From the 2011 Grandma Jean Round Dance, via YouTube, Rocky Morin of Thundering Spirit sends wishes for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, with just the right amount of sâkihitowin thrown in for good measure. Here’s some help for returning those good wishes in Cree, with warmest wishes from the Cree Literacy Network! (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFfRQ_Man5c)
In Plains Cree (y-dialect) from Arok Wolvengrey:
To one person:
miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisi!
ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯ
[mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sih]
Have a Merry Christmas!
To more than one person:
miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisik!
ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐠ
[mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sihk]
Have a Merry Christmas!
To one person:
mahti ka-wî-miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisin
ᒪᐦᑎ ᑲ ᐑ ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐣ
[muh TIH kuh wee mee yo MUN toe kee sig GUN sin]
May you have a Merry Christmas Day!
To more than one person:
mahti ka-wî-miyo-manitowi-kîsikanisinâwâw
ᒪᐦᑎ ᑲ ᐑ ᒥᔪ ᒪᓂᑐᐏ ᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᓈᐚ
[muh TIH kuh wee mee yo MUN toe kee sig gun SIN now wow]
May you have a Merry Christmas Day!
From Canoe Lake, Saskatchewan, provided by Russell Iron:
miyo-nîpâ-ayamihâw kîsikansi!
Merry Christmas!
Christmas: kâ-nîpâ-ayamihâhk
Russell suggests the name probably comes from the custom of praying at the church at night (Christmas Eve midnight mass?)
In Woods Cree (th-dialect) from Solomon Ratt:
mitho-makosîkîsikanisik ikwa ka-mithopathihkonâwâ kâ-pî-oskaskîwak
ᒥᖪ ᒪᑯᓰᑮᓯᑲᓂᓯᐠ ᐃᑿ ᒥᖪᐸᖨᐦᑯᓈᐚ ᑳ ᐲ ᐅᐢᑲᐢᑮᐘᐠ
Have a good Christmas and may good fortune happen on this coming New Year.
In Moose Cree (l-dialect, spoken in Northwestern Ontario, near James Bay),
from C. Douglas Ellis, author of Spoken Cree I & II,
Published by University of Alberta Press.
kipakosêlimitin kici-milopaliyan ê-makosê’-kîsikâk.
I wish you well on the Feast Day.
If addressed to several people, use
kipakosêlimitinâwâw kici-milopaliyêk.
I wish you all well on the Feast Day.
makosêwi-kîsikâw is widely used for ‘Christmas’.
