Thanks to Arok Wolvengrey and to Solomon Ratt for input on this International Mother Language Day. Arok’s FaceBook posts inspired the cover image – and remind us to use that language. Arok wrote:
pêyâhtakêyimowin!
âpacihtâk kikâwiy opîkiskwêwin!
âpacihtâk kikihc-âniskocâpânak opîkiskwêwiniwâwa!
ᐯᔮᐦᑕᑫᔨᒧᐏᐣ!
ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᐠ ᑭᑳᐏᐩ ᐅᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᐣ!
ᐋᐸᒋᐦᑖᐠ ᑭᑭᐦᒑᓂᐢᑯᒑᐹᓇᐠ ᐅᐲᑭᐢᑵᐏᓂᐚᐘ!
Peace!
Use your mother’s language!
Use your ancestors’ languages!
At the very same time, Solomon Ratt (needing no prompting to use his own mother language) presented an uncommon term, remembered from his childhood.
Sol wrote: On this International Mother Tongue Day I will post a Cree word few speakers still use, one that is not in any dictionary : nôhtâmithihkîwak – they scoop suckers from the rapids with their hands as the suckers are on their way to spawn.
nikiskisin, ispî kâ-kî-awâsisiwiyân, î-kî-nôtâmithihkîyâhk. nîtha, nistîsipan, ikwa nôtâwîpan î-kî-pimâtakâyâhk pâwistikohk, î-mâh-mosci-otihtinâyâhkwâw namîpithak nicihcînâna ohci. piyakwâw nôhtâwîpan namîpitha kî-isi-wîpinamowîw nisîmisipana ita nâtakâm kâ-kî-apithit. misi-mâtow nisîmisipan ithikohk î-kî-sîkihikot iyakoni namîpitha. kîkâc piyakwan î-kî-ispihcikisicik wîtha nisto poko î-kî-itahtopiponît.
ᓂᑭᐢᑭᓯᐣ, ᐃᐢᐲ ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᐚᓯᓯᐏᔮᐣ, ᐄ ᑮ ᓅᑖᒥᖨᐦᑮᔮᕽ᙮ ᓃᖬ, ᓂᐢᑏᓯᐸᐣ, ᐃᑿ ᓅᑖᐑᐸᐣ ᐄ ᑮ ᐱᒫᑕᑳᔮᕽ ᐹᐏᐢᑎᑯᕽ, ᐄ ᒫᐦ ᒧᐢᒋ ᐅᑎᐦᑎᓈᔮᐦᒁᐤ ᓇᒦᐱᖬᐠ ᓂᒋᐦᒌᓈᓇ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ ᐱᔭᒁᐤ ᓅᐦᑖᐑᐸᐣ ᓇᒦᐱᖬ ᑮ ᐃᓯ ᐑᐱᓇᒧᐑᐤ ᓂᓰᒥᓯᐸᓇ ᐃᑕ ᓈᑕᑳᒼ ᑳ ᑮ ᐊᐱᖨᐟ᙮ ᒥᓯ ᒫᑐᐤ ᓂᓰᒥᓯᐸᐣ ᐃᖨᑯᕽ ᐄ ᑮ ᓰᑭᐦᐃᑯᐟ ᐃᔭᑯᓂ ᓇᒦᐱᖬ᙮ ᑮᑳᐨ ᐱᔭᑿᐣ ᐄ ᑮ ᐃᐢᐱᐦᒋᑭᓯᒋᐠ ᐑᖬ ᓂᐢᑐ ᐳᑯ ᐄ ᑮ ᐃᑕᐦᑐᐱᐳᓃᐟ᙮
I remember, when I was a child, we were scooping suckers with our hands as they were going upstream to spawn. Me, my late older brother, and my late father stood in the rapids, scooping suckers with our bare hands. Once my late father threw a sucker to my late younger brother who was sitting at the shore. My younger brother cried out loud because the sucker scared him. The sucker and him were almost the same size because he was only three.
