7. Passing on teachings –âniskô-kiskinwahamâkêwin –ᐋᓂᐢᑰ ᑭᐢᑭᓇᐧᐦᐊᒫᑫᐃᐧᐣ 

Solomon Ratt: Cree Cultural Teachings – nêhiyaw-isîhcikêwin – ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐤᐃᓯᐦᒋᑫᐃᐧ

pêyakwâw ê-nîpîhk nikî-nitawi-papâmiskânân mâmihk âmaciwîspimowinihk ohci, ê-pimitishamâhk mâhtâwi-sîpiy. nikî-cîmâwak nitôtêmak. nikî-ati-kapêsinân pâwiscikosihk nistam kâ-tipiskâk êkwa ê-ati-wâpahk kihtwâm nikî-pôsinân, ê-asowhamahk sâkahikanisîs. piysik wapâsihk nikî-takocimânân, kâ-mâyiciwasik isiyihkâtêw anima wapâs. kêtahtaw kâ-matwê-têwêcik nitôtêmak. “ohcistin kitôtinaw!”

ᐯᔭᑳᐧᐤ  ᐁ ᓃᐲᕁ  ᓂᑮ ᓂᑕᐃᐧ ᐸᐹᒥᐢᑳᓈᐣ  ᒫᒥᕁ  ᐋᒪᒋᐄᐧᐢᐱᒧᐃᐧᓂᕁ  ᐅᐦᒋ,  ᐁ ᐱᒥᑎᐢᐦᐊᒫᕁ  ᒫᐦᑖᐃᐧ ᓰᐱᕀ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᒌᒫᐊᐧᐠ  ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᐊᑎ ᑲᐯᓯᓈᐣ  ᐹᐃᐧᐢᒋᑯᓯᕁ  ᓂᐢᑕᒼ  ᑳ ᑎᐱᐢᑳᐠ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᐁ ᐊᑎ ᐋᐧᐸᕁ  ᑭᐦᑖᐧᒼ  ᓂᑮ ᐴᓯᓈᐣ,  ᐁ ᐊᓱᐤᐦᐊᒪᕁ  ᓵᑲᐦᐃᑲᓂᓰᐢ᙮  ᐱᕀᓯᐠ  ᐊᐧᐹᓯᕁ  ᓂᑮ ᑕᑯᒋᒫᓈᐣ,  ᑳ ᒫᔨᒋᐊᐧᓯᐠ  ᐃᓯᔨᐦᑳᑌᐤ  ᐊᓂᒪ  ᐊᐧᐹᐢ᙮  ᑫᑕᐦᑕᐤ  ᑳ ᒪᑌᐧ ᑌᐁᐧᒋᐠ  ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ᙮  “ᐅᐦᒋᐢᑎᐣ  ᑭᑑᑎᓇᐤ!”

One summer we went canoeing downriver from Stanley Mission. Following the Churchill River. I went with my friends.. We camped at Little Stanley Rapids the first night and went on our way the next day crossing the little lake eventually arriving at a narrows, known as ‘place of difficult currents” (Frog Narrows). All of a sudden my friends hollered, “Our boat is leaking!”

nikî-itâpin mostitakohk, wahwâ! tâpwê mâni-mâka, nikî-ohcistinisinân.

ᓂᑮ ᐃᑖᐱᐣ  ᒧᐢᑎᑕᑯᐦᐠ,  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᑖᐯᐧ  ᒫᓂ ᒫᑲ,  ᓂᑮ ᐅᐦᒋᐢᑎᓂᓯᓈᐣ᙮

I looked at the bottom of the canoe and sure enough we were leaking!

“ahâw, cêskwa. kika-sîskipitênaw cîmân miniscikosihk misakâyâhki,” nikî-itâwak.

“ᐊᐦᐋᐤ,  ᒉᐢᑲᐧ᙮  ᑭᑲ ᓰᐢᑭᐱᑌᓇᐤ  ᒌᒫᐣ  ᒥᓂᐢᒋᑯᓯᕁ  ᒥᓴᑳᔮᐦᑭ,”  ᓂᑮ ᐃᑖᐊᐧᐠ᙮

“Okay, just wait. We’ll pull the canoe to shore at a little island when we arrive there.” I told them.

ispîhk kâ-miskâyâhk miniscikosihk nkî-sîskipitênân cîmân êkwa nikî-kwatapinênân. nikî-itâwak nitôtêmak ta-kotawêcik êkwa niya nikî-kospin ê-nitonawak pikiw minahikohk. nikî-miskawâw.

ᐃᐢᐲᕁ  ᑳ ᒥᐢᑳᔮᕁ  ᒥᓂᐢᒋᑯᓯᕁ  ᐣᑮ ᓰᐢᑭᐱᑌᓈᐣ  ᒌᒫᐣ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓂᑮ ᑲᐧᑕᐱᓀᓈᐣ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᐃᑖᐊᐧᐠ  ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ  ᑕ ᑯᑕᐁᐧᒋᐠ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᓂᔭ  ᓂᑮ ᑯᐢᐱᐣ  ᐁ ᓂᑐᓇᐊᐧᐠ  ᐱᑭᐤ  ᒥᓇᐦᐃᑯᐦᐠ᙮  ᓂᑮ ᒥᐢᑲᐋᐧᐤ᙮

When we arrived at the little island we pulled the canoe to shore and tipped it over. I told my friends to build a campfire and I went inland looking for pitch on a pine tree. I found some.

ispîhk kâ-pê-nâsipêhtêyân kî-takahki-kwahkotêw kotawân.  êkota nikî-ati-tihkiswâw ana minahik-pikiw. kâ-kî-kîsi-tihkisot ana pikiw nikî-ati-mîsahên nicîmâniminân êwako pikiw ê-âpacihak. nikitâpamikwak nitôtêmak tâpiskôc nawac piko ê-ânwêhktahkik ôma kâ-itahkamiksiyân. nipêhonân ta-pâsot and pikiw, piyisk pâsow êkwa kihtwâm nipôsinân. kâ-mâtwê-têpwêcik nitôtêmak.

ᐃᐢᐲᕁ  ᑳ ᐯ ᓈᓯᐯᐦᑌᔮᐣ  ᑮ ᑕᑲᐦᑭ ᑲᐧᐦᑯᑌᐤ  ᑯᑕᐋᐧᐣ᙮  ᐁᑯᑕ  ᓂᑮ ᐊᑎ ᑎᐦᑭᓵᐧᐤ  ᐊᓇ  ᒥᓇᐦᐃᐠ ᐱᑭᐤ᙮  ᑳ ᑮ ᑮᓯ ᑎᐦᑭᓱᐟ  ᐊᓇ  ᐱᑭᐤ  ᓂᑮ ᐊᑎ ᒦᓴᐦᐁᐣ  ᓂᒌᒫᓂᒥᓈᐣ  ᐁᐊᐧᑯ  ᐱᑭᐤ  ᐁ ᐋᐸᒋᐦᐊᐠ᙮  ᓂᑭᑖᐸᒥᑲᐧᐠ  ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ  ᑖᐱᐢᑰᐨ  ᓇᐊᐧᐨ  ᐱᑯ  ᐁ ᐋᓀᐧᐦᐠᑕᐦᑭᐠ  ᐆᒪ  ᑳ ᐃᑕᐦᑲᒥᐠᓯᔮᐣ᙮  ᓂᐯᐦᐅᓈᐣ  ᑕ ᐹᓱᐟ  ᐊᐣd  ᐱᑭᐤ,  ᐱᔨᐢᐠ  ᐹᓱᐤ  ᐁᑲᐧ  ᑭᐦᑖᐧᒼ  ᓂᐴᓯᓈᐣ᙮  ᑳ ᒫᑌᐧ ᑌᐯᐧᒋᐠ  ᓂᑑᑌᒪᐠ᙮

When I went to the shore there was a good fire going so there I began to melt the pine-pitch. When it was done melting I began to patch our canoe using that pine-pitch. My friends looked at me as if they doubted that I knew what I was doing. We waited for the pine-pitch to melt and once again we boarded the canoe. My friends called out.

“namôya awasimê ohcisitin! wahwâ! tânisi ôma ê-isi-kiskêyihtaman ta-mîsahaman cîmân?”

“ᓇᒨᔭ  ᐊᐊᐧᓯᒣ  ᐅᐦᒋᓯᑎᐣ!  ᐊᐧᐦᐋᐧ!  ᑖᓂᓯ  ᐆᒪ  ᐁ ᐃᓯ ᑭᐢᑫᔨᐦᑕᒪᐣ  ᑕ ᒦᓴᐦᐊᒪᐣ  ᒌᒫᐣ?”

“There is no more leak! Holy! How did you know how to do that to patch the canoe?”

“kayâs iyiniw mamahtâwisiwin anima. kayâs iyiniw ê-kî-kiskinwahamowit, nohtâwîpan.”

“ᑲᔮᐢ  ᐃᔨᓂᐤ  ᒪᒪᐦᑖᐃᐧᓯᐃᐧᐣ  ᐊᓂᒪ᙮  ᑲᔮᐢ  ᐃᔨᓂᐤ  ᐁ ᑮ ᑭᐢᑭᓇᐧᐦᐊᒧᐃᐧᐟ,  ᓄᐦᑖᐄᐧᐸᐣ᙮”

“It’s an old Indian trick. An old Indian taught me, my late father.”

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