Rellik

This weeks special guest is Shirley-Anne Lazaruk.

Shirley is originally from Waterhen Lake, Sask but has lived in the Slave Lake, AB area for decades.

Shirley is a retired registered nurse who is also a fluent Cree speaker.

As one of the only home care nurses who is fluent in nehiyawewin, Shirley was often consulted to also interpret for doctors. Shirley shares some great words related to nursing and health care, including Diabetes, heart conditions and more.

Shirley also shares some fond memories of learning valuable lessons on the land with her father.

She also teaches us some words we can use for modern inventions like televisions and texting. She even teaches us to say Hippopotamus!

Rick Mirasty is a fluent Cree-speaking criminal defense lawyer based from Big River, Saskatchewan. Rick calls Alberta home and has practiced Law throughout the province and is known for his work in criminal defense, often advocating for Indigenous clients.

Rick has been described as a "road warrior" for his extensive legal work in rural communities.

Rick has openly shared his personal journey of resilience, overcoming challenges in his early education to practice law for over 20 years.

In this weeks episode, he joins Rellik to teach some some words related to spring time, including weather related terms, spring cleaning and more. He also shares some personal stories from growing up and spending time in the local swimming pond to mentions of other fames members of Indigenous law in Alberta.

In this weeks episode we are joined again by Les Skinner.

Les is a Cree Teacher with the Canadian Native Friendship Centre as well as the Edmonton Public Libraries.and online classes. Les also teaches nēhiyawēwin classes through Concordia University and Grant Macewan University.

Les has been teaching the Cree classes for over ten years, after attending them himself to regain his language.

He aims to create a community among the students, as well as preserve the language and the traditional knowledge it holds.

anohc kâ-ispayik itwēwina - This weeks words

Sâkahikan - Lake

Sîpiy - River

Nipimohtân sisonê sâkahikanihk - I walk beside the lake

Nipakâsimon - I Swim

Wâpos - rabbit

Tâpakwân - snare

nitâpakwâhâw Wâpos - I snare a rabbit

itê kâ-mâtâhat wâpos, tâpakwê - Where you track a rabbit, set a snare

Pihêwak - prairie chickens

Nanâtohk - different kinds, variety of

Paskwâwi - plains, prairie

Oskâhtak - jack pine

Wîhkasin - it tastes good

imâcihowin - way of living

Mêskanâs - small road, small path

Nîpisîs - small willow, willow branch

Oskan - bone

Oskon - liver

Niwîkin - I live / reside

Wîki - home

kapêsiwin

Katawasisin - it is beautiful

tahkâyâw - it is cold weather

Mihta - pieces of wood (plural)

Iskotêw - fire

Kotawân - campfire

Kotawânâpisk - a stove

Nitâskatahimihtân - I chop fire wood ( Independent)

Ê-tâskatahimihtêyân - as I am chopping firewood (conjunct)

Ninikohtân - alt verb for saying it I chop / gather / prepare firewood

Kîskipocikan - a hand saw

Nikîskipocikân - I am sawing wood

Pôna - build a fire ( command)

Nipônên - I build a fire

Mihca - kindling , small pieces of wood

Wâskahikan - house, cabin

mistiko-Wâskahikan - A log cabin

Aaron Fay is a Cree language learner with Metis roots in Saskatchewan. Aaron is an advocate for the Cree language and has garnered much notoriety through his social media presence and online learning via ⁠Tiktok⁠.

He currently calls West Kelowna his home but spent much of his life between Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House.

Aaron is also the developer of ⁠Kiyanaw.net⁠ ( translates to “all of us” ), a website dedicated to learning the Cree language containing tools and resources.

Aaron joins us to give an in depth breakdown of VII, VAI and VTI's and also go into detail regarding animacy within the Cree language.

Aaron Fay (@otipeyimisow) joins us for back-to-back episodes to continue where we left off.

In this weeks episode we take an in-depth look at VTAs ( Animate Transitive Verbs ) and also go over some examples, while creating simple sentences combines VTA's and VAIs. We also go over some key survival phrases that you can use in everyday conversations with fluent speakers, which were first created by Wayne Jackson.

Wayne Jackson is a Cree language teacher from Good Fish Lake First Nation and has also taught at University of Blue Quills.

An advocate for the Cree language, he has also created language immersion class and is passionate about preserving nêhiyawêwin. Wayne is also an accomplished musician, performing under the name ⁠W.T. Goodspirit⁠ and has numerous albums recorded in the Cree language.

Wayne joins us to teach us words we can use in the work place.

Rebecca George hails from Big Island Lake, Saskatchewan.

Rebecca has taught in different schools in her home community to different grades and levels.

She learned to speak nehiyawewin in the home around her Mother and Grandmother.

She joins Rellik to teach us words related to time and frequencies of time. Not only will you work your way around a clock, but learn how to say words like soon, later, today, tomorrow and so many more!

In this weeks episode we are joined by Deloris Rain, a fluent Cree speaker and teacher from Maskwacîs, AB.

Deloris teaches us the fundamental phonetic sounds in nêhiyawêwin, some great conversational terms we can use in our daily speaking and also treats us to a traditional teaching and story of wîsahkêcâhk.

Deloris is available to teach the Cree language in person in both individual, and classroom settings and has plans to create audio lessons for home study learners.

Dan Cardinal is a Cree language teacher who has taught with many schools throughout Alberta including St. Josephs High School, Ben Calf Robe, Concordia University, CNFC, Red Deer College and Portage College . Dan also spent many years as the Vice President of the Metis Nation of Alberta. Dan continues to be a strong advocate for preserving the Cree language since the 1980's.

This weeks vocabulary

āsay – already, without delay

mīna – and

kitatamiskâtin – I greet you , ki (t) atamiskât in

namōya nantāw -I am not bad, I am fine

ninanāskomon ē-nitomiyan ōta kā – pē- piksweyan – I am grateful you invited me here to speak

tāpwē – it is true

nīsta mīna – me also

nimiywêyihtên – I am happy

āsay mīna – and , already

ê-wâpamitân – I am seeing you

nīsta – me also

tāpwē – it is true

anohc – today , miyo kīsikāw – it is a good day

anohc yîkwaskwan – it is cloudy today

apisis yîkwaskwan – a little bit cloudy

wāpahki apisis kā-yīkwaskwan – tomorrow it will be a little cloudy

kimiwan – rain, it is raining

mitoni – very , much , a lot

mistahi – very much , a lot , greatly

mitoni mistahi kimiwan – it is raining heavily

kîwê-sîkipêstâw – it is down pouring

aya – ah , well, hmm

ēwako – this , that

kimiwanayāw – it is raining there , misponayâw – it is snowing there

ninisitohtên – I understand

apisis kimiwan – a little rain

kimiwanis – a little rain

mispon – falling snow , there is snow falling

misponayaw – it is snowy (flurries)

kōna – snow ( on the ground )

mistahi ē-mispon – it is snowing alot

ē-pimohtēyān ē-misponayaw – I am walking as it is snowing

ê-kiskinwahamâkêyân nêhiyawêwin – I am teaching Cree language

kiskinwahamâkan – student

nikiskinwahamâkân – i teach

niyānan askiy – 5 years

wâwâskêsiw sâkahikan – Lac la Biche (Elk Lake)

wâhyaw – far away

mekwac – right now, currently

ka-otâkosik – in the evening

nikotwāsik tipahikan – six o’ clock

ayinānēw tipahikan – eight o’clock

isiyihkâtêw – it is called this

mīhcet – many , alot

ôma niya nikî-pê-ohpikin – ” where I grew up”

ôcênâs – town , village , settlement

tānisi isiwepan ? – How is the weather ?

Tānisi kīsik kīsikak ? – How is the sky today ?

anohc kisāstēw – today the weather is hot

anohc kisin – today is cold

ekwa mīna – and also

ka kītwan – you will say

anohc tahkāyāw – today is very cold

kisē – pīsim – january , cold month , great month

māyi – kīsikāw – it is a bad day

māyi – prefix for bad

miyo – prefix for bad

miyo kīskikāw – it is a good day

kīsikāw – day time

tipiskāw – night time, evening

pīsim – the sun

kīsikaw pīsim , the sun

tipiskāw pīsim – the moon

tahkāyāw ōma ka ōtakosīhk – it is cold this evening

yōtin – it is windy

anohc yōtin – today it is windy

yōtinisin – a little bit windy (diminutive)

mitoni yōtin – very windy

mistahi yōtin – very windy , big wind

ēkotē – over there

tānisi isiwepan ēkotē ? – How is the weather over there

ōta miyo kīsikāw māka yīkwaskwan – here it is a good day but it is cloudy

mistahi nimiywêyihtên – I am very happy , I am very glad

ē – wī – atoskēmak- my co worker i would work with

acimo – tell me a story

mawisowin – picking berries

kayās ka miywāsin – it was good back long ago

ayisiyiniwak – people ( plural)

ê-wîcihitok – we would help each other

nohkompam ka kīwē oho sīpiy – my late grandma lived in owl river

ekosi maka – that is all

Originally from the Peace River region of Treaty 8, Kathy is a Cree language teacher with the Learning Centre in Edmonton and has contributed greatly to the community as not only a teacher but also an advocate seeking justice for the homeless and First Nations women, people and youth.

Kathy Hamelin joins Rellik to teach us some feelings and emotions. In this weeks episode, we also discuss tense markers, personal pronouns and learn a few morphemes.