If you’ve watched the news at all lately, you’ll see Buffy’s 1992 vision of colonial capitalist corruption crumbling all around us in technicolour. Some of us are still merely witness to the ongoing effects of colonial destruction. At this very moment, others in the Northwest Territories (as well as Hawai’i and California) are trying to cope with violent displacement from their homes and communities by massive wildfires.
This song is a challenging opportunity to capture these ideas in Cree; though perhaps, in Cree, the idea of wîhtiko is more immediately recognized. Solomon’s work here is an interpretation rather than word-for-word translation. He captures and expresses the ideas in Cree, but not in a singable form, and not word for word.
Bree Island’s image of a world in apocalypse (shown above and used here with her permission) is titled “Beyond.” It is part of her series titled ᓀᑳᐣ ᐁᐧᐦᑕᒧᐃᐧᐣ nîkân wêhtamowin. Bree Island is from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 8.
| ayamihikimâwak osâwi-sôniyâw-mostos ohci | Priests of the Golden Bull by Buffy Sainte-Marie (interpretation by Solomon) | ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐘᐠ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᒧᐢᑐᐢ ᐅᐦᒋ |
|---|---|---|
| Cree interpretation (th-dialect) | Original lyrics | Cree Interpretation (th-dialect) |
| Solomon Ratt | Buffy Sainte-Marie | Solomon Ratt |
| awîna kâ-kî-pîtât pahkisikana î-wîwîkinikâtîthik atoskîwasinahikanisa ohci | Who brought the bomb wrapped up in business cards | ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᑮ ᐲᑖᐟ ᐸᐦᑭᓯᑲᓇ ᐄ ᐑᐑᑭᓂᑳᑏᖨᐠ ᐊᑐᐢᑮᐘᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᓴ ᐅᐦᒋ |
| ikwa î-masinâstîthik mostosowiyâs ohci? | And stained with steak? | ᐃᑿ ᐄ ᒪᓯᓈᐢᑏᖨᐠ ᒧᐢᑐᓱᐏᔮᐢ ᐅᐦᒋ? |
| awîna atoskîhîw iskwîw-atoskîthâkana ta-sîpikinâthit sôniyâwa? | Who hires a maid to wash his money? | ᐊᐑᓇ ᐊᑐᐢᑮᐦᐄᐤ ᐃᐢᑹᐘᑐᐢᑮᖭᑲᓇ ᑕ ᓰᐱᑭᓈᖨᐟ ᓲᓂᔮᐘ? |
| awîna kâ-âh-atâwît opimipahtâwa? | Who keeps politicians on the take? | ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐋᐦᐊᑖᐑᐟ ᐅᐱᒥᐸᐦᑖᐘ? |
| awîna kâ-kah-kipahwât ithiniw-onâtamâkîwa | Who puts outspoken third-worlders in jail | ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᑲᐦ ᑭᐸᐦᐚᐟ ᐃᖨᓂᐓᓈᑕᒫᑮᐘ |
| kita-kipihtowîhât? | Just to shut them down? | ᑭᑕ ᑭᐱᐦᑐᐑᐦᐋᐟ? |
| âh, kithâskîwina pâh-pîtosiyayâwa pâh-pîtos ihtâwinihk mâka tâpwîwin | Oh the lies vary from place to place but the truth is still the same | ᐋᐦ, ᑭᖭᐢᑮᐏᓇ ᐹᐦ ᐲᑐᓯᔭᔮᐘ ᐹᐦ ᐲᑐᐢ ᐃᐦᑖᐏᓂᕽ ᒫᑲ ᑖᐿᐏᐣ |
| pâh-piyakwan, ahpô mîna ôta ôtînâhk. | Even in this town | ᐹᐦ ᐱᔭᑿᐣ, ᐊᐦᐴ ᒦᓇ ᐆᑕ ᐆᑏᓈᕽ᙮ |
| sôniyâw wîhtikowak misiwîskamik | Money junkies all over the world | ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᐑᐦᑎᑯᐘᐠ ᒥᓯᐑᐢᑲᒥᐠ |
| ki-nâh-napakiskâkonawak sôniyâwikamikohk î-ispâhtâcik | Trample us on their way to the bank | ᑭ ᓈᐦ ᓇᐸᑭᐢᑳᑯᓇᐘᐠ ᓲᓂᔮᐏᑲᒥᑯᕽ ᐄ ᐃᐢᐹᐦᑖᒋᐠ |
| misiwîskamik ayâwak. | They run in every race | ᒥᓯᐑᐢᑲᒥᐠ ᐊᔮᐘᐠ᙮ |
| wîhtikow | Windego | ᐑᐦᑎᑯᐤ |
| nîkân ithiniwak wâpahtamwak: | Third-worlders see it first: | ᓃᑳᐣ ᐃᖨᓂᐘᐠ ᐚᐸᐦᑕᒷᐠ: |
| pahkisikîwanahtikwa, mohtîwa, manicôsiwin ikwa misiwanâci-kimiwan | The dynamite, the dozers, the cancer and the acid rain | ᐸᐦᑭᓯᑮᐘᓇᐦᑎᑿ, ᒧᐦᑏᐘ, ᒪᓂᒎᓯᐏᐣ ᐃᑿ ᒥᓯᐘᓈᒋ ᑭᒥᐘᐣ |
| atoskîwi-mohtîwak kitaskînâhk pî-itohtîwak | The corporate caterpillars come into our backyards | ᐊᑐᐢᑮᐏ ᒧᐦᑏᐘᐠ ᑭᑕᐢᑮᓈᕽ ᐲ ᐃᑐᐦᑏᐘᐠ |
| ikwa mîskocipitamwak askiy sôniyâs isi | And turn the world to pocket change | ᐃᑿ ᒦᐢᑯᒋᐱᑕᒷᐠ ᐊᐢᑭᐩ ᓲᓂᔮᐢ ᐃᓯ |
| iskonikana anihi nîkân nôtinikîwinihk | Reservations are the nuclear frontline; | ᐃᐢᑯᓂᑲᓇ ᐊᓂᐦᐃ ᓃᑳᐣ ᓅᑎᓂᑮᐏᓂᕽ |
| pithîsiw-iskotîw piscipowin nipahtâkîw | Uranium poisoning kills | ᐱᖩᓯᐏᐢᑯᑏᐤ ᐱᐢᒋᐳᐏᐣ ᓂᐸᐦᑖᑮᐤ |
| kikawihkatisonaw ita kâsakwak kâ-ayâcik | We're starving in a handful of gluttons | ᑭᑲᐏᐦᑲᑎᓱᓇᐤ ᐃᑕ ᑳᓴᑿᐠ ᑳ ᐊᔮᒋᐠ |
| kinistâpâwânaw ita kâ-sîkipitahkwâw omanâhoniwâwa. | We're drowning in their gravy spills | ᑭᓂᐢᑖᐹᐚᓇᐤ ᐃᑕ ᑳ ᓰᑭᐱᑕᐦᒁᐤ ᐅᒪᓈᐦᐅᓂᐚᐘ᙮ |
| otîthaniwâwa wâpiski-sôniyâw cîstahasîpona | Their tongues are silver forks | ᐅᑏᖬᓂᐚᐘ ᐚᐱᐢᑭ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᒌᐢᑕᐦᐊᓰᐳᓇ |
| namwâc ihtakon ithinîsiwin | There's a lack of wisdom | ᓇᒹᐨ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐣ ᐃᖨᓃᓯᐏᐣ |
| kikakî-pihtîn othihthîwiniwahk | You can hear it on their breath | ᑭᑲᑮ ᐱᐦᑏᐣ ᐅᖨᐦᖩᐏᓂᐘᕽ |
| wîhtikow | Windego | ᐑᐦᑎᑯᐤ |
| âthiman ta-mâthîthimâyahkwâw ôko ayamihikimâwak sôniyâw-mostos ohci | It's delicate confronting these priests of the golden bull | ᐋᖨᒪᐣ ᑕ ᒫᖩᖨᒫᔭᐦᒁᐤ ᐆᑯ ᐊᔭᒥᐦᐃᑭᒫᐘᐠ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᒧᐢᑐᐢ ᐅᐦᒋ |
| kakîskimâwasiwak kakîskihkîmowinahtikohk ohci | They preach from the pulpit of the bottom line | ᑲᑮᐢᑭᒫᐘᓯᐘᐠ ᑲᑮᐢᑭᐦᑮᒧᐏᓇᐦᑎᑯᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ |
| otîthihtamowinawâwihk kitowîthipathiwa sôniyâwa | Their minds rustle with million dollar bills | ᐅᑏᖨᐦᑕᒧᐏᓇᐚᐏᕽ ᑭᑐᐑᖨᐸᖨᐘ ᓲᓂᔮᐘ |
| kititwân wâpiski-sôniyâw pôskohohtâw kipihtâsowin | You say Silver burns a hole in your pocket | ᑭᑎᑤᐣ ᐚᐱᐢᑭ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᐴᐢᑯᐦᐅᐦᑖᐤ ᑭᐱᐦᑖᓱᐏᐣ |
| ikwa osâwi-sôniyâw pôskohohtâw kitahcahk | And Gold burns a hole in your soul | ᐃᑿ ᐅᓵᐏ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᐴᐢᑯᐦᐅᐦᑖᐤ ᑭᑕᐦᒐᕽ |
| mâka pithîsiw-pahkisikan pôskohohtâw kâkikî mîna kâkikî | Well, uranium burns a hole in forever | ᒫᑲ ᐱᖩᓯᐤ ᐸᐦᑭᓯᑲᐣ ᐴᐢᑯᐦᐅᐦᑖᐤ ᑳᑭᑮ ᒦᓇ ᑳᑭᑮ |
| mîstâskostîmakan. | It just gets out of control | ᒦᐢᑖᐢᑯᐢᑏᒪᑲᐣ᙮ |
| piyak nâpîw kî-pîmisiw ikwa kî-pimitisaham pîmi-tipahaskân | There was a crooked man who walked a crooked mile | ᐱᔭᐠ ᓈᐲᐤ ᑮ ᐲᒥᓯᐤ ᐃᑿ ᑮ ᐱᒥᑎᓴᐦᐊᒼ ᐲᒥ ᑎᐸᐦᐊᐢᑳᐣ |
| kî-ohpihîw pîmi-sôniyâsa ta-kâtât opîmisiwin | He raised a crooked sixpence to hide a crooked style | ᑮ ᐅᐦᐱᐦᐄᐤ ᐲᒥ ᓲᓂᔮᓴ ᑕ ᑳᑖᐟ ᐅᐲᒥᓯᐏᐣ |
| kî-paskithâkîw pîmi-nawasônikîwin ikwa pâhpisiw pîmi-pâhpisiwin | He won a crooked vote and smiled a crooked smile | ᑮ ᐸᐢᑭᖭᑮᐤ ᐲᒥ ᓇᐘᓲᓂᑮᐏᐣ ᐃᑿ ᐹᐦᐱᓯᐤ ᐲᒥ ᐹᐦᐱᓯᐏᐣ |
| wîhtikow | Windego | ᐑᐦᑎᑯᐤ |
| otîthaniwâwa wâpiski-sôniyâw cîstahasîpona | Their tongues are silver forks | ᐅᑏᖬᓂᐚᐘ ᐚᐱᐢᑭ ᓲᓂᔮᐤ ᒌᐢᑕᐦᐊᓰᐳᓇ |
| namwâc ihtakon ithinîsiwin | There's a lack of wisdom | ᓇᒹᐨ ᐃᐦᑕᑯᐣ ᐃᖨᓃᓯᐏᐣ |
| kikakî-pihtîn othihthîwiniwâhk | You can hear it on their breath | ᑭᑲᑮ ᐱᐦᑏᐣ ᐅᖨᐦᖩᐏᓂᐚᕽ |
| wîhtikow | Windego | ᐑᐦᑎᑯᐤ |
Buffy’s Performance via YouTube:
