As a Cree language teacher at Moose Factory’s Ministik School, Claudius Hughie is teaching his second grade students how to use the locally produced Dictionary of Moose Cree. A second edition of the dictionary and a grammar are presently in the works for the coming year. (Photo by Jimena Terraza)
ᒌ ᐃᐦᑖᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ ᓀᔥᑦ ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ ᑳ ᐐᒋᑣᐤ ᐁ ᐊᐱᔖᔑᔨᒡ ᐙᔅᑳᐦᐃᑲᓂᔨᐤ ᐊᓂᑌ ᒌᑳᔅᒄ᙮ ᒋᐸ ᒌ ᒥᔯᔨᐦᑕᒧᒡ, ᒥᒄ ᒫᒃ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋᐦᐃᑯᐗᒡ ᒉᒀᔨᐤ – ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒌ ᐊᔮᐌᐗᒡ ᐊᐙᔑᔕ ᐋᑕ ᓈᔥᒡ ᐁ ᒌ ᓇᑕᐌᔨᒫᑣᐤ᙮ ᐯᔭᒀᐤ, ᑳ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᐦᒉᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ, ᒌ ᐃᑎᔗᐤ ᐅᑦ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᒻᐦ ᒬᐦᒡ ᓈᐯᔑᔑᐦᒡ ᒉᒌ ᐃᔑᓈᑯᓯᔨᒡᐦ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐲᐦᑖᐱᔅᑲᐦᐙᑦ ᐊᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᐅᑦ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᒻᐦ ᐊᓂᑌ ᒋᔖᐱᔅᒋᓵᐙᓂᐦᒡ᙮ ᒦᓐ ᒫᒃ ᑳ ᐋᐸᐦᐙᑦ ᒋᔖᐱᔅᒋᓵᐙᓐᐦ ᐁ ᓇᑕᐙᐦᐋᑦ ᐊᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᐎ ᓈᐯᔑᔕ, ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐗᔭᐐ ᒀᔥᑯᐦᑎᔨᐤᐦ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᒋᐦᒋᐸᐦᑖᔨᒡᐦ᙮
ᒌ ᑌᑆᑌᐤ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ ᐊᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᐅᓈᐯᒻᐦ ᒉ ᓅᓱᓀᐦᐙᑣᐤ᙮ ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒫᒃ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑎᒥᓀᐦᐌᐗᒡ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐅᑎᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᐎ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ ᒥᐦᒉᑦ ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐤᐦ ᐊᓂᑌ ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᐎᑲᒥᑯᐦᒡ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᑌᑆᑖᑦ ᒣᒀᒡ ᐁ ᒪᔮᐎᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐁ ᐃᑖᑦ,
ᓂᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐋᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ ᓀᔥᑦ ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ᙮ ᒉᔥᑕᒌᔭᐙᐤ ᒋᑲ ᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐃᑎᓈᐙᐤ!
ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᓅᓱᓀᐦᐙᑣᐤ ᑳ ᒥᐦᒉᑎᑣᐤ ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐗᒡ᙮ ᐋᑕ ᒫᒃ ᑳ ᒋᔒᐸᐦᑖᑣᐤ, ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑎᒥᓀᐦᐌᐗᒡ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐅᑎᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ ᒥᐦᒉᑦ ᓅᑕᔥᑯᔑᐌᓯᐤᐦ ᐊᓂᑌ ᓂᐦᑕᐎᒋᐦᒋᑲᓂᐦᒡ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᑌᑆᑖᑦ ᒣᒀᒡ ᐁ ᒪᔮᐎᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐁ ᐃᑖᑦ,
ᓂᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐋᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ, ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ, ᓀᔥᑦ ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐗᒡ᙮ ᒉᔥᑕᒌᔭᐙᐤ ᒋᑲ ᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐃᑎᓈᐙᐤ!
ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᓅᓱᓀᐦᐙᑣᐤ ᑳ ᒥᐦᒉᑎᑣᐤ ᓅᑕᔥᑯᔑᐌᓯᐗᒡ᙮ ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒫᒃ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑎᒥᓀᐦᐌᐗᒡ᙮ ᐁᔥᒄ ᐁ ᐱᒥᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ ᒌ ᐅᑎᐦᑌᐤ ᒥᔥᑐᔀ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᑌᑆᑖᑦ ᐁ ᐃᑖᑦ,
ᓂᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐋᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ, ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ, ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐗᒡ, ᓀᔥᑦ ᓅᑕᔥᑯᔑᐌᓯᐗᒡ᙮ ᒉᔥᑕᒌᔾ ᒋᑲ ᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐃᑎᓐ!
ᐋᑕ ᒫᒃ ᑏᐌᐦᒡ ᑳ ᒋᐦᒋᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᒥᔥᑐᔅ, ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑎᒥᓀᐦᐌᐤ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐅᑎᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ ᑰᐦᑰᔕ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᑌᑆᑖᑦ ᐁ ᐃᑖᑦ,
ᓂᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐋᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ, ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ, ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐗᒡ, ᓅᑕᔥᑯᔑᐌᓯᐗᒡ, ᓀᔥᑦ ᒥᔥᑐᔅ᙮ ᒉᔥᑕᒌᔾ ᒋᑲ ᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐃᑎᓐ!
ᐋᑕ ᒫᒃ ᑳ ᒋᔒᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᑰᐦᑰᔥ, ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒌ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐊᑎᒥᓀᐦᐌᐤ᙮ ᐁᔥᒄ ᐁ ᐱᒥᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ ᒌ ᐅᑎᐦᑌᐤ ᒪᐦᒉᔑᐤᐦ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᑌᑆᑖᑦ ᐁ ᐃᑖᑦ,
ᓂᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐋᐗᒡ ᒋᔐᐃᔥᑴᔥ, ᒋᔐᐃᔨᓂᐤ, ᐸᐗᐦᐃᒉᓯᐗᒡ, ᓅᑕᔥᑯᔑᐌᓯᐗᒡ, ᒥᔥᑐᔅ, ᓀᔥᑦ ᑰᐦᑰᔥ᙮ ᒉᔥᑕᒌᔾ ᒋᑲ ᒌ ᓇᑲᒋᐸᐦᐃᑎᓐ!
ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᒋᐦᒋᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᒪᐦᒉᔑᐤ᙮ ᒋᔅᒉᔨᐦᑖᑯᓯᐤ ᒫᒃ ᐁ ᒋᔒᐸᐦᑖᑦ ᒪᐦᒉᔑᐤ᙮ ᒉᒃ ᒫᒃ ᒌ ᐅᑎᐦᑌᐤ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᒪᐦᒉᔑᐤ ᐊᓂᔨᐤᐦ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᐎ ᓈᐯᔑᔕ᙮ ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐊᑎ ᒧᐙᑦ᙮
ᐁᒄ ᑳ ᐃᑗᑦ ᐊᓂᐦᐁ ᐋᔭᐦᑯᓈᐎ ᓈᐯᔑᔥ, ᐌᓵ! ᐋᐱᐦᑕᐎᑳᑦ ᓂᑦ ᐃᔅᑯᒥᑲᐎᓐ! ᐁᒄ ᒦᓐ ᑳ ᐃᑗᑦ, ᐌᓵ! ᐋᐱᐦᑕᐎᔭᐤ ᓂᑦ ᐃᔅᑯᒥᑲᐎᓐ! ᐁᒄ ᐐᐸᒡ ᒦᓐ ᑳ ᐃᑗᑦ, ᐁᒄ ᐌᓵ! ᐊᓂᑕ ᓂᑾᔮᐦᒡ ᓂᑦ ᐃᔅᑯᒥᑲᐎᓐ! ᒉᒃ ᒫᒃ ᒌ ᐃᑗᐤ, ᐁᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐁ ᒋᑕᒧᑲᐎᔮᓐ!
ᓇᒪᐐᔾ ᒫᒃ ᒦᓐ ᐐᔅᑳᑦ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐯᐦᑖᑯᓯᐤ᙮
The above is a Southern East Cree translation of The Gingerbread Boy, a fairytale first published in 1875 in the St. Nicholas Magazine by an anonymous author. Although it appears to have its origins in what is now the United States, tales of the runaway food type are common throughout much of Europe. Many retellings of the tale exist, including a Plains Cree version by the late Ida MacLeod where the characters have been reimagined in roles more relevant to Cree culture.
Kepin's Cree Language Blog 