It’s rather exciting to announce three new Cree books all at once. Congratulations to colleagues in Saskatchewan and in Newfoundland and Labrador for getting each of these complex and demanding projects ready for publication, and of course all of our friends at University of Regina Press as they carry them through the final stages and into print. Click the title links to go to URPress and find ordering instructions.
Available now:
Chahkapas: A Naskapi Legend is the seventh title in the First Nations Language Readers series, edited by Arok Wolvengrey.
By John Peastitute
Edited by Marguerite MacKenzie
Translated by Julie Brittain & Silas Nabinicaboo
Illustrated by Elizabeth Jancewicz
Contributions by Bill Jancewicz
URP’s Description: Châhkâpâs: A Naskapi Legend shares the story of Châhkâpâs, a heroic figure in First Nations storytelling, who performs feats of strength and skill in spite of his diminutive size.
The book shares this traditional legend as originally recorded in the Naskapi community in northern Quebec in 1967 when it was narrated by John Peastitute, a Naskapi Elder and accomplished storyteller. Transcribed in the Naskapi language and syllabic orthography, the book offers a literary resource for the Naskapi language community, and the English translation enables those unfamiliar with the language, or the story, to discover this important legend.
The book also contains extensive analysis of stories about Châhkâpâs, notes about the provenance of the recordings, a biography of the storyteller, and a history of the Naskapi people. Lavish illustrations from Elizabeth Jancewicz—an artist raised in the Naskapi community—provide a sensitive and accurate graphical account of the legend, which has also been approved by Naskapi speakers themselves.
Forthcoming: Available for pre-purchase:
kayâs nôhcîn : I Come from a Long Time Back Expected to ship: 2021-12-04
URP’s Description: Mary Louise (née Bangs) Rockthunder, wêpanâkit, was an Elder of Cree, Saulteaux, and Nakoda descent. Born in 1913, raised and married at nehiyawipwatinahk / Piapot First Nation, Mary Louise, a much-loved storyteller, speaks of her memories, stories, and knowledge, revealing her personal humility and her deep love and respect for her family and her nêhiyawêwin language and culture.
The recordings that are transcribed, edited, and translated for this book are presented in three forms: Cree syllabics, standard roman orthography (SRO) for Cree, and English. A full Cree-English glossary concludes the book, providing an additional resource for those learning the nêhiyawêwin language.
âhkami-nêyihawêtân : Let’s Keep Speaking Cree Expected to ship: 2022-01-22
URP’s Description: An important language resource that helps intermediate nêhiyawêtan learners begin to understand more advanced grammar of the language.
Building on mâci-nêhiyawêwin / Beginning Cree, Solomon Ratt’s first influential Cree language resource, âhkami-nêhiyawêtân / Let’s Keep Speaking Cree helps intermediate nêhiyawêtan learners begin to understand more advanced grammar of the language. The textbook is more than a language textbook though: it includes a series of the author’s original stories written in Cree, complete with comprehension questions, making it ideal for self-study as well as classroom use.
