cîhkîthihtîn î-mîtawiyan pikwâcaskîhk, kanâtaskîhk.
namôtha kikî-ohc-âkathâsîmon, kikî-nîhithawân poko. kikî-mâh-mithohtîn âcathôhkîwina ispî kâ-pipohk.
kîtahtawî kâ-pî-nâtikawiyan, î-sipwîhtahikawiyan ta-nitawi-ayamihcikîyan ayamihâwi-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk.
pîtos askîhk kikî-itohtahikawin.
ᒌᐢᐟ!
ᒫᒥᑐᓃᖨᑕ ᐆᒪ:
ᐄ ᐊᐚᓯᓰᐏᔭᐣ, ᑮᐑᑎᓄᕽ ᐱᒁᒐᐢᑮᕽ ᐄ ᐑᒑᔮᒪᒋᐠ ᑭᓃᑭᐦᐃᑿᐠ, ᑮᑎᓵᓇᐠ, ᒦᓇ ᑭᐚᐦᑰᒫᑲᓇᐠ, ᑲᓈᑕᐢᑭᕽ ᐄ ᐱᒫᒋᐦᐅᔩᐠ᙮ ᒫᐦᑖᐏᓰᐲᕽ ᐄ ᐸᐹᒨᑏᐦᐅᔩᐠ, ᒫᒥᕽ ᐃᓯ ᐃᑿ ᑳᐏ ᓇᑕᒥᕽ, ᐋᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᐄ ᓂᑕᐏ ᑭᔫᑏᔩᐠ ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃ ᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ᙮ ᑭᑮ ᒥᖪ ᐱᒫᑎᓯᓈᐚᐤ᙮ ᑭᑮ ᒌᐦᑮᖨᐦᑏᐣ ᐄ ᐑᒋᐦᐅᐏᔭᐣ ᐃᑕ ᑳ ᐱᒪᐦᑲᒥᑭᓯᒋᐠ ᑭᓃᑭᐦᐃᑿᐠ ᒦᓇ ᑭᐚᐦᑰᒫᑲᓇᐠ᙮ ᑭᑮ ᒌᐦᑮᖨᐦᑏᐣ ᐄ ᒦᑕᐏᔭᐣ ᐱᒁᒐᐢᑮᕽ, ᑲᓈᑕᐢᑮᕽ᙮
ᓇᒨᖬ ᑭᑮ ᐅᐦᒑᑲᖭᓰᒧᐣ, ᑭᑮ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐚᐣ ᐳᑯ᙮ ᑭᑮ ᒫᐦ ᒥᖪᐦᑏᐣ ᐋᒐᖫᐦᑮᐏᓇ ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᐱᐳᕽ᙮
ᑮᑕᐦᑕᐑ ᑳ ᐲ ᓈᑎᑲᐏᔭᐣ, ᐄ ᓯᐿᐦᑕᐦᐃᑲᐏᔭᐣ ᑕ ᓂᑕᐏ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᒋᑮᔭᐣ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᐏ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ᙮
ᐲᑐᐢ ᐊᐢᑮᕽ ᑭᑮ ᐃᑐᐦᑕᐦᐃᑲᐏᐣ᙮
Listen!
Think on this:
You are a child, in the north country you are living with your parents, your siblings, your relatives, living of the sacred land. You travel along the Churchill River downriver then back upriver, and sometimes travel to Lac La Ronge to visit. You have a good life. You are happy to help your parents and relatives with their work. You are happy to play in the wilderness, on the sacred land.
You didn’t speak English, only Cree. You liked listening to the sacred stories told in the winter.
Eventually they came for you, to take you away to go to school in the church run schools.
You were taken to a different world.
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Sincere thanks to Julie Flett for permission to use the image featured here of children at home oon the trapline, grounded in the love and comfort Sol describes. It an illustration from her second collaboration with David A Robertson, On the Trapline, published by Tundra Books (and available through Tundra, or your favourite bookseller).
Here’s a link to its launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx66HCAMs8g
