It’s hard for me to believe that it’s been 25 years since I was part of this beautiful project, providing editorial support and design. It’s a genuine delight to see how its value is still celebrated. I’ve heard my copy is on its way: I can’t wait to see it in real life! Congratulations to Arok Wolvengrey – the series editor – and to the University of Regina Press: this project is truly a treasure.
The 25th anniversary of a historically significant collection, presented in Cree and English. kôhkominawak otâcimowiniwâwa / Our Grandmothers’ Lives is a collection of reminiscences and personal stories from the daily lives of seven Cree women over the past century, presented here in Cree and English. Recorded in their own language, these women share their memories of their lives and the history of their peoples, describing activities such as household chores, snaring rabbits and picking berries, going to school, marriage, bearing and raising children, and providing insights into the traditional teachings of a society in which the practical and spiritual are never far apart.
Expected launch date (in Regina) 17 October 2023.
You can pre-order now. Here’s the link:
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Please note, it is 25 years since The University of Regina Press’ (formerly Canadian Plains Research Center) reprint of this book. But it actually came out first through Fifth House Publishers in 1992, so it is actually 31 years since the original came out. Arden and I were lucky enough to work on that original publication. I apprenticed with Freda on the “Reminiscences of Muskeg Lake” text which forms the third section of the book, a particularly challenging conversational text. I have also contributed a new foreward to this edition as a tribute to all the work that nikâwîpan, the late Dr. Freda Ahenakew, dedicated to her language, nêhiyawêwin.