I’m borrowing thoughts from my friend Meg Noodin at Ojibwe.net and adapting them to help address what’s really important in seeing the Cree language stand co-equally with English and French in this academic context for the very first time. (Apologies to all concerned that I’m posting the call for papers so long after the submission deadline!)
Using Cree this way is evidence that the language is alive and well. Living language is not only spoken fluently: it’s also used creatively, and even in utilitarian ways. It can and should serve all the same purpose in day-to-day life as “official” languages. This is a vision we work to support through the Cree Literacy Network, offering support and encouragement to Cree communities (as Meg says): “on the rez, in the cities, in schools, in homes, in ceremony; where there are elders who speak the language and where there are none.” We are humbled by those who have preceded us in this work: those whose work has encouraged our own, and made it possible.
Way back in the last millenium, I was drafted to organize the conference one year in Winnipeg. I later spent 12 years managing the publication of its proceedings. I’ve been watching closely for a while now. As far as I can see, the conference has never lost sight of its founding vision: that, in time, the môniyâw anthropologists and linguists and ethnohistorians who bring their work to share would see themselves replaced and surpassed by academics born and raised within Algonquian communities, studying, commanding, and sharing their knowledge as birthright.
(Find the French and English by following the links.)
sâkitowin: niyânanomitanaw niyânanosâpwâw ‘Algonquian‘ kihci-mâmawapiwin
niyânanomitanaw niyânanosâpwâw ‘Alqonguian‘ kihci-mâmawapiwin ka-ayâw kihci-kiskinwahamâtowikamikohk amiskwaciy-wâskahikanihk (‘University of Alberta‘ kâ-itamihk). mâcipayin kêkâ-nîsitanaw akimâw pimihâwi-pîsim, mîna kîsipayin nîsitanaw nîsosâp akimâw pimihâwi-pîsim, 2023.
ôma kihci-mâmawapiwin mâmawôyastâwak University of Alberta mîna kotaka mâmawohkamâtowina pahkisi-kîwêtinohk paskwâhk.
tawâw ôma kihci-mâmawapiwinihk ohci ayisiyiniwak misiwêskamik kâ-ohcîcik — iyiniwak, nêhiyawak, môniyâwi-kiskinwahamâkêwak, ekwa kotakak kâ-wîkicik kitaskînâhk — ta-kiskinwahamâtocik mîna ta-mâmiskôtahkik ôki ‘Algonquian‘ iyiniwak, kâ-mâmawi-mihcêticik nistam-iyiniwak kanâtahk. ôt ôma kihci-mâmawapiwinihk, kâ-wî-mâmiskôtamihk iyiniwi-kiskêyihtamowin, ê-miskamihk kayâs-osîhcikêwina, itâpasinahikêwin, pimâtisiw-âcimowina, kiskinwahamâtowin, isîhcikêwi-kiskêyihtamowin, pikwaci-kistikān-iyinîsiwin, âtayôhkêwina, askîwi-kiskêyihtamowin, kayâsâcimowina, pîkiskwêwi-kiskinwahamâkêwin, pîkiskwêwiyinîsiwina, masinahikana, nikamowin êkwa kitohcikêwin, nistam-iyiniwi-kiskêyihtamowin, okimâwiwin kiskêyihtamowin, mâmitonêyihcikana ê-nâkatawâpahtamihk, ayamihâwin, êkwa mîna wîcêhtow-iyinîsiwin.
ôma kihci-mâmawapiwin mâcipayin otâkosiki kêkâ-mitâtahtosâp akimâw pimihâwi-pîsim, êkwa ê-wî-atamiskâkêhk. mâcipayinwa kakêskihkêmowina kîkisêp niyânano-kîsikâki êkwa kîsipayinwa âpihtâ-kîsikâki ayamihâwi-kîsikâki. kotaka mâmawapiwinisa wî-ispayin êtokwê mwêstas ahpô pâmwayês ôma kihci-mâmawapiwin.
masinahikan natotamâwin
kîspin kinôhtê-pîkiskwêyani kihci-mâmawapiwinihk, itisahamawinân kâ-isi-isiyihkâtamihk kimasinahikanis mîna kiskinwahikêwin (namôya ayiwâk nistwâw mitâtahtomitanaw itwêwina) ôta: alg55@ualberta.ca
ispimihk emailihk kâ-masinahaman, piko kimasinahên “Algonquian Conference“; asici mîna, masinaha kiwîhowin, owîhowin kimâmawohkamâtowin, kitipahaskân, ahpô kitaskîhkân, mîna kahkiyaw awiyak kâ-wî-pîkiskwêt otemaila. mahti, wîhtamawinân mîna kîspin nitawêyihtamani pîkiskwêmohtâwin-wâpacikâtêwin âpacihcikana
kîspin mâmawapiwinis ôta nôhtê-oyascikêyani, ahpô kîspin nôhtê-âcimoyani ahpô nôhtê-âtayôhkêyani, ahpô nôhtê-kakwêcimiyâhki ta-mâmiskôtamâhk kîkway ê-mêkwâ-kihci-mâmawapihk, itisahamawinân email ê-owîhowinik ‘OTHER‘ êkwa wîhtamawinân tânimatahto tipahikana ahpô cipahikanisa ê-nitawêyihtâkwahki, mîna kahkiyaw ayisiyiniwak kâ-nôhtê-wîci-tôtamômiskik.
piko kititisahamawinân kimasinahikanis pâmwayês pêyak akimâw takwâki-pîsim, 2023.
