Thanks to Solomon Ratt for this new teaching story about “saying goodbye” on the phone. (Maybe for his next lesson, he can explain to the cell phone generation why we say “hang up” in English!)
| sikākos kīskisosow | ᓯᑳᑯᐢ ᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐤ | sikâkos Hangs Up |
| pēyak kīsikāw kī-sēwēpitamawēw ohkoma sikākos. | ᐯᔭᐠ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᑮ ᓭᐍᐱᑕᒪᐍᐤ ᐅᐦᑯᒪ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | One day sikākos phoned her grandma. |
| “tânisi nōhkō?” itwēw sikākos. | “ᑖᓂᓯ ᓅᐦᑰ?” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “How are you Gramma?” said sikākos. |
| “namōya nānitaw, awīna kiya?” itwēw nōtokwēsiw. | “ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ, ᐊᐑᓇ ᑭᔭ?” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ᙮ | “I’m fine, who are you?” asked the elderly woman. |
| “niya ōma kōsisim sikākos,” itwēw sikākos. | “ᓂᔭ ᐆᒪ ᑰᓯᓯᒼ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “It’s me, your grandchild sikākos,” said sikākos. |
| “āmī, nōsisim! kitatamihin ē-pē-sēwēpitamawēyan,” itwēw nōtokwēsiw. | “ᐋᒦ, ᓅᓯᓯᒼ! ᑭᑕᑕᒥᐦᐃᐣ ᐁ ᐯ ᓭᐍᐱᑕᒪᐍᔭᐣ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ᙮ | “Aw sweety, my grandchild! You have made me happy you phoned me,” said the elderly woman. |
| “āh, ē-nōhtē-natomitān ta-pē-kiyokēyan nikotwāsokīsikāki,” itwēw sikākos. | “ᐋᐦ, ᐁ ᓅᐦᑌ ᓇᑐᒥᑖᐣ ᑕ ᐯ ᑭᔪᑫᔭᐣ ᓂᑯᑤᓱᑮᓯᑳᑭ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “Oh, I am wanting to invite you to come visit on Saturday,” said sikākos. |
| “ahāw,” itwēw nōtokwēsiw. kīskisosow | “ᐊᐦᐋᐤ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ᙮ ᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐤ | “Okay,” said the elderly woman. She hangs up the phone. |
| …….. | …….. | ……. |
| “tānisi? tānisi?’ nōhkō? nōhkō?” itwēw sikākos. | “ᑖᓂᓯ? ᑖᓂᓯ?ᐃ ᓅᐦᑰ? ᓅᐦᑰ?” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “Hello? Heello? Gramma? Gramma?” said sikākos. |
| pēhow ēkwa natohtam sēwēpicikan sikākos māka namōya kīkway pēhtam. namōya pēhtawēw ohkoma. | ᐯᐦᐅᐤ ᐁᑿ ᓇᑐᐦᑕᒼ ᓭᐍᐱᒋᑲᐣ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ ᒫᑲ ᓇᒨᔭ ᑮᑿᐩ ᐯᐦᑕᒼ᙮ ᓇᒨᔭ ᐯᐦᑕᐍᐤ ᐅᐦᑯᒪ᙮ | sikākos waits and listens to the phone but she doesn’t hear anything. She doesn’t hear her grandmother. |
| “nēkā! nikīskisosowātik nōhkom! tānēhki awa?” isi-mawimow sikākos. | “ᓀᑳ! ᓂᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐚᑎᐠ ᓅᐦᑯᒼ! ᑖᓀᐦᑭ ᐊᐘ?” ᐃᓯ ᒪᐏᒧᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “Mom! Gramma hung up on me! Why?” cried sikākos. |
| okāwīmāwa sikākwa pāhpiyiwa. | ᐅᑳᐑᒫᐘ ᓯᑳᑿ ᐹᐦᐱᔨᐘ᙮ | Her mother laughed. |
| “hahaha, ohcitaw ēkosi ispayan kisē-ayak kā-āpacihtācik sēwēpicikan. mosci kīskisosowak māna kā-kīsi-pīkiskwēcik,” itwēw okāwīmāw sikāk. | “ᐦᐊᐦᐊᐦᐊ, ᐅᐦᒋᑕᐤ ᐁᑯᓯ ᐃᐢᐸᔭᐣ ᑭᓭ ᐊᔭᐠ ᑳ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᒋᐠ ᓭᐍᐱᒋᑲᐣ᙮ ᒧᐢᒋ ᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐘᐠ ᒫᓇ ᑳ ᑮᓯ ᐲᑭᐢᑵᒋᐠ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᐅᑳᐑᒫᐤ ᓯᑳᐠ᙮ | “hahaha, elderly people usually do that when they use the phone. They just hang up when they finish speaking,” said the mother. |
| “tānēhki māka?” kakwēcihkēmow sikākos. | “ᑖᓀᐦᑭ ᒫᑲ?” ᑲᑵᒋᐦᑫᒧᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “But why?” said sikākos. |
| “ayisk ispīhk kā-nēhiyawēhk namōya nēhiyaw itwēwin kīkway ohci anima ākayāsīmowin ‘Good bye’ ka-itwēhk.” | “ᐊᔨᐢᐠ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᕽ ᓇᒨᔭ ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤ ᐃᑘᐏᐣ ᑮᑿᐩ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᓂᒪ ᐋᑲᔮᓰᒧᐏᐣ ‘Good bye’ ᑲ ᐃᑘᕽ᙮” | “Because when we speak Cree there is no word that is equivalent to the English word “Good bye.” |
| ‘wah! tānisi māka ka-itwēhk ispīhk kā-ati-sipwēhtēhk kīspin ēkā itwēwin “Good bye” ohci ihtakon?” | ‘ᐘᐦ! ᑖᓂᓯ ᒫᑲ ᑲ ᐃᑘᕽ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᓯᐻᐦᑌᕽ ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᐁᑳ ᐃᑘᐏᐣ “Good bye” ᐅᐦᒋ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐣ?” | “wah! But what do people say when they leave if there is no word for “Good bye” in Cree?” |
| “anohc ātiht itwēwak 'mwēstas' ēkwa ātiht itwēwak 'ēkosi.' māka kayās pētos…” | “ᐊᓄᐦᐨ ᐋᑎᐦᐟ ᐃᑘᐘᐠ "ᒭᐢᑕᓯ" ᐁᑿ ᐋᑎᐦᐟ ᐃᑘᐘᐠ "ᐁᑯᓯ" ᒫᑲ ᑲᔮᐢ ᐯᑐᐢ…" | “Today some people say ‘mwēstas’ for ‘later’ and some others say ‘ēkosi’ for ‘there’ but it was different long ago….” |
| “tānisi māka?” itwēw sikākos. | “ᑖᓂᓯ ᒫᑲ?” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “How?” said sikākos. |
| “kayās māna ispīhk kā-ati-nakatitohk pēyak māna iyiniw kī-itwēw: ‘kīhtwām ka-wāpamitonaw!’ ēkwa kota naskomow 'pāh-pimātisiyahki!’ ēkwa ati-nakatitowak.” | “ᑲᔮᐢ ᒫᓇ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᓇᑲᑎᑐᕽ ᐯᔭᐠ ᒫᓇ ᐃᔨᓂᐤ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ: "ᑮᐦᑤᒼ ᑲ ᐚᐸᒥᑐᓇᐤ!" ᐁᑿ ᑯᑕ ᓇᐢᑯᒧᐤ "ᐹᐦ ᐱᒫᑎᓯᔭᐦᑭ!" ᐁᑿ ᐊᑎ ᓇᑲᑎᑐᐘᐠ᙮” | “Long ago when people parted from one another one person would say “kīhtwām ka-wāpamitonaw - We’ll see each other again” and the other said in response ‘ pāh-pimātisiyahki - if we are alive (and well)’ and they parted.” |
| “tānēhki?” | “ᑖᓀᐦᑭ?” | “Why?” |
| “ayisk ē-nisitawēyihtahkik pēyak kīsikāw piko kā-miyikawisiyahk. ohcitaw piko ta-nanāskomoyahk tahto-kīsikāw ēkwa ta-miyohtwāyahk. | “ᐊᔨᐢᐠ ᐁ ᓂᓯᑕᐍᔨᐦᑕᐦᑭᐠ ᐯᔭᐠ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᐱᑯ ᑳ ᒥᔨᑲᐏᓯᔭᕽ᙮ ᐅᐦᒋᑕᐤ ᐱᑯ ᑕ ᓇᓈᐢᑯᒧᔭᕽ ᑕᐦᑐ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᐁᑿ ᑕ ᒥᔪᐦᑤᔭᕽ᙮ | “Because they know that today is a gift. We must give thanks for the day and be kind to others. |
| namōya kikiskēyihtēnaw kīspin kotak kīsikāw ka-wāpahēnaw.” | ᓇᒨᔭ ᑭᑭᐢᑫᔨᐦᑌᓇᐤ ᑮᐢᐱᐣ ᑯᑕᐠ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᑲ ᐚᐸᐦᐁᓇᐤ᙮” | We don’t know if we will see another day.” |
| “kah,” itwēw sikākos. | “ᑲᐦ,” ᐃᑘᐤ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ᙮ | “Oh,” said sikākos. |
| kīhtwām sēwēpitamawēw ohkoma sikākos | ᑮᐦᑤᒼ ᓭᐍᐱᑕᒪᐍᐤ ᐅᐦᑯᒪ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ | Once again sikākos calls her grandma. |
| “nōhkō, ka-wāpamitin cī nikotwāsokīsikāki?’ | “ᓅᐦᑰ, ᑲ ᐚᐸᒥᑎᐣ ᒌ ᓂᑯᑤᓱᑮᓯᑳᑭ?ᐃ | “Gramma, will I see you on Saturday?” |
| “āha, pah-pimātisyahki.” kīskisosow. | “ᐋᐦᐊ, ᐸᐦ ᐱᒫᑎᐢᔭᐦᑭ᙮” ᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐤ᙮ | “Yes, if we are alive (and well).” And she hangs up. |
| wīsta sikākos kīskisosow, ē-pāhpisit. | ᐑᐢᑕ ᓯᑳᑯᐢ ᑮᐢᑭᓱᓱᐤ, ᐁ ᐹᐦᐱᓯᐟ᙮ | sikākos too hangs up the phone, chuckling. |
