This newly made-up Wisahkecahk story was first invented on the spot during the Regina launch of Sol’s kâ-pí-isi-kiskisiyân / The Way I Remember. This video recording was prepared only a week or so later. It’s a reflection on how the best of tools can only help if you actively use them. And that, in turn, is a reflection on students who have passed Sol’s way over the years. Some who buy the books but never read them wonder why the books don’t help. Others, who not only buy the tools, but actually use them well always come out ahead.
If You Want To Get Things Done You Have to Use The Tools
pêyakwâw êsa wîsahkêcâhk kî-nôhtê-wâskahikanihkêw. êkosi kî-nâtitisaham kahkiyaw âpacihcikana ta-wâskahikanihkâkêt. namôya kinwêsk ispîhk kâ-takopayiki kahkiyaw otâpacihcikana: napakihtakwa, apahkwâna, kîskipocikana, sakahikana, pakamâkanisa, pîhtawêkina…kahkiyaw kîkwaya!
êkosi, kinwêsîs kî-pêhow. kêtahtawêw kâ-takopayiyiki kahkiyaw onâtitisahikêwina. nahastâw ita kâ-wî-wâskahikanihkêt. kêtahtawêw êtikwê ta-mâci-wâskahikanihkêw.
kinwêsk êkota astêyiwa otâpacihcikana. ây-âskaw mâna nitawi-kanawâpahtam otâpacihcikana êkwa ây-âskaw otinam napakihtakwa, pakamâkanis, êkwa kotaka kîkwaya mâka kâwi pakitinam. ây-âskaw mâna oyastâw napakihtakwa ita kâ-wî-wâskahikanihkêt. mâka kotaka kîkwaya otamihikow.
kinwêsk êkota astêyiwa otâpacihcikana. ây-âskaw mâna kimiwan, ây-âskaw mâna wâsêskwan, ây-âskaw mâna mispon…namôya ahpô kî-ohci-akwanaham otâpacihcikana. piyisk ati-wînihtinwa otâpacihcikana, misiwanâcihtâw otâpacihcikana kâ-nakatahk êkota.
êkwani namwâc kî-ohci-wâskahikanihkêw wîsahkêcahk ayisk ê-misiwanâtaniyiki otâpacihcikana.
ᐯᔭᒁᐤ ᐁᓴ ᐑᓴᐦᑫᒑᕽ ᑮ ᓅᐦᑌ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑫᐤ᙮ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᓈᑎᑎᓴᐦᐊᒼ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᑕ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑳᑫᐟ᙮ ᓇᒨᔭ ᑭᓊᐢᐠ ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᑕᑯᐸᔨᑭ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ: ᓇᐸᑭᐦᑕᑿ, ᐊᐸᐦᒁᓇ, ᑮᐢᑭᐳᒋᑲᓇ, ᓴᑲᐦᐃᑲᓇ, ᐸᑲᒫᑲᓂᓴ, ᐲᐦᑕᐍᑭᓇ…ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᑮᑿᔭ!
ᐁᑯᓯ, ᑭᓊᓰᐢ ᑮ ᐯᐦᐅᐤ᙮ ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐍᐤ ᑳ ᑕᑯᐸᔨᔨᑭ ᑲᐦᑭᔭᐤ ᐅᓈᑎᑎᓴᐦᐃᑫᐏᓇ᙮ ᓇᐦᐊᐢᑖᐤ ᐃᑕ ᑳ ᐑ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑫᐟ᙮ ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐍᐤ ᐁᑎᑵ ᑕ ᒫᒋ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑫᐤ᙮
ᑭᓊᐢᐠ ᐁᑯᑕ ᐊᐢᑌᔨᐘ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ᙮ ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᓂᑕᐏ ᑲᓇᐚᐸᐦᑕᒼ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᐁᑿ ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᐅᑎᓇᒼ ᓇᐸᑭᐦᑕᑿ, ᐸᑲᒫᑲᓂᐢ, ᐁᑿ ᑯᑕᑲ ᑮᑿᔭ ᒫᑲ ᑳᐏ ᐸᑭᑎᓇᒼ᙮ ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᐅᔭᐢᑖᐤ ᓇᐸᑭᐦᑕᑿ ᐃᑕ ᑳ ᐑ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑫᐟ᙮ ᒫᑲ ᑯᑕᑲ ᑮᑿᔭ ᐅᑕᒥᐦᐃᑯᐤ᙮
ᑭᓊᐢᐠ ᐁᑯᑕ ᐊᐢᑌᔨᐘ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ᙮ ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᑭᒥᐘᐣ, ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᐚᓭᐢᑿᐣ, ᐋᔮᐢᑲᐤ ᒫᓇ ᒥᐢᐳᐣ…ᓇᒨᔭ ᐊᐦᐴ ᑮ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑿᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ᙮ ᐱᔨᐢᐠ ᐊᑎ ᐑᓂᐦᑎᓌ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ, ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋᐦᑖᐤ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ ᑳ ᓇᑲᑕᕽ ᐁᑯᑕ᙮
ᐁᑿᓂ ᓇᒹᐨ ᑮ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐚᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᐦᑫᐤ ᐑᓴᐦᑫᒐᕽ ᐊᔨᐢᐠ ᐁ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᑕᓂᔨᑭ ᐅᑖᐸᒋᐦᒋᑲᓇ᙮
Once wîsakêcâhk wanted to build a house. With that in mind he sent for all the tools he would need for building a house: lumber, shingles, saws, nails, hammers, insulation…everything!
Then he waited for a bit. Eventually everything he had sent for arrived. He set them aside where he wanted to built a house. Maybe eventually he will start to build a house.
His tools sat there for a long time. Sometimes he goes to look at his tools and once in a while he would pick up a piece of lumber, a hammer, and other things but he would set them down once again. Once in a while he would lay out the outline of where he was going to build his house. But he was busy with other things.
His tools lay there for a long time. Sometimes it would rain, sometimes the sun would be shining, and sometimes it would snow…he hadn’t even covered his tools to protect them. Eventually the tools began to rot, he had destroyed his tools because he neglected them there for so long.
So wîsahkêcâhk couldn’t build a house because his tools were destroyed.