âcathokîwin âsônamâtowin:
tâpiskôc mamahkahikanisa ispîhk kâpakastawîpinat asinîs
ᐋᒐᖪᑮᐏᐣ ᐋᓲᓇᒫᑐᐏᐣ:
ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ ᒪᒪᐦᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᓴ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳᐸᑲᐢᑕᐑᐱᓇᐟ ᐊᓯᓃᐢ
Storytelling, passing down of things:
like the ripples when throwing a pebble into the water.
Sol’s photo of a muskrat creating ripples as it stands on thin ice seems like a good metaphor for storytelling and for teaching. In Cree culture, they are so often one and the same. So, just as the Ratt’s ripples reach us, he traces them back with gratitude to the teacher whose ripples helped shape his path. I think we can be grateful to them both.
nanâskomowin: ninanâskomon pêyak ayisiyiniw ê-kî-tâpwêyêyimit kâ-kî-miyit ôma atoskêwin kâ-pê-atoskâtamân. êkwâni ayiwâk nistomitanaw niyânanosâp askîwin ê-pê-kiskinwahamâkêyân. namôya nika-wîhâw, mâka kinanâskomitin, nikiskinwahamâkêm.
Iᓇᓈᐢᑯᒧᐏᐣ: ᓂᓇᓈᐢᑯᒧᐣ ᐯᔭᐠ ᐊᔨᓯᔨᓂᐤ ᐁ ᑮ ᑖᐻᔦᔨᒥᐟ ᑳ ᑮ ᒥᔨᐟ ᐆᒪ ᐊᑐᐢᑫᐏᐣ ᑳ ᐯ ᐊᑐᐢᑳᑕᒫᐣ᙮ ᐁᒁᓂ ᐊᔨᐚᐠ ᓂᐢᑐᒥᑕᓇᐤ ᓂᔮᓇᓄᓵᑊ ᐊᐢᑮᐏᐣ ᐁ ᐯ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᔮᐣ᙮ ᓇᒨᔭ ᓂᑲ ᐑᐦᐋᐤ, ᒫᑲ ᑭᓇᓈᐢᑯᒥᑎᐣ, ᓂᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᒼ᙮
Gratitude: I give thanks for that one person who believed in me and gave me the work I have come to pursue. I’ve now been teaching for over thirty-five years. I won’t name her, but I thank you, my teacher.
A thought about pride:
You can be proud of yourself for work well done, but it’s not a good thing to brag about your accomplishments. Notice that these words are identical, except for one sound. This is a “minimal pair”:
mamihcihisowin – ᒪᒥᐦᒋᐦᐃᓱᐏᐣ – taking pride in work well done;
mamihcimisowin – ᒪᒥᐦᒋᒥᓱᐏᐣ – bragging about the work you have done.
