Thanks to Arok Wolvengrey for reminding us, not just of the lasting significance, but of the continued and growing importance, of this essential book in Plains Cree reclamation and revitalization. As an Open Access Textbook, it is available at no charge to anyone who’s able to download. Audio versions of the Cree language labs – voiced by Dr Jean Okimâsis herself – are also offered individually as free Podcasts. (Need I mention that we’re awfully fond of the remarkable Dr Jean Okimâsis, too?) Here’s what Arok had to say:
1984 through to today and beyond …
40 years ago, my beautiful wife, Dr. Jean Okimâsis, published the first edition of Cree, Language of the Plains. It went through several revisions, with input from her star student, friend and colleague, Solomon Ratt, and on to publication through CPRC and the University of Regina Press. There are still hard copies available through the publisher for those who need to have books in their hands, but they are also available for free download for all to learn from.
Find the complete set of downloadable Open Access Documents, including audio files offered in podcast form. Audio files are also available wherever podcasts are found.
Here’s Jean’s own abstract from the University of Regina’s Open Access page:
Cree: Language of the Plains is a comprehensive educational resource, offering a broad range of learning materials that is easily accessible to Cree language learners. This collection includes an updated and redesigned Cree language textbook, Cree language audio labs, and a Cree language workbook. With this edition of Cree: Language of the Plains, I am happy to have the chance to correct some typographical errors that were leftover from the first edition, or inadvertently introduced to the second edition. The contents of this edition are not greatly changed from the second edition of 2004 (with two exceptions detailed below), but hopefully the new design, formatting, and corrections will make for a more pleasing presentation of the material, and in turn better facilitate the readers’ attempts to begin to learn the language that I love so much. I am especially pleased that this work will now be made available in the open access format, allowing those who wish to learn and/or reclaim nēhiyawēwin (Plains Cree) for themselves.
Thanks to Arok for providing us with photos that capture the evolution of this important publication from the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, to CanPlains Research Centre, to the University of Regina Press.
