Sol’s little sister Bella always wanted to carry his shopping bag for him after meeting the plane that brought him and his siblings home from residential school each spring. It must have been lonely for her to be without her siblings through the entire school year.
ispî kâ-kî-kîwîyân ayamihâwikiskinwahamâkîwinihk
ohci nikî-tahkonîn masinahikanîkinowacis ita
i-kî-asowatâyân nitayânisa ikwa nipakosîthihtamowina:
ta-nîhithowîyân,
tâ-âcathohkâkawiyân,
ta-nîhitawâtisiyân,
ta-kisâciyân nîkihk.
nikî-kotawâkân ôma
nimasinahikanîkinowacis.
ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑮ ᑮᐑᔮᐣ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᐏᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑮᐏᓂᕽ
ᐅᐦᒋ ᓂᑮ ᑕᐦᑯᓃᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓃᑭᓄᐘᒋᐢ ᐃᑕ
ᐃ ᑮ ᐊᓱᐘᑖᔮᐣ ᓂᑕᔮᓂᓴ ᐃᑿ ᓂᐸᑯᓰᖨᐦᑕᒧᐏᓇ:
ᑕ ᓃᐦᐃᖪᐑᔮᐣ,
ᑖ ᐋᒐᖪᐦᑳᑲᐏᔮᐣ,
ᑕ ᓃᐦᐃᑕᐚᑎᓯᔮᐣ,
ᑕ ᑭᓵᒋᔮᐣ ᓃᑭᕽ᙮
ᓂᑮ ᑯᑕᐚᑳᐣ ᐆᒪ
ᓂᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓃᑭᓄᐘᒋᐢ᙮
When I went home from residential school
I carried a paper shopping bag
Where I put my clothes
and my hopes:
to speak Cree,
to have traditional stories told to me,
to know Cree cultural ways,
to stay home.
I used the paper shopping bag
to start a fire.
