A recent conversation with a Cree teacher made me realize how helpful (and long overdue) a little School terminology might be. Of course, it might look more useful to other teachers once they’ve had a month or so to recover from the current school year. 😉 It will keep, here at the Cree Literacy Network, until then. Almost all of these examples are drawn from the online itwêwina dictionary, supplemented by Solomon Ratt.
| Cree | Syllabics | English |
|---|---|---|
| aciyaw aywêpiwin | ᐊᒋᔭᐤ ᐊᔰᐱᐏᐣ | it is recess time |
| anohc pôni-kiskinwahamâkosiwin | ᐊᓄᐦᐨ ᐴᓂ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑯᓯᐏᐣ | school is over for the day |
| âpihtâ-kîsikâw | ᐋᐱᐦᑖ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ | noon, midday, lunch time |
| ascikêwikamik | ᐊᐢᒋᑫᐏᑲᒥᐠ | storage room, storage building or shed |
| âwatawâsiswâkan(ak) | ᐋᐘᑕᐚᓯᔃᑲᐣ(ᐊᐠ) | School bus |
| ayamihcikêwikamik | ᐊᔭᒥᐦᒋᑫᐏᑲᒥᐠ | reading room, library |
| itakisowin | ᐃᑕᑭᓱᐏᐣ | grade |
| kîci-kiskinwahamawâkan(ak) | ᑮᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᐣ(ᐊᐠ) | your (singular) school mate(s) |
| kîci-kiskinwahamawâkaninaw(ak) | ᑮᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᓂᓇᐤ(ᐊᐠ) | your and our school mate(s) |
| kîci-kiskinwahamawâkaniwâw(ak) | ᑮᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᓂᐚᐤ(ᐊᐠ) | (all) your school mate(s) |
| kiskinowâtasinahikan | ᑭᐢᑭᓄᐚᑕᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᐣ | teaching material, textbook |
| kiskinwahamâkêwikamik | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᐏᑲᒥᐠ | school building |
| kiskinwahamâkêwikamikos | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᐏᑲᒥᑯᐢ | classroom |
| kiskinwahamâkêwin | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᐏᐣ | teaching lesson, instruction |
| kiskinwahamâkosiwin | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑯᓯᐏᐣ | school work, homework, Education |
| kiskinwahamâtowi-maskimot | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏ ᒪᐢᑭᒧᐟ | school bag |
| kiskinwahamawâkan(ak) | ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᐣ(ᐊᐠ) | Student |
| manitôwi-kîsikâw aywêpiwina | ᒪᓂᑑᐏ ᑮᓯᑳᐤ ᐊᔰᐱᐏᓇ | Christmas holidays |
| masinahikêwi-cikâstêpayihcikanis | ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏ ᒋᑳᐢᑌᐸᔨᐦᒋᑲᓂᐢ | computer |
| masinahikêwinâhtik | ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᐏᓈᐦᑎᐠ | desk, writing table |
| maskihkîwiskwêw | ᒪᐢᑭᐦᑮᐏᐢᑵᐤ | nurse |
| mêtawêwikamik | ᒣᑕᐍᐏᑲᒥᐠ | gymnasium, theatre, playhouse |
| nahapiwikamik | ᓇᐦᐊᐱᐏᑲᒥᐠ | toilet, bathroom (lit., sitting room) |
| namôya pihtwâniwiw ôta | ᓇᒨᔭ ᐱᐦᑤᓂᐏᐤ ᐆᑕ | no smoking allowed |
| nêhiyawi-kiskinwahamâtowikamik | ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐏ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑐᐏᑲᒥᐠ | Cree immersion school |
| nîci-kiskinwahamawâkan | ᓃᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᐣ | my fellow student, my schoolmate |
| nîci-kiskinwahamawâkaninân(ak) | ᓃᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᓂᓈᐣ(ᐊᐠ) | your (plural) but not our school mate(s) |
| nîmâwin | ᓃᒫᐏᐣ | lunch, packed lunch |
| nîmâwinis | ᓃᒫᐏᓂᐢ | snack |
| nîpin aywêpiwina | ᓃᐱᐣ ᐊᔰᐱᐏᓇ | summer holidays |
| okakêskimâwasow | ᐅᑲᑫᐢᑭᒫᐘᓱᐤ | counsellor |
| okanâcihcikêw | ᐅᑲᓈᒋᐦᒋᑫᐤ | cleaner, janitor, custodian |
| okanawêyimâwasow | ᐅᑲᓇᐍᔨᒫᐘᓱᐤ | babysitter, daycare worker |
| okiskinwahamâkêw(ak) | ᐅᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑫᐤ(ᐊᐠ) | teacher(s) |
| okiskinwahamâkosiw | ᐅᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒫᑯᓯᐤ | student, pupil, one who attends school |
| omasinahikêsîsiwiw | ᐅᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑫᓰᓯᐏᐤ | clerk, office worker, secretary |
| owîcihtâsow | ᐅᐑᒋᐦᑖᓱᐤ | helper, welfare or social worker |
| pêyak itakisowin | ᐯᔭᐠ ᐃᑕᑭᓱᐏᐣ | grade one (nîso itakisowin, etc.) |
| pîhtokamik | ᐲᐦᑐᑲᒥᐠ | inside, indoors |
| sêwêyâkan sêwêw | ᓭᐍᔮᑲᐣ ᓭᐍᐤ | the bell is ringing |
| wayawîstamâsowikamik | ᐘᔭᐑᐢᑕᒫᓱᐏᑲᒥᐠ | bathroom |
| wayawîtimihk | ᐘᔭᐑᑎᒥᕽ | outside, outdoors |
| wîci-kiskinwahamawâkanisa | ᐑᒋ ᑭᐢᑭᓌᐦᐊᒪᐚᑲᓂᓴ | his/her school mate(s) |
This point-and-click image from Lac La Ronge Indian Band is also helpful: https://learncree.ca/classroom-objects (Thank you, LLRIB friends!)
Another really useful resource for schools is Pocket Plains Cree for Kids and Adults by Trevor Greyeyes and Maeengan Linklater, translated into y-dialect by Solomon Ratt.
Photo: Muskeg Lake’s kihîw waciston School, borrowed from the MLCN website, which reminds me to add the word wêpinâson: “flag”!
One Response
Hi Arden, it wasn’t exactly classroom objects but more door signs for different classrooms. The one I am having difficulty translating would be
Grade 1 how would grade translate?
Stage
Gym office
Mezzanine
mechanical
occupational therapy
speech
reading
resource centre
vestibule
For speech I thought kweyask pikiskwewin atota or miyo pikiskwetan atota
Translating these “rooms” is difficult as I am trying to describe what is done in these rooms or what the outcome would be. As in speech, we want them to work at good talking? Hope someone can help me out. Thank you Arden!