For remembrance Day 2021, we are proud to share this recitation of Solomon Ratt’s “ithiniw-simâkanisihkânak / Indian Veterans” by the Grade 5 French Immersion students of Mme Earle’s class at Russell Public School in Ottawa. As part of their preparation, the class even met with Solomon Ratt via Zoom to fine tune their pronunciation of the Cree.
We are especially proud to hear this group reach outside the traditional English/French model of Canadian bilingualism to experience Cree as one of the many original languages of Canada, emerging from a century or more of invisibility.
| nîthanân ôma kâ-kî-wanikiskisitotawikawiyâhk | ᓃᖬᓈᐣ ᐆᒪ ᑳᑮᐘᓂᑭᐢᑭᓯᑐᑕᐏᑲᐏᔮᕽ | We were the forgotten |
| anima kâ-itwâniwik “îkâ wîhkâc ta-waniskisiyahk.” | ᐊᓂᒪ ᑳᐃᑤᓂᐏᐠ “ᐄᑳ ᐑᐦᑳᐨ ᑕᐘᓂᐢᑭᓯᔭᕽ᙮” | of the ‘lest we forget.’ |
| nîthanân ôma îkâ kâ-nôkosiyâhk | ᓃᖬᓈᐣ ᐆᒪ ᐄᑳ ᑳᓅᑯᓯᔮᕽ | We were the invisible |
| cîpayahk iskonikanihk ohci. | ᒌᐸᔭᕽ ᐃᐢᑯᓂᑲᓂᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ | ghosts from The Rez |
| namôtha katâc takî-ohci-nitawi-nôtinikiyâhk. | ᓇᒨᖬ ᑲᑖᐨ ᑕᑮᐅᐦᒋᓂᑕᐏᓅᑎᓂᑭᔮᕽ᙮ | We had no obligation to join. |
| ikwa mîna ohcitaw ta-pakitinamâhk nitaskihkân-akihtâsowininâna. | ᐃᑿ ᒦᓇ ᐅᐦᒋᑕᐤ ᑕᐸᑭᑎᓇᒫᕽ ᓂᑕᐢᑭᐦᑳᐣᐊᑭᐦᑖᓱᐏᓂᓈᓇ᙮ | We had to give up our treaty status. |
| nikî-nôtinikânân, nikî-nipinân, | ᓂᑮᓅᑎᓂᑳᓈᐣ, ᓂᑮᓂᐱᓈᐣ, | We fought, we died, |
| nipîkiskwîwininân nikî-kîmôci-âsowîhtamâkânân. | ᓂᐲᑭᐢᑹᐏᓂᓈᐣ ᓂᑮᑮᒨᒋᐋᓱᐑᐦᑕᒫᑳᓈᐣ᙮ | our language was used for secret messages. |
| nikî-wîcikâpawîstawânânak kotakak simâkanisihkânak kâ-kî-paskithâkîyâhk. | ᓂᑮᐑᒋᑳᐸᐑᐢᑕᐚᓈᓇᐠ ᑯᑕᑲᐠ ᓯᒫᑲᓂᓯᐦᑳᓇᐠ ᑳᑮᐸᐢᑭᖭᑮᔮᕽ᙮ | We stood side by side with the other soldiers in our victory. |
| nikî-napatîwîpinikawinân ispî kâ-pî-kîwîyâhk; | ᓂᑮᓇᐸᑏᐑᐱᓂᑲᐏᓈᐣ ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳᐲᑮᐑᔮᕽ; | We were cast aside when we came back home; |
| namwâc nikî-ohci-wîcihikawinân tâpiskôc aniki kotakak simâkanisihkânak. | ᓇᒹᐨ ᓂᑮᐅᐦᒋᐑᒋᐦᐃᑲᐏᓈᐣ ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ ᐊᓂᑭ ᑯᑕᑲᐠ ᓯᒫᑲᓂᓯᐦᑳᓇᐠ᙮ | we didn’t get the benefits allotted other veterans; |
| nikwîtatî-wîkinân athisk î-kî-pakitinamâhk nitaskihkân-akihtâsowininâna. | ᓂᑹᑕᑏ ᐑᑭᓈᐣ ᐊᖨᐢᐠ ᐄᑮᐸᑭᑎᓇᒫᕽ ᓂᑕᐢᑭᐦᑳᐣᐊᑭᐦᑖᓱᐏᓂᓈᓇ᙮ | we didn’t know where to live since we gave up our treaty status. |
| nithanân ôma kâ-kî-wanikiskisitotawikawiyâhk | ᓂᖬᓈᐣ ᐆᒪ ᑳᑮᐘᓂᑭᐢᑭᓯᑐᑕᐏᑲᐏᔮᕽ | We were the forgotten |
| anima kâ-itwâniwik “îkâ wîhkâc ta-waniskisiyahk.” | ᐊᓂᒪ ᑳᐃᑤᓂᐏᐠ “ᐄᑳ ᐑᐦᑳᐨ ᑕᐘᓂᐢᑭᓯᔭᕽ᙮” | of the ‘lest we forget.’ |
| nîthanân ôma îkâ kâ-nôkosiyâhk cîpayahk iskonikanihk ohci. | ᓃᖬᓈᐣ ᐆᒪ ᐄᑳ ᑳᓅᑯᓯᔮᕽ ᒌᐸᔭᕽ ᐃᐢᑯᓂᑲᓂᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ | We were the invisible ghosts from The Rez. |
Use the search function with keywords such as “veterans,” and “remembrance,” “code talker,” and even “Flanders Fields”
to find Remembrance Day posts from previous years. You can also navigate the hamburger menu to Resources, Seasonal, Remembrance Day to find a collection.
ka-kêhcinâhoyahk êkâ ta-kî-wanikiskisiyahk (y-dialect)
ta-kîhcinâhoyahk îkâ ta-waniskisiyah (th-dialect)
“Lest we forget”
