Truth & Reconciliation Week, 2022: Solomon Ratt (th-dialect)

A message of resilience from Solomon Ratt for this week of Truth & Reconciliation, perfectly captured in an original painting by Karlee Fellner: ᐋᑕᔫᐦᑫᐃᐧᓇ ~ âtayôhkêwina ~ sacred stories. December 2021. Acrylic on canvas. 16”x20”.

kayâs mâna kikî-kiskinwahamâkawinaw âcathôhkîwina ohci; ispî kâ-kî-kwâsihikawiyahk ta-nitawi-ayamihcikîyahk ohpimî ayamihâwi-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk, tâpiskôc î-kî-kakwî-paskipitahkwâw mitisiyîyâpiy kâ-âniski-pitikoyahk kayâsi-kiskinwahamâkîwina, kayâs isihcikîwina. kî-kakwî-paskipitamwak mâka sôhkahtwâwa âcathôhkîwina.

ᑲᔮᐢ ᒫᓇ ᑭᑮ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑲᐏᓇᐤ  ᐋᒐᖫᐦᑮᐏᓇ ᐅᐦᒋ; ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑮ ᒁᓯᐦᐃᑲᐏᔭᕽ ᑕ ᓂᑕᐏ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᒋᑮᔭᕽ ᐅᐦᐱᒦ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐋᐏ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ, ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ ᐄ ᑮ ᑲᑹ ᐸᐢᑭᐱᑕᐦᒁᐤ ᒥᑎᓯᔩᔮᐱᐩ ᑳ ᐋᓂᐢᑭ ᐱᑎᑯᔭᕽ ᑲᔮᓯ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑮᐏᓇ, ᑲᔮᐢ ᐃᓯᐦᒋᑮᐏᓇ᙮ ᑮ ᑲᑹ ᐸᐢᑭᐱᑕᒷᐠ ᒫᑲ ᓲᐦᑲᐦᑤᐘ ᐋᒐᖫᐦᑮᐏᓇ᙮

Long ago we were taught through traditional stories; when we were taken away to go to school far from home, at the residential schools, it’s like they tried to break that umbilical cord that tied us to the old teachings, the old cultural ways. They tried to break it but our traditional stories are resilient.

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