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Their Example Showed Me the Way
\LBERTA Edited and Translated by Freda Ahenakew & H.C. Wolfart
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinow4pahtihicik Their Example Showed Me the Way
Emma and Joseph Minde, c.1927
kwayaske é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
Their Example Showed Me the Way
A Cree Womans Life Shaped by Two Cultures
Told by Emma Minde
Edited, translated and with a glossary by Freda Ahenakew & H.C. Wolfart
The University of Alberta Press
Published by
The Unversity of Alberta Press Ring House 2
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2&1
Copyright © The University of Alberta Press 1997
5 4 3 2 ISBN 0-88864-291-1
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Minde, Emma, 1907- Kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinow4pahtihicik = Their example showed me the way
Includes bibliographical references. Text in Cree and English. ISBN 0—-88864-291-1
1. Minde, Emma, 1907— 2 Cree women—Alberta—Hobbema— Biography 3. Minde family. 4. Hobbema (Alta.)—Biography I. Ahenakew, Freda, 1932— I]. Wolfart, H Christoph, 1943- III. Title. IV. Title: Their example showed me the way Egg.c88M56 1997 971 233 Cg7-911013-0
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No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the pnor permission of the copyright owner.
All royalties from the sale of this book revert to the publication fund of the Algonquian Text Society
eo Printed on acid-free paper.
Printed and bound in Canada by Friesens, Altona, Manitoba
a Canad
Contents
VI
Vil
Preface vu The Education of a Cree Woman 1x Editorial Notes — xxxvil
Emma Minde’s Life 2/3 Family Background — 12/13 Childhood Memories 18/19
Emma Minde’s Marriage 32 / 33 Joe Minde 32/33 Joe Minde’s Family 38/39 Counselling 42/43 An Arranged Marriage 54/55
The Marriage of Mary-Jane and Dan Minde An Arranged Marriage 64 / 65 Ermineskins Counsel 68 / 69
Teaching by Example = 70/71 Self-Reliant Women = 74/75
Mary and Sam Minde at Work — 94/95
64 / 65
VI
The Marriage of Mary and Sam Minde An Arranged Marriage 100 / 101 The Minde Family 102/103 Sisters-in-Law 106/107 Daily Life 12/113
Notes to the Text 149/150 Cree-English Glossary 151 / 152 English Index to the Glossary 191 / 192
100 / 101
Preface
The personal reminiscences which Emma Minde recorded for Freda Ahenakew in June 1988 offer rare insights into a life history guided by two powerful forces: the traditional world of the Plains Cree and the Catholic missions with their boarding-schools, designed to re-make their charges entirely.
Rarely has the interplay of these two world views — often in conflict, but often also, it seems, very much in harmony with one another —been sketched so eloquently as in Emma Minde's autobiography.
‘Thanks are due above all to Mrs. Emma Minde, who gave this acrmowin to Freda Ahenakew to publish, and also to Mrs. Theresa Wildcat, her daughter, who helped with all the practical arrangements and approvals and, especially, provided the family photographs which illustrate this book.
‘The text is presented in its original Cree form, with a translation into English on facing pages. For technical advice and support we are, as always, indebted to our colleagues in the Cree Language Project at the University of Manitoba, especially Arden Ogg. Without the travel and infrastructure support provided at various times by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the University of Manitoba Research Board and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba, the laborious task of transcribing, analysing and editing the audio recordings and preparing the translation and the glossaries would have taken even
longer.
VH
The publication of this book is made possible by subsidies from the Miyo-Wahkéhtowin Community Education Authority at lobbema and the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, which are hereby gratefully acknowledged.
FA & HCW
vit kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
The Education of a Cree Woman
H.C. Wolfart
Emma Minde’s portraits of the family into which she was given in mar- riage sixty years earlier are instructive and touching at once. They show us a young woman obediently but tearfully leaving her home at Saddle Lake to join a new and, to her, completely strange household at Hobbema — comprising not only a young husband she has yet to meet, but also four powerful adults who will henceforth shape her life: her husband's parents, Mary-Jane and Dan Minde, and Dan Minde's younger brother Sam and his wife Mary.
While the Minde brothers are well-known figures in the history of Alberta during the mid-twentieth century — having been among the founders in 1944 of the Indian Association of Alberta — the reminis- cences of Emma Minde throw fresh light on an aspect of their political lives that is often neglected: the fact that their public work was heavily dependent on the active support of their strong-willed wives.
The education which the newly arrived wife of Joseph Minde received in the households of her mother-in-law and Mary Minde was built on obedience, hard work and a firmly-held set of beliefs. Seen as essential preparation for a life of uncertainty and rapid change, hard- ship and constant struggle, these are the virtues that pervade the text. Some of the specific life skills, both ancient and modern, are also sketched from the perspective of a woman’s primary responsibilities, which focus on the integrity of the family and the importance of plan- ning ahead.
X
Mrs. Emma Minde, c.1988
The reminiscences of Emma Minde are at their most poignant when
she describes the arranged marriage into which she was given — and
then repeats much the same account for Mary-Jane Minde and Mary Minde, evidently her most important teachers in what it took to
become a resourceful and self-reliant woman. IF THERE IS A SINGLE FEATURE that defines Emma Minde’s auto-
biography, it is her relationship with her two ‘mothers-in-law’ — her hus-
band’s mother and his aunt, the wife of her husband’s father’s brother.
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
The relationship between the young wife and these two older women lies at the heart of the book. No terminological distinction is made between the two models, who are treated as equal in status and importance. They are both called nisikos ‘my father's sister, my mother's brother's wife; my mother-in-law, my father-in-law’s brother's wife’, and this lack of differentiation further appears to be reflected in the indis- criminate use, in English, of the term Mrs. Minde.
Her mother-in-law may well be the most important person in a at least as important, from the day of marriage
young woman's life onward, as her own mother. At the time, of course, she may seem even more important if the bride joins her husband in a faraway place, where she finds herself among strangers.
The teaching réle of the mother-in-law covers the entire range of human life; as is so movingly recalled by Glecia Bear (in her chapter on ‘A Woman's Life’ in kshkominawak otécimowiniwéatwa / Our Grandmothers Lives, As Told in Their Own Words, told by Glecia Bear et al., edited and translated by Freda Ahenakew & H.C. Wolfart, Saskatoon, 1992), the
purview of the young wife's dependence may even include instruction
!
about the basic facts of human biology.
The relationship between sisters-in-law (who under cross-cousin marriage were, of course, also the daughters of siblings) is of similar importance, and the narrative offers eloquent testimony of this. But the dominant figures in Emma Minde’s life were clearly her seniors, Mary- Jane and Mary Minde.
Filial piety apart, the bond between these three women, as illus- trated in the Minde reminiscences, will stand as a lasting monument to
female solidarity.
Two Worlds, One Life
On the North Saskatchewan, the world into which Emma Minde had been born in 1907 differed fundamentally from that of the late twenti- eth century. The contrast between the teams of horses or oxen of that day and the air-conditioned, digitally-audioed farm machinery of the present is deceptive — when Emma Minde was a child, her extended family still included old men who had themselves hunted buffalo or crossed the prairies on foot, seeking fame and horses in warfare with
Their Example Showed Me the Way
XI
onihcikiskwapiwinihk
Beaverhill
Lake f Vermilion @ a qg 2 ‘ 7 ae, A Battle Pigeon ‘ o 8 XK Lake Lake 2 \ CQ inasknacisins Ww a Bearhills Lake Drymeat )) Hobbema Lake ‘ Red Deer LI Aiie N x Ponoka Samson Lake * bg Gull 8 Lake 3? atte th & Hale 0 50 km &, Lake Peesinnsnionananmenl
The North Saskatchewan and Battle River region
the Blackfoot. At the same time, the early twentieth century was marked by intense missionary activities by Catholics and others who enter- tained little doubt that their efforts were noble and wholly in the inter- est of those they sought to convert and educate in the new way of life.
Emma Minde (née Memnook) was born at onihcikiskwapiwinihk, also known as Saddle Lake, a large reserve on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River (roughly 200 km downstream of Edmonton, due north of the settlement of Brosseau, formerly St-Paul-des-Cris, and the small town of Two Hills).
She left her own family behind in 1927, when the parents of Joseph Minde, her future husband, came to fetch her and took her back to maskwacisihk, sometimes translated as ‘Bear Hills’ (or also ‘Bear's Hill’) but commonly referred to as Hobbema (ca. 80 km south of Edmonton). There, in an area generally to the northwest of Samson Lake, the four reserves located largely on the north bank of the Battle River faithfully reflect the competitive history of Christian missions on the northern plains. The efforts of the early Methodists (most prominently R.T. Rundle, who by 1850 had established a mission at Pigeon Lake, not far
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
upstream) are still measurable on Samson and Montana Reserves (where in 1939 Catholics reportedly accounted for 441 and 49, or 70% and 61%, in a total population of 633 and 81, respectively); conversely, Ermineskin and Louis Bull Reserves (with populations of 331 and 148 in 1939) are reported to have been almost exclusively Roman Catholic.
The establishment of a permanent Roman Catholic mission at maskwacisihk came relatively late (with Hippolyte Beillevaire, a secular priest, arriving in 1881 but soon moving downstream to the Laboucane Métis settlement and returning only for occasional visits); but once the Oblates had taken over (in 1884, with P. Constantine Scollon staying only a few months but, crucially, P. Victorin Gabillon remaining in situ for more than a decade), they soon began a day school (1887), which by 1897 had become a boarding-school run by the Soeurs de |’Assomption de la Sainte-Viérge of Nicolet, Québec.
Once institutionalised, the Roman Catholic presence became firmly entrenched at Hobbema — the published record mentions, for exam- ple, a pilgrimage to Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Québec in 1954, with the party including Mrs. Dan Minde, Mrs. Joseph Minde, Mrs. Sam Minde and Miss Theresa Minde. But the spoken narrative of Emma Minde (even though it does not include an account of this journey) still provides the strongest evidence throughout of the Catholic fact.
THE ELDER MINDES who had such a profound influence on the young woman brought to Ermineskin’s reserve to marry their son and nephew are presented in loving detail (as, of course, is her husband, Joseph Minde).
In full accordance with Cree tradition, Emma Minde and her hus- band began their married life in the household of his parents. By the same general pattern, Mary Minde and her husband Sam had also at first lived at his older brother’s house.
The elder of the two was Daniel Minde, usually called Dan Minde, whose Cree name was ka-mahihkani-pimohtéw. Mary-Jane (née ondcowésis) was his second wife — his first, Celina, had died when their son Joseph was three years old — and Emma Minde never tires of singing the virtues of this step-mother and her infinite kindness towards her step-son. (Many years later, as Emma Minde told Freda Ahenakew on another occasion, Mary-Jane and Dan Minde were to
Their Example Showed Me the Way
XIH
XIV
The family of Mary-Jane and Dan Minde left to right, sitting: Daniel Minde, Joseph (son), Justine (daughter), Mary-Jane Minde
(second wife); standing: Sophie (daughter), Julie (daughter)
play a similarly decisive réle in the upbringing of their youngest daugh- ter’s son, Wilton Littlechild m.p.) Mary-Jane Minde was younger than her sister-in-law, Mary Minde.
The Cree name of Sam Minde was okikocésis. His widow, Mary Minde, died in April 1988, not long before this text was recorded, at the age of ninety-five.
The Cree names of Mary-Jane and Mary Minde are not given in the narrative; instead, both are frequently referred to, with obvious defer- ence, as Mrs. Minde. Neither is there any mention of the Minde broth- ers’ mother (whose Cree name was mdmitonéyihcikan). Dan and Sam also had an older brother, kaydsiyaékan; their sister, the eldest, was called wapanohtéw.
The focus of this text is clearly on the Mindes of maskwacisihk. The
narrator tells us nothing about her own parents, about her brothers and
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
sisters or about her childhood and youth. The only thing she reveals about her mother is that she had come from Onion Lake and that she, too, had been given away into an arranged marriage.
IN TENOR AND PERSPECTIVE, the narrative of Emma Minde is above all autobiographical; to a lesser extent it is also historical. It is further interspersed throughout with expository stretches attending to tradi- tional matters and with didactic passages which occasionally border on the homiletic.
Emma Minde’s reminiscences are classical in form; within the overall genre of the dcimowin, the factual account, she alternates between the autobiographical text or dcimisowin and the counselling text or kakéskihkémowin (cf. Wolfart & Carroll 1982, Ahenakew & Wolfart 1987).
In all of this, the degree to which traditional Cree beliefs and the teachings of the Roman Catholic church seem to have become inte- grated one into the other seems extraordinary.
‘To Watch and to Listen
Emma Minde's reminiscences are permeated by the paramount impor- tance of teaching the young, expressed in a profusion of terms for advice and counsel, for teaching and parental control:
kakéskim— vta ‘counsel s.o., preach at s.o.’ kakéskimiso— vat ‘counsel oneself’ kakéskihkémo— vat ‘counsel people, preach at people’
miyo-kakéskihkémowin— Ni ‘good counselling, good preaching’
sihkim— vta ‘urge s.o. by speech’ sthkiskaw— vra ‘urge s.o. bodily’
kitahamaw— via ‘advise s.o. against (it/him)’ kihkam— vra ‘scold s.o.'
itaspiném— vta ‘call s.o. thus in anger, angrily call s.o. such a name, thus scold s.o. in anger’
Their Example Showed Me the Way
kiskinohamaw— vta ‘teach s.o., teach (it) to s.o.’ kiskinohamaké~ vat ‘teach things’ kiskinohaméso— vai ‘teach oneself’ kiskinohamato— vai ‘teach one another
kiskinowapam— vra ‘watch s.o.’s example’ kiskinowapahtih— vra ‘teach s.o. by example’ kiskinowapahtihiwé- vai ‘teach people by example’
Despite the obvious importance of learning by example, these terms of counsel and instruction, which seem equally common in traditional and Christian discourse, indicate that a great deal of teaching takes the form of urging and lecturing, warning and scolding.
THE VALUES BEING TAUGHT prominently include respect for the aged and charity towards those who cannot help themselves. Leadership is characterised further by the willingness to intercede on behalf of one’s people.
Emma Minde is firmly committed to the values of Roman Catholic education, and she expresses nothing but praise for the accomplish- ments of Roman Catholic boarding-schools. No mention is made of any of the problems that appear to have been a systemic trait of residential schools for much of the twentieth century; instead, her narrative is explicitly laudatory and expansive about those aspects of Roman Catholic education which are seen as positive. Deference and obedi- ence, hard work and devotion to duty are essential features of a value system, typically acquired at boarding-school, which she regards as the foundation of a proper life.
IN EMMA MINDE’S WORLD VIEW and, presumably, in her life experi- ence, transcendental values are tightly linked to practical competence. In discussing the division of labour between men and women and the traditional skills that have been disappearing more and more rapidly, she stresses the virtue of self-reliance, of being in control to the extent that natural circumstances permit and, in particular, the crucial impor- tance of planning ahead, each year, for the severe winter.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
Industry and cleanliness around the house are taken for granted as an integral part of a woman’s duties as taught in a Catholic boarding- school. A wide range of household practices are surveyed, from sewing techniques and beadwork design to culinary specialties, but rarely dis- cussed in detail.
Doing the laundry at the slough is one activity which Emma Minde treats less cursorily, and her tale is a welcome complement to Rosa Longneck’s account (in chapter 9 of Bear et al. 1992) of soap-making — a commonplace task, to be sure, but transcended by an extraordinarily lively and well-presented narrative of how it is done and how she her- self used to do it.
‘The most remarkable report, ironically of a wholly innovative tech- nology, is Emma Minde’s description of how the girls of a Roman Catholic boarding-school in the 1920s would produce woollen stock- ings, first knitting them by hand and then mass-producing them by a combination of simple machinery and handiwork.
Throughout, wifely loyalty ranks high among the virtues extolled in this text; it is memorably illustrated in the vignette of Dan Minde being taught to read, as an adult and a chief, by his second wife.
RESPECT FOR ONE'S ELDERS is a dominant theme in Cree education, and Emma Minde relies on a rich choice of terms for its expression, e.g.,
kihcéyim— vra ‘think highly of s.o.’ ayiwakéyim— vra ‘think more of s.o., regard s.o. more highly’
mandcim— vra ‘speak to s.o. with respect, speak of s.o. with respect’ mandacih— vta ‘treat s.o. with respect’
She employs three pairs of stems to speak about the care and love with which people should treat one another:
kitimdkéyim— vta ‘feel pity towards s.o., be kind to s.o., love s.o.’ kitimakinaw— vra ‘take pity upon s.o., lovingly tend s.o.’
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XVII
kanawéyim— vTA ‘look after s.o., take care of s.o." kanawapam— vrta ‘look at s.o.; look after s.o.’
pamih— vra ‘tend to s.0o., look after s.o.’ pamin— vra ‘tend to s.o., look after s.o. (with one’s hands)’
Ranging from character and attitude to the purely practical, these six are in turn embedded in sets of closely related terms, e.g.,
pamih— vra ‘tend to s.o., look after s.o.’ pamihiso— vai ‘tend oneself, look after oneself’ pamihtamaw— vta ‘tend to (it/him) for s.o., look after (it/him) for s.o. pamihtamdaso— vat ‘tend to (it/him) for or by oneself, look after (it/him) for or by oneself’.
Mere lists of abstract stems, however, pale beside the complex inter- play of actual, inflected verb forms in their text sequence. In relating the marriage of Mary-Jane Minde, for example, Emma Minde begins with a set of four verbs in which two instances of the stem pamih— con- stitute an outer layer enclosing an inner pair of instances of the stem
kitimakéyim- :
STEM SUBJECT A ka-miyo-pamihikot ‘that he would provide well for her a B —ka-kitimakéyimik ‘he will care for you’ A B= é-ki-kitimakéyimat ‘she loved him’ B A kwayask é-ki-pamihat ‘she looked after him properly’ B
While the choice of stems exhibits one pattern (represented schemati- cally by aBba), the agentive subjects alternate in another (schematically AABB), with the prospective husband given grammatical prominence in the first two verb forms, and the prospective wife in the last two; the two patterns crosscut each other.
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
Elaborate figures of repetition and variation of terms for care and love are conspicuous throughout this passage (in chapter v, section 43), which ends with eloquent praise for Emma Minde’s sister-in-law Sophie and her devoted care for Chief Ermineskin's widow:
.., ayiwak éwako 6-ki-kitimakéyimit, ..., O-Ri-kitimakéyimat ayisiyiniwa, é-ki-kitimakéyimat kéhté-aya; péyak mana nétokwésiwa min 6-ki-kanawéyimat 6-ki-kitimakéyimat. (EM43) . , she especially used to love me, ..., she loved people, she loved old people; she also used to keep one old lady, lovingly.’
RELIANCE ON INIERCESSION is another central domain where it would be forbiddingly difficult to disentangle the pre-Christian and Catholic strands.
The réle of advocacy in a Cree context is beautifully laid out in the story which Emma Minde (who by her marriage herself became a member of the Ermineskin band) relates of the making of a chief. As Dan Minde is trained for his future réle as a leader, he is taught one obligation above all others: to take up for his people, to intercede for them with the outside authorities, to serve as their advocate.
The Cree terms which have come into use as translations of English legal terms, especially in the field of criminal justice, guilt and inno- cence, differ dramatically from their English models in that most of them include a presupposition of guilt; they have a built-in sense, which may well reflect the realities of a small-scale, band-level society, that to be accused is to be guilty.
In one of the highlights of the text (in chapter v, section 44), Emma Minde reports the counselling which Dan Minde, while still a young man, received from the old chief k-ésihkosiwaydniw, more widely known as Ermineskin — an account further confirmed and authenti- cated by reference to oscikwanis, Ermineskin’s widow, who was person-
Their Example Showed Me the Way
ally known to the narrator since she had been kept in her old age by Emma Minde'’s sister-in-law.
We are told of the old chief’s prophesy that Dan Minde, too, would some day become chief and we are then given his instructions about the foremost duty of a chief: “to take up for his people” (with the term otiyinima ‘his people’ here referring to the people in his charge). The injunction is illustrated in the context of the Anglo-Canadian legal sys- tem, which is seen from a perspective not of right or wrong, guilt or innocence, but of the need for intercession and grace.
This fundamental lack of agreement between the adversary system of Anglo-Saxon justice and the Cree system, where the accused begs for mercy (and which shows remarkable similarities to the theology of the New Testament), results in a monumental lack of understanding — and rarely has the Cree system of suing for leniency been put more clearly and more eloquently than in Emma Minde’s account of how Dan Minde was instructed in his chiefly duties by Ermineskin.
New Terms, Old Form
While Emma Minde's autobiographical narrative is heavily Catholic in inspiration, its literary form belongs to a genre of dcimowin-texts in which narrative stretches are interspersed with didactic or homiletic passages.
Throughout her text, Emma Minde relies on subtle variations in the formation of verb stems to create the dense texture typical of literary texts in Cree. The stem wikim-, for instance, together with other stems derived from it, constitutes a simple etymological set:
wikim— vta ‘live with s.o.; be married to s.o.’ kihci-wikim— vra ‘be formally married to s.o0.’
wikihto— vai ‘live with one another, be married to one another’ kihci-wtkihto— vat ‘be formally married to one another’.
In establishing such a set and then varying the elements and adding to them (the preverb kihci, for instance, with its overtones of ritual sanc- tion), storytellers employ one of the most common figures of Cree rhetoric.
xx kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
In Emma Minde’s discourse, the set of textually linked stems, in fact, extends far beyond the four examples above. In terms of etymolog- ically related elements alone we also find verb stems like
wiki— vai ‘live there, have one’s home there’ kihci-wiki- vat ‘live formally; live in residence’
and nouns like
wikihtowin— Ni ‘living together, matrimony’ kihci-wikihtowin— Ni ‘formal marriage, Holy Matrimony’.
‘The semantic field further includes many stems which overlap with the above but also cover additional ranges of meaning, e.g.,
wicéw— VTA ‘accompany s.0., live with s.o.’ wicéhto— vat ‘live with one another’
witokwém— vra ‘share a dwelling with s.o., live with so.’
aya— vat ‘be there, live there’ wic-dyam— vra ‘live with s.o.’
Whether by accident or as a consequence of the perspective from which she tells her story, Emma Minde further uses the term ondpémi—_ vat ‘have a husband, be married (as a woman)’ while omitting the corre- sponding wiwi— val ‘have a wife, be married (as a man)’.
In all the above examples, the use of the preverb particle kihci ‘grand, formal; holy’ is an overt sign of a Christian term; in others, the influence of English-language patterns, both linguistic and cultural, may be less obvious, as for instance in otinito— vat ‘take one another; marry each other’. There are certain subject areas in which Emma
Minde seems to show a distinct preference for abstract nouns, e.g.,
kihci-wikihtowin— i ‘formal marriage, Holy Matrimony’ iyisdhowin— Ni ‘resisting temptation’.
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XXII
She also uses various turns of phrase which appear to be based on English models, such as the indirect question tanité k-ési-kwéskicik ‘where to turn’ and the object-and-verb phrase miyawdtamowin é-nitonahkik ‘seeking fun’ in
..., namdoy kiskéyihtamwak tanité k-ési-kwéskicik anima miyawatamowin é-nitonahkik. (EMg)
‘..., they don’t know where to turn next in their search for amusement.’
or the metaphor suggesting that days might be ‘lost’ in
naméy dhci-nakiw ka-mah-minihkweét, kisikawa ka-wanihtdat, .. . (EM28)
‘He did not stop [in his work] to go drinking around, to lose whole days, ...’
Despite the occasional loan translation, the phraseology of these remi- niscences is clearly traditional, and terms with an obvious Catholic overburden (though typically on a Cree base) such as iyisdhowin— NI ‘resisting temptation’ occur side by side with ordinary Cree expressions The established norms of Cree literary style prevail even where the subject matter may be thought of as purely Catholic. In the following example, both verb stems are marked (by the stem-final derivational suffix -hto-, which precedes the inflectional suffix -t) as reciprocal:
..., ayisiyiniw aya, ka-kitimakéyihtot kwayask ké-wikihtot. (EM7) ‘..., when people love one another and when they are properly married.’
While the rules of English grammar restrict reciprocal verbs to the plural form (they love each other, never she loves each other — which is why the translation of the above sentence into English has to be fairly free), the use of reciprocal verb stems in the singular form is a tell-tale sign of high rhetoric in Cree.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
THE DEVOUTLY CATHOLIC content of this text is reflected in an exceptionally rich set of terms dealing with matters of doctrine and conduct. The interplay between the Cree virtue of hard work with the Catholic doctrine of good works is a fundamental part of Emma Minde'’s story.
A truly noteworthy pattern is the re-use of ordinary and traditional terms in specifically Christian senses, e.g.,
pihkoho— vat ‘free oneself, escape; be saved’ patiniké— vai ‘make a mistake, take a wrong step, transgress; sin’
In some cases, such semantic extensions are triggered by the introduc-
tion of new objects or practices, e.g.,
minihkwé— vat ‘drink; use alcohol, abuse alcohol! pihtwawin— Ni ‘smoking; smoking cannabis, cannabis abuse’
In the same fashion, some of these re-used terms reflect the shift from
one moral and religious system to another, ¢.g.,
pawamiwin— NI ‘spirit power; witchcraft’ pastaho— vat ‘have one’s transgressions fall upon oneself and one’s children; sin, be a sinner’
Words which retain both their basic and their extended meanings are common, with all their ambiguities and tensions, in technical con- texts — whether theological or commercial:
..., niki-wapahtén kisé-manitow é-tipéyimikoyahk é-ki-awihit ékoni anih aya, awésisa kaw é-ki-otinat. (Em4)
‘..., [saw that God in His power over us had given us this child on loan and that He had taken her back again.’
atiht néhiyawa, atiht moniyawa ki-awihéw. (EM58) ‘Some [fields] he had rented out to Crees, some to White people.’
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XXIII
Similarly:
... ki-wawéyistam ka-nakatahk askiy... (EM4) ‘, .. she was prepared to leave this world behind. . .’
niki-miyawak anih aya askiya nosisimak; péyak iskwéw, ékwa niso napéwak, ndsisimak niki-miyawak. (EMs58)
‘I gave the land [lit., these pieces of land] to my grandchildren; to one granddaughter and to two grandsons | gave it.’
The context may be commercial, the lexical meaning may be extended well beyond its traditional realm to include divisible real estate, but in this last example the construction displays the classical form of a chias- tic reversal of word order.
NEW TERMS AND INNOVATIVE USES of age-old terms are readily inte- grated, as the above examples illustrate, into a discourse which, despite its Roman Catholic content and flavour, exhibits the established fea- tures of Cree literary form.
Among the more striking aspects of Emma Minde’s text are the long sequences of parallel clauses, e.g.,
... Ekwa méy é-kiskéyihtahkik é-tétahkik étok 6m dya, ka-tétdsocik,
ka-misiwandcihisocik,
ké-nipahisocik. (EM36)
.. and they presumably do not know what they are doing when they do this to themselves,
when they destroy themselves,
when they kill themselves.’
kispin ka-kisitwahikoyahkik, ka-ponéyihtamawéyahkik, naméya ka-~, nambya ka-kisistawayahkik ayisiyiniwak, naméy mina ka-~ kimdéc ka-néotinayahkik, méy k-Gh-ayimémayahkik. (EmM34)
wav kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
‘if they have angered us, for us to forgive them, not to —~, not to stay angry with people, not to fight them behind their backs, not to spread gossip about them.’
Parallelism is a fundamental feature of Cree rhetoric; when taken to the lengths illustrated here and used repeatedly, it imparts a special force to the homiletic tone of the text.
In referring to the two women who exercised such a profound influ- ence on her life, Emma Minde goes back and forth between kin terms such as nisikos ‘my father’s sister, my mother’s brother's wife; my mother-in-law, my father-in-law's brother’s wife’ and English appella- tions such as Mrs. Minde; one reason for this usage may well be that these are public figures whose names are widely recognised in central Alberta. (In most traditional texts, the use of personal names for deceased members of the family is avoided and kin terms appear either with the absentative suffix -pan, e.g., nOhkomipan ‘my late grand- mother’, or in periphrastic constructions; cf. Wolfart 1992: 405-6.)
At the same time, the narrator studiously comments on the anachro- nistic use of ordinary kin terms, as when she refers to her future hus- band as niwikimdkan ‘my spouse’ even though she reports from the per- spective of the bride-to-be, and also when she uses the same term for him retrospectively even though he is no longer alive:
..., niwikimdkan ékwa —nik-étahkémaw, dsay ékwa é-ki-nakasit — (EM41)
‘...,and my husband —I will call him by that kin term even though he has already left me behind —’
She similarly employs a distancing comment on the one occasion where her discourse might be misunderstood as implying self-
aggrandisement, a serious violation of Cree social norms:
namdya nindhté-mah-mamihcimon pimatisiwin ohci, maka... (EM5) ‘I do not want to brag about the life I lead, but. . .’
Their Example Showed Me the Way
Finally, she opens the chapters of her narrative with a self-effacing comment designed to stress that she only speaks about her life in response to repeated requests:
awa ka-kakwécimit iskwéw aw Ota ka-pikiskwéhit; (EM7) ‘This woman [Freda Ahenakew] asked me, when she made me speak in here [the tape-recorder];’
..., €wakw aw aya, iskwéw awa k-aciméhit aya, ékosi é-isi-nitawéyihtahk k-@cimostawak, ... (EM11)
_.., it is this woman [Freda Ahenakew] who is making me tell about it, that is what she wants me to tell her about, .. .
ékonik ok dya, é-nitawéyimit aw aya Mrs. Ahenakew k-dcimakik aya, nisis kwa aya nisikos,... (EM43)
‘It is these Mrs. Ahenakew wants me to tell about, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, . . .’
ékwa ok diya iskwéwak ké-nitawéyimikawiyan aya kik-dcimakik aya, éta maskwacisihk, ... (EM50) ‘And it is these women I am expected to tell about, here at
maskwacisihk, ...’
These formal opening passages illustrate another characteristic feature of Cree literary form.
Bearing the hallmarks of classical style and form, the reminiscences of Emma Minde are an eloquent testimony of the remarkable educa- tion which turned the shy, even morose girl she insists she once was into an old woman of resounding rhetorical gifts.
Arranged Marriages
Emma Minde outlines the married lives of three women: her own and that of two older women, the wives of her father-in-law and his brother, whose teachings shaped her life as a married woman. In effect, then, we are told much the same tale three times over — and the repetition makes it all the more impressive.
xxv kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
The decision for a young woman to be married is made, at least for- mally, by her father. When she first introduces the topic of her arranged marriage, Emma Minde speaks only of her parents, e.g.,
maka ninikihikwak é-wi-nanahihtawakik é-sihkimicik, ... (EM3) ‘But I was going to obey my parents since they urged me, .. .’
Her narrative tells us nothing of the consultations and negotiations which may have been part of the arrangements between the two sets of parents. She merely reports that her parents would habitually stop and stay with her future husband's parents when travelling in the region.
In the event, the young man’s parents come to Saddle Lake to ask for the young woman, and they proceed to take her home with ther. Emma Minde uses the plural form for the first two verbs in the follow- ing sentence to suggest that the discussions included both fathers and mothers:
..., kd-ki-pé-nitawapamacik aya ninikihikwa, é-pé-mamiskétamawacik 6m aya, okosisa éyapic é-mésdpéwiyit, é-ki-nitawéyimit okosisa ka-wicéwimak. (EM39)
‘..., that is when they came to see my parents, they came and discussed with them the fact that his son was still a bachelor and that he wanted me to marry his son.’
In the second half of the sentence, however, she chooses the singular for the main verb, and also the singular possessor for the two instances of the possessed noun okosisa, to indicate that the key phrases were spoken by the (previously mentioned) groom's father.
It is the bride's father, too, who finally puts the question to her:
“kiwi-wicéwéw ct aw oskinikiw?” é-itikawiyan; (EM4o) ‘“Are you going to marry this young man?” was said to me;’
(even though the quotative verb form which follows does not specify the speaker), When she remains silent, she is scolded — she still remembers the very words her father spoke — and only then she acqui- esces, hesitantly and with filial deference:
Their Example Showed Me the Way xxi
XXVIII
“wiy é-sthkimiyan, ‘éha’ nik-étwan étokwé.” (EM4o) ‘“Since you urge me, | will presumably say yes.”’
THE CRITERIA AND ARGUMENTS which a young woman's father would have weighed in agreeing to give her away are implicitly recited in the same passage:
..., wiyawaw éwako é-ki-wiyasiwatahkik 6m aya, 6-ki-kakdyawisit awa,..., é-ki-nanahihtawat 6htawiya. (EM4o)
‘... but they [the parents} made the decision, and he [her future husband] was a good worker . . . , and he obeyed his father.’
In the opening summary, her parents’ thoughts are represented as follows:
é-itéyihtahkik ékoni kwayask, ka-ki-pamihit kihci-wikimak[i] éwakw ana napéw,... (EM3)
‘they [my parents} thought that he would [do] the right thing, that this man would be able to provide for me if I married him...’
The narrative goes on to impute a motive to the other side as well.
6-ki-étokwé-nisis-kakwé-miskamawat iskwéwa aya, tanih ékoni ka-kitimakéyimikot, ... (EM4o) ‘My father-in-law must have tried to find a wife for him, one who
’
would love him,.. .’;
but then the narrator, ever sensitive to reproach (for self-righteous- ness), immediately distances herself by a self-deprecatory remark.
When Mary-Jane Minde was given to Dan Minde, it was her older brother who arranged the marriage:
..., kon és é-ki-aya-sthkimikot ... (EM43) *..., that one had urged her...’
In this case, the narrative reports an explicit argument in favour of the particular suitor: that he would be a good provider and that he was already accustomed to a life with children.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
For Mary Minde, finally, the de facto guardians who took charge and acted in loco parentis were the nuns running the boarding-school:
..., ki é-nitawéyimiht ka-kiwétotawét osdm aya,... (EM65) ‘,.., for they did not want her to go back to her grandfather, . . .’;
(they thoroughly disapproved of his conjuring). Explicitly declaring their intention,
“ka-miskamatinan awiyak ka-wicéwat.” (EmM65)
ry
We will find you someone to marry.”’, they chose in Sam Minde a young man who had worked at the school:
..., €-ki-itikot ékoni ka-kihci-wikimét, . . . (EM65) ‘..., they had told her to marry that one, . . .’
—and in her case there is none of the normal lament, for we are told that she knew him.
BOTH THE RITUALS of marriage and the values for which they stand offer wide scope for conflict between traditional Cree practices and the doctrines enforced from time to time by the Roman Catholic Church.
The conflict of values is most obvious with respect to cross-cousin marriage. Under this ancient principle, cohesion between families is maintained from generation to generation; but to a Roman Catholic priest, the very notion of a woman marrying the son of her father's sis- ter or of her mother’s brother (one of her cross-cousins) is repugnant — and it seems to matter little that, conversely, the sons of her father’s brother or of her mother’s sister (her parallel cousins) are classified as her brothers and subject to the strictest taboo.
When the young woman to whose reminiscences we are listening was taken from her childhood home at Saddle Lake to be married at Hobbema to a man she had never seen before, she did not, as she puts it, know any of her future family. Her father-in-law, Dan Minde, had in fact accompanied her parents when they went to visit her in hospital at Ponoka (not far from Hobbema), where she had spent several months having “lost her voice” (em3g). A mere two weeks after her release from
Thetr Example Showed Me the Way
hospital, Dan Minde had come to arrange her marriage to his son and to take her away.
There is no indication in the narrative of the relationship, genealogi- cal or conventional, between the two families which in traditional Cree society determines the eligibility of marriage partners, and the absence of any such cross-cousin relationship has since been explicitly con- firmed (to Freda Ahenakew) by the narrator; but this, of course, is an aspect of Cree culture which the missionaries had been especially anxious to modify. For the present case, the Roman Catholic influence is reflected in the fact that the term nisis ‘my mother’s brother, my father’s sister's husband; my father-in-law, my father-in-law’s brother’, which in the proper genealogical context would have been appropriate for a potential or future father-in-law as well as for an actual one and thus might have been used from the outset, does not appear until after the marriage.
The motive Emma Minde attributes to her parents sixty years later recalls the common pattern of folk etymologies:
éwak ohc étokwé ké-ki-nawasénamawicik napéwa ka-wicéwimak, .. . , éké é-ohci-nisitawéyimakik ayisiyiniwak. (EM8)
‘That must have been the reason why they chose a man for me to marry, ... , because I did not know people.’
It certainly need not be taken literally.
It is noteworthy that Emma Minde seems so thoroughly steeped in Roman Catholic doctrine that the institution of cross-cousin marriage does not even rate a mention in her narrative — or should the implicit excoriation of this mortal sin be part of the constant emphasis on proper marriage? Instances are plentiful, and some stand out by their rhythmic style:
ékos anim 6é-ki-isi-miyo-pimatisicik, ; wikiwin é-ki-miyacik aya otawdsimisiwawa aya, kah-kihci-wikimaétwaw[i] dwiya. (—EM34) ‘In this way they have led a good life, they have given their children a home, after getting properly married to someone.’
xa kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
ahpé wiya césos 6htawihkawina, ‘kihcihtwawi-cosap’ ka-ki-isiyihkAsot, ékwa okéwiya, kihcihtwawi-mariy, é-ki-kihci-wikihtoyit,
cisas wist dya, é-ki-ayat anim dya wikiwin, ita 6-ki-kitimakéyimikot, 6htawiya nik-étwan ékwa okdwiya; (EM42)
‘Even in the case of Jésus, his step-father, St. Joseph as he is called, and his mother, Ste-Marie, had been properly married,
and Jesus, too, had a home where they loved him,
his father (1 will say) and his mother;
tanitahtwéw nipéhtén 6té ndway,
ékonik anohc ka-kisikak kwayask é-pimatisicik, ka-kihci-wikihtocik,
kwayask é-pamindcik otawdsimisiwawa,
ékoni Ghi 6-pé-péhtaman nist dya pikiskwéwina. (EM5)
‘Many times I have heard in the past
that those live right to this day who were properly married to each other,
that they look after their children properly,
these words | have been hearing myself.’
éyapic kiwapaméwawak atiht ayisiyiniwak, kéh-otinitotwawi kah-kihci-wikihtotwawii,
éyapic 6-wicéhtocik,
éyapic 6-kitimakéyihtocik,
éyapic wikiwin é-miyacik aya otawasimisiwiwa. (EM34)
‘Some people you still see, if they have made a commitment to each other and were properly married to each other,
still staying married to each other,
still loving each other,
still giving their children a home.’
Overtly, the above examples simply extol the virtues of a life-long com-
mitment, of a stable home for the children, and of a formal act accom- panied by high ritual.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
XOXIT
Beside those areas where Cree and Roman Catholic traditions are most sharply in conflict, there are many others where they are fully in concord: the need to provide for one’s children, above all, but also for the orphans; the virtue of providence and hard work; charity towards the old and the poor; etc. In the absence of conflict, however, such top- ics tend to receive very little attention from missionaries, historians, ethnologists and those who themselves live at the intersection of these two worlds.
Paradoxical as it may seem, scholarly neglect of how closely struc- tural configurations may be matched across cultures even extends to topics which are otherwise of perennial interest. In the case of the arranged marriages related in this text, the most striking pattern illus- trated is that of patriarchal control, with the key réle readily passing from Cree fathers (or older brothers) to Roman Catholic priests.
THE WOMEN whose life histories we have been recording agree to a remarkable extent in the sentiments to which they give voice. There is no overt expression of resentment or of objections to their powerless state; if such exist, they are coded in other terms.
The explicit remark of Rosa Longneck (in chapter 9 of Bear et al. 1992; cf. also the discussion in Wolfart 1992: 393-96) is all the more noteworthy:
awas, é-ki-mékihk anima niya, méy dnima é-ohci-pakitinisoyan, ékota. (RLg-8)
‘Go on, the fact is that I was given away, the fact is that I did not have a choice in the matter.’
Obviously, the absence of overt statements cannot by itself be con- strued to prove absence of the underlying emotions.
The only emotion which is openly discussed is the overwhelming horror of a husband and a family the young woman has not even met. This is a recurrent theme. fn Emma Minde’s narrative, it almost
sounds like a refrain, first invoked at the very beginning:
ki-dyiman .. . , éka é-nisitawéyimakik ayisiyiniwak. (EM3) ‘It was difficult .. . , since I did not know the people.’
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
mak dyiwak ki-dyiman . .. , moy Ghpé céskwa é-nisitawéyimak. (—EM3) ‘But it was worse .. . , | did not even know him yet [the young man whom | was to marry].
ki-dyiman pimatisiwin osim; nambéy aya, méy sémak ayisiyiniw ati-nakaydskawaw 6k ka-nisitawéyimiht,... (EM3)
‘Life was difficult, and you don’t get used to a person right away when you haven't known him before, .. .’
She then repeats the lament at the close of her own story, albeit with a slight variation:
..., m6ya wist é-ohci-nisitawéyimit, ékwa méy nist é-ohci-nisitawéyimak. (EM4o) ‘..., he did not know me, and | did not know him.’
..., osam éké céskw ahpé ohkwdakan é-wapahtamwak, ... (EM4o) ‘..., for I had not yet even seen his face, .. .’
ki-dyiman .. . ; niki-miskamaékawin niya napéw ka-wicéwak, ékosi méy 6-ohci-nisitawéyimak, ... (EM40) ‘It was hard... ; a man had been found for me to marry, and I did
not know him,...’
It is striking that Glecia Bear uses almost the same words (in her chapter on ‘A Woman's Life’ in Bear et al. 1992):
moy 6m ahpé é-nisitawéyimak awa napéw, ké-wikihtahikawiydn. (GB8-10)
‘I did not even know the man whom it was arranged that I would marry.’
... , 6kd é-nisitawéyimak aw awiyak ka-miyiht niya,
ka-wikimak. (GB8-10)
‘..., since I did not even know this person to whom I had been given, for me to be married to him.’
Their Example Showed Me the Way _xxxtit
The parallels range from the overall sentiment all the way to the choice of words and, indeed, of the grammatical constructions with their prefer- ence for indefinite agent forms.
For Mary-Jane Minde, too, the salient point which is being repeated is that she did not know the man she was to marry:
wista naméy é-ohci-nakayaskawét 6hi napéwa,... (EM43) ‘she, too, had not been familiar with that man, .. .’
In Emma Minde’s own story, the whole issue of being married to a stranger culminates in the dramatic scene of her arrival: at midnight, coming into a strange house, to have her sleeping husband pointed out to her by an eleven-year-old sister-in-law:
“awita...!” (EM41) “There he is... !”’
Given Emma Minde’s rhetorical exuberance on many other occasions, it is remarkable that she treats this crucial scene with climactic under- statement.
The anguish which even after a lifetime permeates these narratives is almost palpable. In listening to them on the eve of the millennium, we may find a measure of relief in the more joyous emotions which, in retrospect at least, were also part of Emma Minde’s new life:
péyakwan mistah aya niki-miyawétén, niki-miywéyihtén —~ (M42) ‘All the same I had lots of fun and I was happy ~’
This remark concludes the report of the church wedding, attended only by the couple, two witnesses and the priest.
STATEMENTS OF EMOTION or evaluations from a personal point of view are rare in Cree texts, but in a woman's life history — as illustrated by Glecia Bear and Emma Minde alike — the experience of being given away in marriage is evidently the most dramatic:
xxiv kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
..., iyikohk é-pakwataman é-matoyan, ... (GB8-11) ‘..., [ hated it so much and I was crying, . . .’
é-ki-matoyahk anima nikéwiy aya,... (EM41) ‘We did cry, my mother and I, . . .’
Even when recalled from the philosophical perspective of old age, the young brides’ distress reverberates still in the old wives’ lament.
Their Example Showed Me the Way xxxv
Editorial Notes
The text here presented was recorded in two sessions, the first on 15 June 1988 (the introduction and chapters 11 and 11) and the second, larger part (chapters 1v-vi11) on 22 June 1988.
Presentation of the Text
The editorial conventions in general follow the practice of other recent text editions (Vandall and Douquette 1987, Bear et al. 1992, Whitecalf 1993). In preserving the variation between the full form of words and preverbs and their reduced variants (with word-final vowels elided), we specifically adopt the conventions of Bear et al. 1992; cf. Wolfart 1992:
32-37, 351-56.
THE CRITICAL EDITION is an attempt to transfer as much as possible of the spoken performance onto the printed page; while some normali- sation is inevitable, there is a conscious effort to keep it to a minimum.
The distinction between the text itself and the editorial apparatus needs to be maintained at all times. All queries and comments (and any other editorial matter not relegated to the Notes to the Text) are marked typographically, either by means of special symbols or by being enclosed in square brackets.
The only exceptions to this rule are the chapter and section numbers and the chapter titles and section headings (printed as part of the English translation), all of which are editorial additions.
XXXVI!
XXXVI
When the spoken text includes occasional words or brief stretches in English, these are printed in italics; the same rule applies to English proper names. (In the translation, conversely, proper names or techni- cal terms which retain their original Cree form are also printed in ital- ics.) Terms being cited or defined, including proper names, are enclosed in single quotation marks.
The text here printed is much closer to normal conversation in every aspect of its style than the prose to which most readers are accus- tomed. We have also refrained from re-arranging sections within the text even though one and the same topic may come up in a number of different contexts and prose of considerable substance or power may alternate with more mundane passages. The printed text reflects the spoken text as recorded.
THE SPOKEN PERFORMANCE represented by the printed text is transcribed as fully as possible from audio-tape; but the extraneous sounds which are recorded along with it are documented only if they directly affect the discourse. When the speaker interrupts herself and the recorder is turned off and on, this is documented in the printed text by the symbol *== , while the symbol */* marks the involuntary interruption at the end of the tape. In all such cases, the recording may stop while the speaker is still in mid-sentence (or start after she has already begun to speak); as a result, the record often shows a fragmen- tary sentence.
Fragmentary words are mainly due to the speaker interrupting her- self while searching for the right word, or catching herself in a slip of the tongue. In normal speech, however, not all slips of the tongue are corrected, and audio-recordings in any language include sentences which an author might well rewrite in revising a written text for publi- cation; such sentences have not been modified in this edition but left as originally spoken.
All external breaks and ellipses are fully marked, including the recording faults (signalled by the symbol ##*# printed centred on a separate line) and minor technical flaws (with the symbol # embedded in the running text) found with increasing frequency in the later third of the text.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
THE MANUAL AND FACIAL GESTURES which are part of most narra- tive events are documented only at a minimal level. Where their lin- guistic and pragmatic traces can be recovered in the text as recorded, they are identified by the standard notation [gesture] and, occasionally, some further detail.
Amongst other nonlinguistic features, only those audible responses which can be subsumed under the category of laughter have been included. While the notations [é-pahpit] and [laughs] refer to the speaker, [é-pahpihk] and [laughter] mark the response of the audience (but may, of course, also include the speaker).
In the introductory essay and in the editorial notes, passages cited from the text are identified by the two-letter code EM followed by a sec- tion number; citations from Bear et al. 1992 are similarly identified by chapter-and-section number and the codes Gs for Glecia Bear and RL for Rosa Longneck. In both the text and the translation, centred queries, comments or asides are individually identified as spoken by Freda Ahenakew [ra] or Emma Minde [EM].
TYPOGRAPHICAL CONVENTIONS, SPECIAL SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS:
xxxx [text in roman type] primary language (Cree in the text, English in the translation)
xxxx [text in italic type] secondary language (English in the text, Cree in the transla- tion)
xxxx” [double quotation marks] quoted speech
xxx [single quotation marks] [1] quoted speech (if embedded within quoted speech) [2] cited word
—- [em-dash]
syntactic or rhetorical break (usually sharper than those marked by comma or semicolon) within a sentence
Their Example Showed Me the Way
( ) [parentheses] parenthetical insertion (usually spoken at lower pitch or volume)
-~- [wave-hyphen within the word] fragmentary word, resumed
-~ [wave-hyphen at the end of the word] fragmentary word
~~ [wave-hyphen following the word] fragmentary sentence
weves [three doubled wave-hyphens] external break
=/* [two doubled wave-hyphens separated by a slash] external break: change of tape
st [three doubled wave-hyphens, slashed] recording fault
# [doubled wave-hyphen, slashed] minor recording flaw
[a] [roman type enclosed in square brackets] editorially supplied word-final vowel (elided under the rules of vowel combination and restored on the basis of vocalic, prosodic or syntactic evidence)
[xxxx] [italic type enclosed in square brackets]
editorial comment (including such standard comments as [é-pahpit], [laughs], [gesture], etc.)
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
[sic] [‘indeed’] confirmation that the preceding word is correctly printed (usually in the case of an uncommon or otherwise remarkable form, e.g., minor idiosyncracies, dialect discrepancies, slips of the tongue)
fi.e.} |‘that is] proposed emendation or completion of a fragment; explica- tion or elaboration (used in the English translation instead of the more technical sc., which is restricted to the Notes to
the Text)
[?sic] [‘really?’] caution that the identification of the preceding word remains in doubt
Translation
Although no effort has been spared to keep the translation faithful to the original text, there are all too many occasions where a literal trans- lation would mislead rather than illuminate the meaning it attempts to express in another language.
By retaining Cree names in the English translation (even where widely known English equivalents exist), we preserve the distinction made by the narrator, who in certain contexts may have a preference for one term or the other and sometimes goes back and forth between them.
Proper names, moreover, are notoriously difficult to translate. Popular practice notwithstanding, many names resist morphological analysis and etymological interpretation, and even the pragmatic identi- fication of persons and places is often difficult.
Both in the translation of the text and in the introductory essay, we follow Emma Minde’s own usage (EM33) in choosing the somewhat archaic term ‘boarding-school’ (where the context indicates that this is the reference of the unmarked term kiskinohamatowikamikw- ‘school,
Their Example Showed Me the Way
XLE
XLII
school-house’) in preference to the more recent term ‘residential school’, which might be anachronistic.
Note that the translations presented in the introductory essay are occasionally more literal than those given in the text edition itself.
In the glossary, entries which have both a general and an ecclesiasti- cal meaning include an explicit notation:
pihkoho— vat ‘free oneself, escape; [Christian:] be saved’.
Terms which are invariably Christian in reference, like ayamihad— vat ‘pray, Say prayers; participate in a religious observance’, are not specially flagged.
IN THE TRANSLATION of the Cree text into English, ethnological and genealogical accuracy have on occasion had to be sacrified to the requirements of fluency. In particular, we have chosen to translate nisikos as ‘my mother-in-law’ when it refers to Mary-Jane Minde, the mother (in fact, step-mother) of Emma Minde’s husband, but as ‘my aunt’ when it refers to Jane Minde, the wife of her husband's paternal uncle.
The problem is acute when the term appears in the plural, as in
... Oki nisikosak nis Oki ka-mamiskémakik. (EM68) ‘... these two nisikosak about whom | am speaking.’
A literal translation, ‘these two mothers-in-law’, would be confusing; the only practical solution is to use a conjunction in English and refer to the two individuals who are combinable in Cree but not in English as ‘both my mother-in-law and the wife of my father-in-law’s brother’. In the parallel case of the term nisis ‘my mother’s brother, my father’s
sister's husband; my father-in-law, my father-in-law’s brother’, the text provides an instance of both the noun (nisisak, literally ‘my fathers-in- law) and the verb (ki-nisiwak ‘they were two’) appearing in the
plural — and the verb stem itself expressing a specific number:
ki-nisiwak 6ki nisisak, .. . (EM45) ‘These nisisak were two in number, .. .
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
Since a direct translation of these Cree plurals into English plurals would be unacceptable (and an insensitive translation might even give offence), a fairly free rendition is called for (and, in the event, less awk- ward than in the previous case): ‘My father-in-law was one of two brothers, ...’.
REFERENCES The recent history of the Crees at maskwacisihk is sketched in various works, but rarely documented; MacGregor’s popular history (1976) of the Battle River region stands out. For the early Methodist activities, the best survey is still Hutchinson 1977. The statistical summary of denominational affiliation is based on Breton and Drouin 1968.
For additional comments on the form and etymology of the place name onihcrkaskwapiwinthk we are indebted to Emily Hunter.
Ahenakew, Freda 1987 Cree Languages Structures. A Cree Approach. Winnipeg: Pemmican Publications.
Ahenakew, Freda, and H.C. Wolfart 1987 ‘The Story-tellers and Their Stories.’ Freda Ahenakew, ed., waskahikaniwiy:niw-acimowina / Stories of the House People, Told by Peter Vandall and Joe Douquette, pp. x-xiv. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.
Bear, Glecia, et al.
1992 kéhkominawak otdcimowiniwawa / Our Grandmothers’ Lives, As Told in Their Own Words, Told by Glecia Bear et al. Edited and trans- lated by Freda Ahenakew and H.C. Wolfart. Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers.
Breton, P.-E., and E.O. Drouin 1968 Hobbema Ongoing Mission of Central Alberta. Translated, com- pleted and updated [on the basis of P. Breton’s original edition of 1962] by E.O. Drouin. [Cardston, Alberta: the author]
Hutchinson, Gerald M. 1977 ‘Introduction.’ Hugh A. Dempsey, ed., The Rundle Journals, 1840-1848, pp. ix-lxiv. Historical Society of Alberta, 1. [Calgary:] Alberta Records Publication Board / Historical Society of Alberta & Glenbow-Alberta Institute.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
XLII
MacGregor, J.G. 1976 ~The Battle River Valley. Saskatoon: Western Producer Prairie Books.
Vandall, Peter, and Joe Douquette 1987 waskahikaniwiyiniw-acrmowina / Stories of the House People Told by Peter Vandall and Joe Douquette. Edited, translated and with a glossary by Freda Ahenakew. Publications of the Algonquian Text Society. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press
Whitecalf, Sarah 1993 kinéhiyawiwininaw néhiyawéwin / The Cree Language Is Our Identity: The La Ronge Lectures of Sarah Whitecalf. Edited, trans- lated and with a glossary by H.C. Wolfart and Freda Ahenakew. Publications of the Algonquian Text Society. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.
Wolfart, H.C. 1992 ‘Introduction to the Texts; Notes.’ Freda Ahenakew and H.C. Wolfart, eds., kohkominawak otacimowiniwawa / Our Grandmothers’ Lives, As Told in Their Own Words, Told by Glecia Bear et al., PP. 17-37; 351-408, Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers.
1996 ‘Sketch of Cree, an Algonquian Language.’ [ves Goddard, ed , Languages, pp. 390-439. William C. Sturtevant, gen. ed., Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 17. Washington, D.C.. Smithsonian Institution.
Wolfart, H.C., and Freda Ahenakew 1987 ‘Notes on the Orthography and the Glossary.’ Freda Ahenakew, ed., waskahikaniwiyiniw-acimowina / Stories of the House People, Told by Peter Vandall and Joe Douquette, pp. 113-26. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press.
Wolfart, H.C., and Janet F. Carroll
1981 Meet Cree: A Guide to the Cree Language. Second edition. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kishinowapahtihicik
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik Their Example Showed Me the Way
[1]
[2]
(3)
[Fa:] Asay? éskwa. ékw ékwaydc ékwa mAcipayin. Mrs. Minde awa k4-wi-acimostakoyahk anohc, Hobbema ohci, maskwacisihk ohc étikwé. ékosi, kiya séskw4c 4cimo!
niya Emma Minde, maskwacisihk ohci, péyak niy aya,
kéhté-ayak anik aya k-étihcik, ayinanéwimitanaw ayiwak péyak é-itahtopiponwéyan; méy kayas, ayiki-pisim, ékota é-ki-otihtam4n.
mak aya, naméy 4yi nitayiwépin, k-ayiwépicik man Aya kéhté-ayak, méy —~ médy aya éwako nipimitisahén, éyapic aya niwicihtason mana é-isko-kaskihtayan pikw ita; ita k4-mamisitotakawiyan. macik aya, é-ki-mamisitotawit ayamihéwiyiniw ka-wicihak 6ta, ayamihawin ohci. nik-~ aya, nikiyokaw4wak man Aya otahkosiwak, ninitawi-wic-4yamihamawak. ékwa kihc-Ayamihéwiyiniw min é-ki-sawéyimit aya, ayamihéwi-saskamon ka-miyakik otahkosiwak, éwako atoskéwin nitétén; ékwa ka-nipépihk, kota mina man dyamihéwiyiniw ékw ayamihéwiskwéw niwicéwawak, é-nitaw-Ayamihéstamawayahkik, ayisiyiniwak ka-nakatask-~ ayi, ka-nakataskécik.
ékwa at-~, dta é-ki-pé-wicihiwéyan 6ta maskwacisihk, onihcikiskwapiwinihk ohci, ékoté niy @-ohctyan, ‘Saddle Lake’ k-ésiythkaték. kayas éwako, méy ahpé ka-~ nika-ki-tépakihtén, tahtw-askiy 6ta ka-pé-wicihiwéy4n. ki-ayiman 6té ka-pé-wicihiwéyan maskwacisihk, éka é-nisitawéyimakik ayisiyiniwak. mak ayiwak ki-ayiman an[a] 4-~, an[a] 4w éskinikiw k4-wi-wicéwak, ‘Joe Minde’ é-isiyihkasot, méy 4hpd céskwa é-nisitawéyimak. maka nintkihikwak é-wi-nanahihtawakik é-sthkimicik, wiyawaw é-ki-nisitawéyim4cik €-ki-miskawacik;
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[3]
[Fra:] Ready? Wait. It only just started now. It is Mrs. Minde who is about to tell us stories today, from Hobbema, from maskwacisihk, I guess. Now it is your turn, go on and tell!
|
Emma Minde’s Life
I] am Emma Minde, from maskwacisihk, and | am one of those Elders, as they are called, | am eighty-one years old; I reached that age in April, not long ago.
But J am not retired the way old people retire, I do not follow that way of life, I still help everywhere as much as | can; where people rely on me. The priest, for instance, has relied upon me to help him with the church work here. | usually visit the sick, I go and pray with them. And now the Bishop has blessed me so that I give Holy Communion to the sick, that is the work I do now; and at wakes, at that time, too, I usually go along with the priest and the sister, when we go to pray for the people who have departed this world.
| had come from onihcikiskwapiwinihk to live here at
maskwacisihk, for 1, | am from Saddle Lake as it is called. That was long ago, I cannot even count how many years I have been living here. It was difficult to come and live here at maskwacisihk as | did not know the people. But it was worse for I did not even know the young man yet, his name was Joe Minde, whom I was to marry. But I was going to obey my parents when they urged me, they knew him and they had found him; they thought that this man
Their Example Showed Me the Way
[4]
é-itéyihtahkik ékoni kwayask, ka-ki-pamihit kihci-wikimak[i] éwakw ana napéw, ékwa niki-kihci-wikimaw. ki-dyiman pimatisiwin os4m, naméy 4ya, méy séméak ayisiyiniw ati-nakaydskawaw ékA ka-nisitawéyimiht, mak é-isko-kaskihtayan, niki-wi-kakwé-sakihaw ana napéw ka-ki-kihci-wikimak.
ékwa awAsisak niki-ayawananak, nisto, iskwésisak piko ka-ki-ayawayahkik. @wakw Ana nitanis anohc ékw-~ ékwa mAn Aya, ka-kiskinohamakét néhiyawéwin, ‘Theresa Wildcat’ isiyihkasow, éwako nitanis, ékwa kotak mina nitanis é-wicihtasot man Aya kiskinohamatowikamikohk, é-ki-kakéskimat mana kiskinohamawakana 6h Aya, k4-néhté-sa-sipwéhtéyit. maka kotak atoskéwin ki-miyaw, mak éy4pic man Aaya kiyokawéw aya, kiskinohamawakana kiskinohamatowikamikohk. ékonik 6ki niso nitanisak €é-pimatisicik, an[a] 6simimAw, ‘Clara’ ki-isiyihkasow, éwakw aya, tépakohpos4p é-itahtopiponwét niki-nakatikonan. maka n-~, at(a] 6-ki-ayimahk é-wanihak nitawasimis, niki-wapahtén kisé-manitow é-tipéyimikoyahk, é-ki-awihit ékoni anih aya, awasisa kaw é-ki-otinat. 6kwa nimiywévihtén anohc ékosi kik-étwéy4n, é-ki-miyo-nakataskét nitanis. nisw-askiy é-ki-ahkosit, ékwa ki-wawéyistam ka-nakatahk askiy ékwa niki-kah-kakéskimikonan, niki-kakéskimik mana. ékos Anim étokw é-itasték kipimatisiwininaw, méy é-tipéyihtamahk. mina naméy é-tipéyimayahkik awAsisak 6ki, é-awihikoyahk kimanitéminaw, ékwa iyikohk é-kaskihtayahk piko ka-kakwé-wicihayahkik 6k awasisak, ka-miy-6hpikihayahkik. éwako niya, ékos é-itasték aya nimamitonéyihcikan, éwako é-~ é-tapwéwakéyihtaman. awdsis ka-miy-6hpikihiht, naméy wihkac sasihciwihéw onikihikwa, ka-kis-6hpikit. ékos anima é-ki-pé-is-6hpikihikawiy4n niya, é-ki-pé-is-6hpikihikawiyahk; kotakak nitisanak min ékosi é-ki-pé-is-6hpikihihcik, ka-manacihayahkik ayisiyiniwak, ka-kihcéyimayahkik, 4s6né kéhté-ayak. mina ayamihawinihk é-ki-ohpikihikawiyahk, tahtw-ayamihéwi-kisikaw é-ki-nitaw-ayamihahtahikawiyahk. ékwa mina é-ki-pakitinikawiyahk kiskinohamatowikamik (anima, itowahk mana ka-ki-kanawéyimihcik aya kiskinohamawakanak, ékotowihk é-ki-pakitinikawiyahk); éwak
kwayask &-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
would be able to provide well for me if I married him, and I married him. Life was difficult because you do not get used to a person right away when you do not know him, but I tried as much as I could to love the man I had married.
And we had three children, we only had daughters. That was my daughter, today, the one who teaches Cree, her name is Theresa Wildcat, that is my daughter; and my other daughter helps at the school, she used to counsel the students who want to drop out. She has been given another job, but she still visits the students at the school. These are two of my daughters that are alive, the youngest one, Clara had been her name, she had left us behind when she was seventeen years old. But although it had been difficult to lose my child, I saw that God has power over us, that He had given us this child on loan, and that He had taken her back. And I am glad to say today that my daughter departed this world peacefully. She had been sick for two years, she was prepared to leave the world behind, she used to counsel all of us, and she used to counsel me. That is how it is with our life, I guess, we have no power over it. We also do not have power over these children, our God lends them to us and we must try to help them as much as we can, we must raise these children well. That is me, that is how my thinking runs, that I believe. Children who are raised well will never put their parents to shame when they are grown up. That is how I myself was raised, how we were raised; that is how my other brothers and sisters, too, were raised, to treat people with respect, to think highly of them, especially the old people. We were also raised in the faith, we were taken to Mass every Sunday. And we were also sent to school (we were sent to the kind where the students used to be boarded); that is the reason, I guess, why we have
Their Example Showed Me the Way
[5]
éhe étokwé anohc ka-kisikak nowahc! é-ki-pé-t6tamahk, os4m misakamé kikway é-ki-pé-wihtamakawiyahk, kikw4y anim é-wi-tawinamahk été nikan, ékosi man é-ki-isi-kakéskimikawiyahk. ékwa mékwac 6ma k4-pé-pimatisiyan, péyakwan ékosi niki-wi-kakwé-tétén. nitawdsimisak aya, niki-~ niki-kak@skimawak man ékwa méy ndh-kostén ka-kakéskimakik, osm é-ki-kitimakéyimakik é-itéyihtaman, éwak ohci ka-ki-kakéskimakik. ékwa mina mana ayamihawinihk é-ki-wi-kakwé-ohpikihakik, é-ki-itohtahakik ayamihéwikamikohk. at[a] ka anohe é-pimitisahahkik, anima k4-ki-is-6hpikihakik, atiht —~ niso piko nitayawawak, maka —~, péyak kakiké aya pé-wicihiwéw ayamihéwikamikohk é-pé-itohtét, péyak naméy ékwayikohk — maka naméy nika-ki-wihawak. mak ahci pikw aya, kwayask nikitapamawak nitawdsimisak aya, kiséwatisiwinihk kakiké ohci niwi-kakwé-aya-kitotawak, ékwa min aya niwi-kakwé-kiskisom4wak? kwayask ka-tétahkik, otawdsimisiwawa mina ka-kakéskimacik. askaw ahpé ninitotamakwak ka-kakéskimimak otawdsimisiwawa. tapwé étokwé man Askaw nipikiskwatd4wak nésisimak, maka naméy ékwayikohk nikakéskimawak, “misawé4c,” é-itéyihtaman, “ayisiyiniw anima k-ési-pimatisit aya, kwayask ka-kakwé-totahk, kisé-manitowa ka-manacihat min Aya wicayisiyiniwa ka-kakwé-kitimakéyimat, anim épimatisiwinihk, ékota ohci kakéskihkémow,” é-itwéhk mana, “k-€si-pimatisiyan, ékota ohc ayihk kik-~ kikakéskimaw ayisiyiniw;” ékosi miya-~, min 4y-~, é-itikawiyahk man é-kakéskimikawiyahk. wiya kakiké é-pihtokwéyan ayamihéwikamikohk, méy niwanikiskisin tanisi k-ési-kakéskihkémot ayamihéwiyiniw. 4t[a] 4n{a] é-wi-kakwé-aya-miyo-tétakoyahk ayamihéwiyiniw, é-wi-kakwé-miyohtahikoyahk ana kihci-kisikohk, naméya ka-pakwatayahk ayamihéwiyiniw, mina ayamihéwiskwéwak. min 6m ayamihawin, namdéy ka-pakwatamahk, kisé-manitow an[al é-ki-miyikoyahk, é-ki-kitimakéyimikoyahk ayamihawin ka-ki-miyikoyahk, ékota ohci kwayask ka-pimatisiyahk. pikw awiyak kiskéyihtam, kikway é-miywasik mina kikway é-mayatahk, ékota ohe
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[5]
been doing the decent thing to this day, because we had been told all along what we would come up against in the future, that is how we had been counselled.
And I have been trying to do the same throughout my own life. I have always counselled my children and I was not afraid to counsel them for I think I counselled them because | loved them. And I have also been trying to raise them in the faith, I used to take them to church. Although today some of them do not follow the way in which I had raised them —~, I only have two, one always joins in and comes to church, and one not so much — but I cannot mention them by name. Nevertheless, | look on my children with favour, I always try to speak to them with kindness, and I also try to remind them to do the right thing and also to counsel their children. Sometimes they even ask me to counsel their children. It is true, I guess, I sometimes speak to my grandchildren but I do not counsel them enough; “Anyway,” I think, “the way people live, when they try to do the right thing and treat God with respect and also try to love their neighbour, then they preach by the example of their life,” they say, “you counsel people by the way you live;” that is what is said to us in counselling. For I always go to church and I do not forget what the priest preaches. The priest, let it be said, is trying to do us good, he is trying to guide us to heaven, we should not hate the priest and the nuns. Nor should we hate religion either, God gave it to us because he loved us, that is why he gave us the faith with which to live right. Everyone knows what is good and what is evil, and with that people could counsel themselves in their life, what to choose, how to live their life. Many of the people here at maskwacisihk know me, they probably know me from when I go to wakes and I also meet them at church and when they
Their Example Showed Me the Way
éwako ka-nawasonahk, ka-pimatisitotahk. mihcét éta, maskwacisihk, ayisiyiniwak ninisitawéyimikwak, ita ohc étokwé ka-nisitawéyimicik anima, ka-nipépihk man {té k-étohtéyan, ékwa éta mina m4n 4yamihéwikamikohk ka-nakiskawakik, ékwa 6ta nikihk k4-pé-kiyokawicik. namdya nindhté-mah-mamihcimon nipimatisiwin ohci, maka atiht mAn aya, iskwéwak —~
os | [ra:] ka-wihtamftin ispf. ékw 4n[i] ékwa!
ayisiyiniwak man é-pé-natamototawicik 6ta nikihk, wéwanéyihtahkwawi tanisi ka-tétahkik. ékwa, é-itéyihtahkik étokwé, ka-ki-wicihakik ohc aya, nimiyo-kakéskihkémowin tanis é-isi-kiskéyihtam4n nipiméatisiwin ohci. tanitahto aya, nikiskéyihtén é-atamihakik ayisiyiniwak, kikway k4-wihtamawakik tanis é-ki-pé-isi-wihtamawicik nist aya, nintkihikwak, tanim éwako k-Apacihikoyan k4-ki-wihtamawicik. tanitaht 6ta iskwéwak aya, ahp6é Askaw nipawak nikihk, é-miywéyihtahkik anim Aya, é-péhtahkik kikway k4-wihtamawakik, ayamihawin ohci; méy étokwé 6k aya ayisiyiniwak aya, atiht é-kiskéyihtahkik, tanisi ka-tétahkik wéwanéyihtahkwawi, ékay ékwayikohk é-kiskéyihtahkik ayamihawin, anima manitow-~ kisé-manitowi-pikiskwéwin anim Aya, ka-pé-kiskinohamakawiyahk niyanan mihcét 6k aya, kayas k4-ki-ayacik kiskinohamatowikamikohk, ayamihéwiskwéwa k4-ki-paminikocik, kwa ayamihéwiyiniwa mina k4-ki-kakéskimikocik, kiskinohamatowikamikohk é-ayacik. nawac ékonik nikiskéyihtén é-pé-aya-~, kwayask é-pé-itacihocik, kwayask é-pé-pimatisicik min é-~ 6-atoskécik, aniki ka-ki-ayacik kiskinohamAtowikamikohk; kayas ka-ki-ihtakoki ita é-kanawéyimihcik aya kiskinohamawakanak. tanitahtw4w nipéhtén 6té naway, ékonik anohc ka-kisikak kwayask é-pimatisicik, ka-kihci-wikihtocik, kwayask é-paminacik otawasimisiwawa, ékoni 6hi é-pé-péhtaman nist aya pikiskwéwina.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
visit me here at my house. I do not want to brag about
my life, but some women —~
ae fe [ra.] I will tell you, when. It is ready now!
People come to me for help here at my home when they are troubled as to what to do. And perhaps they think | can help them because I counsel good things, as | know them through my life. I know I have made many people grateful, telling them something of what my parents had told me, too, what they had told me would help me. Many women even sleep over at my house sometimes, they like to hear what I tell them about the faith; perhaps some of these people do not know what to do when they are troubled, they do not know enough of the faith, the word of God, which many of us were taught while we were students at boarding-school long ago, with nuns looking after us; and also with priests preaching to us while we were in boarding-school. I know that they have been leading better lives, they have been living right and they have been working, these who used to be in boarding-school; the schools that used to exist long ago, where the students were boarded. Many times I have heard it, in the past, that they live right today, having been married in church, that they look after their children properly, | myself have been hearing these
accounts.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
[6]
fe)
misak4mé ayisk 6ma, k4-mékw4-pimatisiyahk, kitacimostétonanaw mAna tAnis é-ispayik aya, 6m aya, m-~ pimAatisiwin 6ma ka-pimAatisitotamahk mékwéc. péci-ndway 6té nawac ayisiyiniwak (tanitahto nipéhtawawak) é-ki-pé-miyawatahkik, nawac ahpé, é-itwécik, é-mékwa-kitimakisicik, nawac é-ki-miyawatahkik, os4m é-ki-sakihitocik, nanatohk is é-ki-aya-wicihitocik min Aya, 6-ki-kiyokatocik, miyékw4-waskamisitwawi; ékosi man itwéwak; ékwa wétinahk é-ki-Acimostatocik, é-miywasik kikway é-ki-mamiton-~-mamiskétahkik.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[6] For all along, throughout our life, we tell one another about what is happening, about this life we are in the midst of living. In the past, people had been happier (I have heard many say that), they had been happier even when they were poor, because they used to love one another, they used to help one another in various ways, and they also visited one another when they were settled down; that is what they say; and they used to take time to tell stories to one another and to talk about good things.
Their Example Showed Me the Way 11
[7]
(8}
I]
awa ka-kakwécimit iskwéw aw 6ta ka-pikiskwéhit, naméy nipé-nisitawéyimawak —~ ninikihikwak, ayisk aya (naméy céskwa nitacimostawaw aya), wihcékaskosiwi-sakahikanihk nikawiy é-ki-oht-~ é-ki-ohtohtét; wista 6-ki-pé-aya-kihci-wikihtot aya onihcikiskwapiwinihk, ékwa méy —~ méya kéhcind noh-nisitawéyimawak nimosém ékwa aya nohkom, tépiyahk mana é-ki-pé-kiy6técik, ékota mana piko é-ki-wapamakik. maka niki-kiskéyihtén, é-ki-~ mistah é-ki-miyohtwat nimosém, tahtwaw wiyapamak[i] fyikohk é-ki-kiséwatisit. ndhkom min Aya, nawac piko ki-ahkwatisiw nohkom, niki-itikawin mana [é-paéhpit]. maka kwayask ki-pimatisiw ndhkom, misakamé ki-wicéwéw nimoséma, iskw é-~ iskw é-nakataskéyit. @wakw anim étokwé kéhcina k-akihték, ayisiyiniw aya, ka-kitimakéyihtot kwayask ka-wikihtot. niki-pahpinan mana, é-ki-nihta-naniwéyatwét nohkom, ékosi niki-isi-nisitawéyimaw néhkom. ékwa, naméy kikway aya é-mayatahk nika-sthkimikonan néhkom, ékosi niki-isi-nisitawéyimaw. ékwayikohk piko é-ki-nisitawéyimakik, nimosém ékwa néhkom.
ékwa, kaw ékwa aya, nika-m4misk6tén 6m aya, maskwacisihk éma k4-wicihiwéyan; kinwés Asay 6ta ka-wicihiwéyan, mitoni kékac étokwé nikotwdsomitanaw-askiy éta 6-wicihiwéyan. mistahi mana nistam 6ta ka-pé-wicihiwéy4n, mina maywés 6té k4-pé-ayay4n, mistahi niki-népéwisin man 4ya, ayisiyiniwak ka-ptkiskwatakik; itowahk k4-népéwisicik, ékotowahk é-~, ékos é-ki-pé-is-Ayayan niya
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[8]
II
Family Background
This woman [Freda Ahenakew] asked me [about my grandparents], when she made me speak in here [the tape-recorder]; but I did not know them well, for my parents (I have not yet told her about them), my mother had come from wihcékaskosiwi-sakahikanihk; she, too, had come from there [away from home] to get married, at onihcikiskwapiwinihk, and | never really knew my grandfather and my grandmother, just barely, when they had come to visit, only then would I see them. But I knew that my grandfather was very good-natured, each time I saw him he was so kind. And also about my grandmother, my grandmother was fairly severe, I used to be told [laughs]. But my grandmother used to live right, she had lived with my grandfather all along, until he departed this world. That, I guess, is what really counts, when people love one another and when they are properly married. We used to laugh, my grandmother was a great one for joking, that is how I used to know my grandmother. And she would never have encouraged us to do anything bad, that is how I used to know her. That is as much as I knew of my grandfather and my grandmother.
And now I will go back and talk about when I came to live at maskwacisihk; 1 have been living here a long time already, it must be almost sixty years that I have been living here. When I had first come to live here, and even before I came to stay over here, I used to be very shy when it came to speaking to people; the kind that is shy,
Their Example Showed Me the Way 13
[9]
14
nipimatisiwinihk, ékwa ahp6 étokwé mana niki-po6méhawak askaw ninikihikwak, éka —~ éké tapwé ayisiyiniwak é-ohc-dya-pikiskwatakik, ék4 é-ohc-6t6témiyan, méy ata] é-ohci-pakwatakik. misakémé ata niki-pé-aya-ayamihan, ékwa méy ndh-pakwatawak ayisiyiniwak. éwak dhc étokwé ka-ki-nawas6namawicik napéwa ka-wicéwimak,? osAm 6m dhe é-ki-is-Ayayan, éka-~, ék4 é-ohci-nisitawéyimakik ayisiyiniwak. mina méy pikw ita é-ki-itohtahikawiyahk niyanan, ahpé nimihitowinihk méy mistahi néh-itohtahikawin4n, é-ki-kostamihk étokwé &k4 kwayask ka-t6tamahk, mistahi itahkamikisiyahki nimihitowinihk. ékos anima ninikihikonanak wiy é-ki-pé-is-6hpikihikoyahkik. maka, niya wiya méy néh-pakwatén anima ké-ki-pé-is-6hpikihikawiyahk, niki-miywéyihtén mistahi. wanaskéwinihk ayaw ayisiyiniw, maskéc ék4 nanatohk k-étahkamikisit ayisiyiniw, ékosi mana nititéyihtén. mina nipéhtamowinihk ohci (6k 4yahk néhiyawak ka-kakéskihkémocik nipéhtaw4wak) ayisiyiniw 6ka nanatohk k4-totahk, éka ka-mAyi-t6tawat wicayisiyiniwa, wanaskéwinihk pimatisiw. ékosi méy Ayiwak étokwé kikway ka-nitawéyihtamahk, kispin aya kimiyo-wicéwanawak ayisiyiniwak. anohc ka-kisikak ayisk 6k aya osk-ayak, naméy kiskéyihtamwak tanité k-ési-kwéskicik anima miyawatamowin é-nitonahkik. éwakw étokwé ohc Aaya, osm ékA é-kiskéyihtahkik (@k4 ékwayikohk é-wihtamahcik, é-isi-wah-wikicik), onikihikomawak, éka ékwayikohk é-kaskihtacik, ahp6 étokwé wistawaw méy é-kiskéyihtahkik, tanisi k-ési-kakéskimacik otawasimisiwawa, k-ési-nisitawéyimayit kisé-manitowa. kipéhtatinawaw mihcétwaw é-péyakot kisé-manitow é-mamisiyék; mistah an[a] é-kiséwatisit kisé¢-manitow aya, é€wakw Awa mana k4-mamiském4yahk. ahpé kiyawaw kipéhtatinawaw, ‘mamaw-éhtawimaw’ kitisiyihkatawaw kisé-manitow — péyakwaw niki-waniw-~-wanwéhkakawin, awin 4n[a] éwako, mamaw-éhtawimaw. ékwa péyak iskwéw niki-wihtamék piyisk aya, ékoté ohci wihcékaskosiwi-sakahikanihk é-ohtohtét é-pé-kiyokawit 6ta, kéhtéskwéw, “awin 4n[a] éwako,”
kwayask &-hi-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[9]
of that kind I have been all my life, and I must even have disappointed my parents sometimes by not talking to people at all, by not being friendly to them, although I did not mind them. | always did pray, and I did not mind people. That must have been the reason why they chose a man for me to marry, because of the way I was, because I did not know people. And we also were not taken everywhere, we were not even taken to dances much; they must have been afraid that we might not behave properly, that we might seriously misbehave at the dance. That is the way our parents had raised us. But I did not mind the way in which we were raised, ] was very happy with it.
People are at peace with themselves when they do not do all kinds of crazy things, that is what I think. Also, according to what I hear (I listen to these Indians preach), people are at peace with themselves when they do not do all kinds of things, when they do not harm their fellow- man. In this way we should probably not want anything more if only we live in harmony with people. For today the young people do not know where to turn next in their search for amusement. The reason must be that the parents do not know (because they [themselves] are not told enough, each in their own home), they are not competent enough, they themselves do not even know how to counsel their children, for them to know God. Many times I have heard you [the Elders] say that there is only one God on whom you rely; God is indeed merciful, the one we talk about. I have even heard you call God the ‘Father of All’ — at one time I had been confused as to who is this ‘Father of All’. Then finally one woman told me, she came from wihcékaskostwi-sdkahikanihk over there and she had come to visit me here, an elderly woman, “Who is that one,” I said to her, “ ‘Father of All’?” I
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k-étak, “mamaw-éhtawimaw?” é-itak; “kisé-manitow ana, ké-itak,”
A be
é-ki-isit. @kota ohc ékwa mana kinisitohtatinawaw, ‘mamaw-dhtawimaw’ k-étwéyahk —~, k-étwéyék. maka niya nawac é-miyohtaman aya, ‘kisé-manitow’ k-étwéyahk, miyamiskémayahki kisé-manitow. tanéhk anim Anima, ‘kisé-manitow’ k-ésiythkAsot, méy piko ‘manitow’ é-itwéhk, osdm an[a] é-kiséwatisit, éwak 6hc ana ‘kisé-manitow k-éh-isiyihk4sot: kahkiyaw 6ta askihk é-kitimakéyimikoyahk kisé-manitow. éwako niya nitapwéwakéyihtén, kiyam ata ka-pastahoyahk, kiyam ata ka-maci-pimatisiyahk, méy kitasénikonaw awa kisé-manitow, ‘kéhtawinaw’ k-étayahk. kakiké kitasawapamikonaw, kwayask ka-t6tamahk ka-kiwétotawayahk.
éwakw anima kitimakéyihtowin, ka-wihtamatoyahk kikway é-miywasik, ka-nisitawéyimayahk kisé-manitow, wawis ci 6k dya osk-ayak, ayiwak mana niya ékonik nikitimakéyimawak. nama wihkac nip6n-4yamihéstamawawak, ékwa pi-~ piyikiskwatakw4w(i] aya, mitoni kwayask kiséwatisiwinihk ohe aya, nipikiskwatawak, maskéc nawac é-itéyihtaman —~
os | oS
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
[10]
said to her; “That is the Merciful God, that is what I call him,” she said to me. Now, with that I understand you when we —~ when you say ‘Father of All’. But as for me, I prefer to hear us say ‘Merciful God’ when we talk about God. The reason why he is called ‘Merciful God’ and you do not simply say ‘God’ is that He is merciful, that is why he is called the ‘Merciful God: the Merciful God loves all of us here on earth. I believe that, even though we sin, even though we live a wicked life, the Merciful God does not reject us, ‘Our Father’ as we call him. He is always watching over us, for us to do the right thing and to go back to him.
That is what it means to love one another, to tell one another what is good, so that we may know God, especially these young people, I love them especially. I never cease praying for them, and even when | speak to them, I speak to them in kindness, I think it would be better —-~
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C11]
[12]
[13]
[Fa:] —~ éskwa; ka-wihtamatin. ékwa, ékwal!
Hl
nik-atotén ékwa, nitawdsisiwiwin ohc Aya, iyikohk kaskihtayan? é-isi-kiskisiyan, éwakw aw Aya, iskwéw awa k-Acimohit aya, ékos é-isi-nitawéyihtahk k-4cimostawak, tanis é-ki-pé-is-6hp-~,> é-ki-pé-ispayik nitawasisiwiwinihk.
é-pé-kiskisiyan aya, aspin ohc aya ka-awAsistwiyan, é-ki-wapamakik aya, nintkihikwak ékwa kotakak ayisiyiniwak, kotakak onikihikomawak, iyikohk é-ki-atoskécik, é-wi-pimacihocik. ékoni 6hi é-ki-tétahkik, 6-ki-macicik mana wiy4s kik-ayacik, ékwa min aya é-ki-nécihcikécik, wat-~ wacaskwa os4m piko ka-ki-nécihacik ékospi, méoy ékwayikohk amiskwa. ékwa min é-ki-nécikinoséwécik mana. kakiké ki-wawéyistamwak aya ka-wi-pipok aya, miciwin man
a
é-ki-astamAsocik; é-ki-sipwépicicik man é-nitawi-wikicik ékoté, é-minahocik, méswa os4m piko, ékwa apisimésosa, ékwa min Aya; méy ékwayikohk wiya k4-takwakik wacaskwa, ayisk méyoskamiki mana ka-ki-nécihcikéhk. ékota mina mana ki-nitawi-wikiwak, miyoskamiki man é-ki-nitaw-aya-wanihikécik mana ah-~, wacaskwa man é-ki-tas6hacik. 6wakw 4nim ékos é-ki-isi-pimacihocik kayas ayisiyiniwak.
ékwa mina ka-takwakik, ka-miskahkik minisa, ékoté é-~, nécihcikéwaskihk minisa ka-miskahkik, ékoni mina ki-mawisowak. iyinimina ki-ihtakonwa ékwa aya, ‘wisakimina’ é-ki-isiyihkatéki ékoni minisa, ékoté é-ki-ayaki, kwa nik-~ nikikomina mina. nanatohk isi iskwéwak mina ki-kakwé-isi-pimacihowak, otawasimisiw4wa aya €-kakwé-pimacihacik, ékwa onapémiwawa mina é-ki-wicihacik aya, tanisi k-ési-pimacihocik.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[11]
12]
[13]
[ra:] —~ wait; I will tell you. Now, now!
Il
Childhood Memories
Now I will tell about my childhood, as much as I am able to remember, it is this woman [Freda Ahenakew] who is making me tell about it, that is what she wants me to tell her about, how I was —~ how things used to be in my childhood.
From the time I was a child, I still remember, I saw my parents and other people, other parents, work so hard at making a living. These are things they used to do: they used to hunt so they had meat, and they also used to trap, at that time they mostly used to trap for muskrat, not so much for beaver. And they also used to fish. All the time they used to prepare for the next winter, storing up food for themselves; they would move their camps out and go to live out there [on the trapline], killing game, mostly moose and deer, and also muskrats; but not as many in the fall, for they used to trap for them in the spring. And then they used to go to live out there, in the spring they used to go to set traps and they used to trap muskrats. That is how the people made a living long ago.
And in the fall, when they found berries, when they found berries out there on the trapline, they also used to pick berries. There were blueberries and cranberries, as these berries were called, they grew over there, and also wild black-currants. The women also had various ways of trying to make a living, trying to make a living for their children, and they also used to help their husbands in making a living.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
{14] kotak kikway min é-kiskisiyan, iyikohk mana mistah Aya, mihta é-pastéyiki é-ki-~ é-ki-kwaydtastamAsocik, éka ka-néhtépayicik aya, kisiniyiki ka-pipok. mistahi mana kwayask é-ki-mamitonéyihtéstamésocik, é-itéyihtaman kayas, kéhté-ayak, tanis Aya, kik-€s-dya-~, €ka ékwayikohk ka-wawAnéyihtahkik 6ma ka-kisik ka-pipok; kahkiyaw kikway é-ki-kwayatastamAsocik, mistahi m&n é-ki-ispastacik mihta. ékwa atiht 6-kway4c-aya-kiskipotacik ahp6 é-nikohtécik, é-kwayatastamawacik aya owikimakaniwawa sépwéhtétwawi, sépwéhtétwawi k-apacihtayit.
[15] &kwa ki-miywasinwa ékospi aya, ascikéwikamikwa é-ki-ayacik ayisiyiniwak, ita wiyas 6-kanawéyihtahkik ka-pipok, asiskiy ohci é-ki-apahkwatahkik anih aya, wa-~ waskahikanisa, ‘ascikéwikamikwa’ ki-isiyihkatéwa, é-ki-sisoskiwakinikatéki man Asiskiy ohc ékwa, asiskiy min é-~ é-apahkwatéki ohci. ékwa k-~ ka-nipik mina mitoni ki-tahkawa ékoni waskahikanisa.
[16] @-pé-kiskisiyan tanis é-ki-isi-paminikoyahk nikawinan, é-ki-yikinikét mana, é-miyosiyit mana mostoswa é-ki-ayawat, yikinikana. mistahi man Aya, tohtésapoy niki-ohci-pimacihikonan ékwa aya, manahikan ékwa ascascwAs, mina man é-ki-~, é-ki-kisisahk mana é-pakahtat, ascascwds anim é-kisisahk, méy miton é-pakahtat mak é-ki-kisisahk, éwako é-ki-asamikoyahk; manahikan é-astat.
[17] kiyam ata ka-pipok, ahci piko man é-ki-yikinikét nikawinan. ékwa mistahi man Aya, é-ki-papamohtéyahk, é-wicéwayahk askaw é-~ é-papami-mawisot, ékwa é-ki-nayahtahk mana minisa aya, é-pé-kiwéhtatat ékwa é-ki-pasahk misaskwatémina. ékwa mina takwahiminana man é-ki-takwahahk, é-pasahk ékoni; ka-pipok ékoni é-miciyahk. séskwac mistahi kikway ki-kaskihtawak kayas kéhté-ayak é-~ é-kwayatastam4socik miciwin, éka ka-wawanéyihtahkik; ékwa min 6tawdsimisiwawa éka ka-waw-~ ka-nohtéhkatéyit. waw4c man anim Aya, kotak kikway aya, pikw awiyak miywéyihtam ékoni, kahkéwakwa mina mAn é-ki-osthtacik,
20 kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
And another thing I remember is how much dry firewood they used to pile up, getting it ready for themselves so that they would not run short if it was cold during the winter. The old people used to plan things well for themselves long ago, I think, how not to have to worry so much when it was cold, in winter; they used to get everything ready for themselves, they used to build up big piles of firewood. And some they used to have sawn ready into stove-lengths or even split, getting it ready for their wives for the time when they themselves would leave, for their wives to use when they [the men] would leave.
And people had good storage shacks then, where they kept the meat during winter, they used to roof the little shacks with sod, they used to be called storage shacks, they used to mud them, roofing them with sod. And in the
summer these shacks used to be cool.
1 still remember how our mother used to take care of us; she used to milk cows, she used to have good cows, milk cows. She used to have lots of milk on which to sustain us, and cream, and curds and whey, and she would also cook this, boiling it, cooking it to make cottage cheese, she did not quite boil it but she used to cook it, and this she fed us; putting cream on it.
Even during the winter our mother would still milk the cows. And we used to go around a lot, sometimes going along with her as she went about berry-picking, and she used to carry the berries on her back and bring them back home, and she used to dry saskatoons. And she also used to pound chokecherries and dry them; these we ate during the winter. The old people long ago surely used to accomplish a great deal, getting food ready for themselves so that they would not have to worry about it; and so that their children would not have to go hungry. There were even those other
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[18]
[19]
22
ka-nipik man aya é-ki-pasahkik ékwa é-kaskapasahkik. ékwa mina man é-pahkékinoh-~, é-ki-pahkékinohkécik, pahkékinwa é-ki-osthtacik; éwakw anim iskwéwak otatoskéwiniwaw. Ata wiy étokwé ma-~, ita k-ayimaniyik, napéwak mina mana ki-wicihéwak wiwiw4wa, ita aya, ita k-ayimaniyik aya, pahkékin ohc Anim ahpé piko k4-sinamihk é-ki-4yimahk aya, mistikwa é-ki-apacihtahk, anihi m-~ anihi pahkékinwa é-sinaskwahamihk mistikwa ohci.
nista man é-awAsisiwiyan €-kiskisiyan, nikawiy é-ki-wicihak man aya, ka-misipocikét, ka-misipotat aya pahkékin, ka-yéskayik, ki-dyiman éwakw atoskéwin. piwApisk man é-ki-tahkopitahkik é-napak4yik ékwa ékota aya, pahkékin aya, é-misipotahk, é-apihk é-~ ah-ayitaw ohc é-itinamihk é-~, é-~ é-yéskipotahk éwakw Anima pahkékin. niki-nah-ndhtésinin mana [é-pahpit], é-awAsisiwiyan, éwako man é-ki-wicihak nikawiy. kahkiyaw kikway ki-tétam
nik4wiy, mina mostosway4na mina man é-ki-osihat.
séskwac aya, kahkiyaw kikway nikiskisin, nikawinan é-ki-kiskinohamakoyahk atoskéwin min éhc 6m Aya, tapiskéc é-awasisiwiyan ohci niki-kiskinohamak ka-kisépékinaman wiyakana, ékwa ka-nahastayan, ékwa ka-wépahikéyan. méy é-misikitiyan ohc éwakw anima é-ki-aya-ittaméhit nikawiy, ékwa éka —~ éka wah-tétaman[i] Aya, ké-nitawi-kasoyan ahpo ka-nitawi-métawéyan ka-wayawipahtayan, 6ka ka-wi-kasiyakanéyan, é-ki-pé-wayawit mana nikawiy aya, nipisis[a] é-pé-tahkonahk é-wi-~ é-wi-pasastéhot ka-nitawi-kasiyakanéyan. maka naméy wihkac néh-pasastéhok, niki-tétip@wéyamon mén é-nitawi-pthtokwéyémoyan é-nitawi-kAsiyakanéyan, ékosi méy dhc-apacihtaw anima nipisis [é-pahpit]. éwak Shc Anohc ka-kisik4k mina kayahté ka-pé-wicéwak isp? niwikimékan, niki-kaskihtan ékoni é-t6tamén, é-kasiyakanéyan ékwa é-~, ékw 6-wépahikéyan; é-wi-kakwé-kanacihtayan waskahikan ayisk, nikawiy éwako é-ki-kiskinohamawit. ékwa naméy wihkac noh-kisiwahik aya nikawiy aya, éwak 6ma ké-ki-pé-is-6hpikihit. misak4mé nipé-nanaskomaw é-ki-miy-éhpikihit nikawiy, ahpé askaw
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[18]
[19]
things, everybody likes them, they also used to make dried meat, they used to dry and smoke it during the summer. And they also used to make leather, they used to tan the hides; that was women’s work. Where it was hard, though, I guess the men used to help their wives, where it was hard, especially when it came to wringing out the hide, this was hard work, they used to employ rails, wringing the hides out with the help of wooden rails.
I, too, as a child, I remember, used to help my mother, when she did the rolling, when she rolled the hide over a blade so that it would be soft, that was hard work. They used to tie fast a steel blade, and then you would run the hide over it, sitting on either side and holding on to the hide and softening it [by running it back and forth across the blade]. More than once did I get played out [laughs], as a child; J used to help my mother with that. My mother used to do everything, she also tanned cow hides.
I remember that our mother used to teach us everything about work, from childhood on, for instance, she used to teach me to wash the dishes and to put them away, and to do the sweeping. From the time when I was small my mother used to make me do that, and any time I would not do it, when I went to hide or went to play, when | ran outside, when I would not wash the dishes, my mother used to come outside carrying a willow-switch and ready to whip me so I would go and wash the dishes. But she never did whip me, I would run in a circle and then inside and go to wash the dishes, and so she never used that willow-switch [laughs]. That is the reason why today and earlier on, at the time I came to marry my husband, I was able to do these things, to wash the dishes and to do the sweeping; for my mother had taught me to try and keep the house clean. And my mother never made me angry at her, at the way she raised me. All along I have
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[20]
ka-pasastéhot, ka-kaskihtamasoyan, naméy wihkac aya noh-kisistawaw nikawiy, ahci piko niki-s4kihaw; maka kahkiyaw pah-pitos kitis-Ayananaw [é-paéhpit]. ka-ki-sakihdyahkik kikawinawak, ayisk aya mistahi pé-kakwAtakihtawak, é-aya-~ é-wi-ohpikihikoyahkik. méy kikiskéyihté-~ ©
rs | zs [Fa:] ékwal!
ékwa 6m Aya, mina nik-atotén nikawiy aya, maskisina é-ki-nihta-kaskikwatahk, é-ki-Apacihtat man 4nim Aya, ‘astinwan’ k-ésiythkaték, é-ki-osthtamasot min éwakw Anim aya, pahkékin ka-osthtaci, kahkiyaw é-ki-osthtamakoyahk man Aya, ‘napakaskisina’ man isiyihkatéwa, ékotowahk miton é-ki-kaskihtat. ékwa, anihi mina mana kotaka ki-osihtaw, ‘octhkwéhikana’ ki-isiyhkatéwa, ékoni mina ki-kaskihtaw é-osihtat nikawiy. misatimow-~ misatimwayowa ména ki-~ ki-atisamwak aya, é-titipikwanahahkik ékoni anih Aya, octhkwéhikana, ka-miyonakwaniyiki €-ki-isthtacik mana. miton Apisis ki-kaskihtaw nikawiy mikisihkahcikéwin, maka wiy éwak 6ma mitoni ki-kaskihtaw aya, maskisina é-osihtat ékwa octhkwéhikana min é-osihtat. ékwayikohk ki-nihtaw-~ ki-nihtawisithcikéw nikawiy, maskisina ki-nihta-osthtaw.
ékwa min Aya, nitayiwinisinana min Aya ki-kaskikwatam, niki-postayiwinisahikonan wiy é-wiyisahk ayiwinisa ékwa é-kaskikwatamakoyahk. kay&s m4na mistahi mina ki-moscikwasowak iskwéwak. méka piyisk aya, nikawiy ki-ayaw aya, ‘kaskikwaswakan’ man 6hi k-ésiyihkatamahk aya, mékwAc k-apatahki, k4-kaskikwasopayihcikakéhk, ékotowahk ki-ayaw maka man é-ki-mosci-wskanahk é-ki-papamohtatat man Aya, ékoni anih aya kayas ki-ihtakonwa (atiht éyapic étokwé ihtakonwa é-mosci-w4skanamihk aya, kaskikwdsopayihcikanisa), ékotowahk mn é-ki-ayat nikawiy, nistanan ména niki-apacihtanan, ispi
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowpahtihicik
[20]
[21]
been grateful to my mother that she raised me well, even when she whipped me sometimes when I deserved it, I never stayed angry at my mother and J still loved her; but we are all different. We should love our mothers for they have suffered greatly in raising us. We do not know —~
eu fas [ra‘] Now!
And now I will also tell about the fact that my mother was good at sewing moccasins, that she used to use sinew as it is called, that she used to prepare that for herself, too, when she had tanned the leather, she used to make moccasins for all of us, they are called flat moccasins, she was good at making that kind. And she also used to make the other kind, they were called gathered, my mother used to be able to make those, too. They used to dye horse-hair, sewing it around the vamp of the gathered moccasins so as to make them look nice. My mother used to know a little bit of beadwork, but she used to know a lot about making moccasins, and about making gathered moccasins. My mother was quite versatile in making things, she was good at sewing moccasins.
She also used to sew our clothes, she used to clothe us, cutting the pieces out herself and sewing the clothes for us. The women used to sew a lot by hand long ago. But finally my mother had a sewing-machine, as we call these things now, the kind used today, the ones you use to machine-sew, she had that kind and she used to turn the wheel by hand, she used to take it with her, those are the ones that existed here long ago (some of these little sewing-machines must still be around), my mother had that kind, and we used it, too, when we learnt to sew for
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[22]
26
é-kaskihtayahk ka-kaskikwatisoyahk, nistanan niki-4pacihtanan aya, kiskinohamatowikamikohk é-ki-kiskinohamakawiy4hk, tanisi k-ési-kaskikwasoyahk, ékwa mina tanisi k-és-Apihkéyahk; éwako kiskinohamatowikamikohk niki-kiskinohamakawinan, ékwa niki-kaskihtanan aya, k-6sthtamasoyahk miskotakaya, ékwa aspastakana, ékwa itamihk min 6h Ayiwinisa mana ki-osthtamason4niwiw kayas, é-ki-kitimakisihk aya, maskimotékinwa mana k4-w4piskaki, ‘pahkwésikaniwata’ ki-isiyihkatéwa, ékotowahk man Aya, é-ki-~ itamihk ayiwinisa ka-kikiskamihk é-kt-ohc-dsihtahk. kahkiyaw kikway ayisiyiniwak aya ékospi, méy éhc-atawéyihtamwak, tépiyahk kwayask ka-postayiwinisécik, éwako é-ki-kitapahtahkik. ahpé atiht man ékoni 6hi maskimotékinwa, é-ki-man-dya-atisahkik, kotak kikway é-osihtacik, miskotaékaya ahpé aspastakana é-ki-osihtamasocik aya, kah-atisahkwaw|i], 4hp6 papakiwayana, napéwak mana é-ki-kikiskahkik. miton aya, kahkiyaw kikway aya, naméy éhc-atawéwak kikway ayisiyiniwak aya mistah aya, ka-méstinikécik ka-postayiwinisahisocik. @kwa min éwakw Anima é-ki-kaskihtacik man 6ki kiskinohamawakanak k4-wayawicik aya, é-ki-apihkat-~ é-ki-apihkétacik man Asikana, napéwasikana man é-ki-osthacik; onapémiwawa man é-ki-osihtamawacik asikana. anohc ékwa ékoni, mistahi mana kwitawéyihcikatéwa’ aya; é-ki-wanihtahk mistah Aya, ayisiyiniw anima ka-ki-isi-miyo-waskawistamasot, ékéy ékwa éwakw anim aya é-ispayik. nayéstaw piko atawéwikamikohk é-itohtéhk, nayéstaw kikway €6-wi-kakwé-atawéhk. éwak dhc 6m 6m Aya, 4cimowin éma k-o-~ k-6h-nitotamakawiyan k-atotaman, ka-kiskéyihtahkik osk-dyak, tanis aya, naway 6té kéhté-aya, tanis é-ki-pé-is-Aya-paminamiyit aya, opimatisiwiniyiw ékwa mina, anim Aya, tanis é-ki-pé-isi-postayiwinisahisocik ayisiyiniwak. kahkiyaw 4yimanohk ohci kikway é-ki-kahcitinahkik mak aya, naméya wiya wiyawaw ohc aya ohc-ayimaniyiw, ayisk ki-nakayaskamwak. ki-miywéyihtamwak ékoni 6hi é-tétahkik, é-papdmi-macicik, é-papamipicicik. ékwa mina mana ka-nipik é-ki-nécihacik sisipa; ékoni mina é-ki-mowacik man
kwayask é-khi-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[22]
ourselves, we used it, too, we were taught sewing at school and also knitting; we were taught that at school, and we were able to sew dresses for ourselves, and aprons, and people made undergarments for themselves long ago, for they were poor, white sack-cloth, flour-bags they were called, people used to wear undergarments made from that kind. The people did not reject anything in those days so long as they were dressed properly, that is what they looked at. Some even used to dye this sack- cloth to make other things, making dresses or aprons for themselves once they had dyed it, or the shirts men used to wear. They really made everything, the people did not buy very much, spending money to buy clothes for themselves. And also, when the students came out of school, they were able to knit socks, they used to make men’s socks; they used to make socks for their husbands.
And today these skills are greatly missed; people have largely lost how well they used to shift for themselves, now there is none of that taking place. You just go to the store now, you just go and try to buy something. This is why it is that I am asked to tell about it, so that the young people would know how the old people back then used to run their lives, and also how the people used to clothe themselves. Everything used to be hard to obtain, but for them it was not hard because they were used to it. They were happy to do these things, hunting here and there, moving their camps about. And also, in the summer, they used to hunt ducks; these, too, they used to eat when they went duck-hunting. They even used to search for eggs,
Their Example Showed Me the Way 27
[23]
[24]
[25]
28
aya, €-nécisipécik. wawac man é-ki-nitaw4wécik, é-ki-kitimahacik mana sisipa aya, owawiyiwa mén é-ki-otinamwacik, ékoni é-micicik.
séskwac ki-miyw4sin kayas pimacihowin, mak Anohe étokwé ékwa, naméy ékosi mistahi ka-ki-isi-pimacihonaniwiw, os4m mistah ékwa misiwanacihtaniwiw askiy, iyikohk é-pikopitamihk misiw ité. ahpé piko, pihéwa min é-ki-ohtacihocik ayisiyiniwak, é-namatécik ékwa os4m ékA nénitaw é-ki-owawicik, misiw ité &-pikopicikaték. Ata wiya éyapic étokwé ihtakowak aya, sak4wi-pihéwak paspaskiwak, atiht étokwé éyapic ata wiy ékotowahk aya, ohcd-~ ohtacihowak, ékwa waposwa mina ki-ohtacihowak.
kiwanihtananaw ékwa éwakw anima pimcihowin aya, ayisk aya, kahkiyaw kikway aya, pitos ékwa é-itacihohk 6k aya, méniyawak ka-pé-kiskinohamakoyahkik 6ma, pitos itacihowin, mihcét kikway
A
ékoni 6h aya é-misiwandacihtacik. nipiya min 6h aya é-pisc-~ é-piscipohtacik; atiht man aya, kinos-~ kinoséwak é-itwéhk é-piscipocik anim aya, mihcét kikway anim ékwa é-wépinahkik étokwé 6k Aya, atoskéwin ohci ka-tétahkik aya. pimiy étokwé kéhcina man anima ka-piscipdskakocik kinoséwak, ékwa sisipak mina. éwako wiy ékwa anohc® ka-péhtakwahk, ékos é-ispayik. méy kéhcina étokwé aya, ka-ki-kiwétoténanaw 6m éwako pimatisiwin, iyikohk kayas ka-ki-miywasik, maka é-isko-kaskihtayahk 6m iyikohk ka-kiskinohamakoyahkik 6k aya (‘kiciwaminawak’ isiyihkatéwak man aya, néhiyawak aya, ‘méniydw’ k-ésiyihkatayahk), é-wi-kakwé-wicihikoyahk at[a] étokwé, nanatohk isi kistanaw k-€si-pimatisiyahk —~ k-ési-pimacihoyahk.
mak aya, naméya ka-nétinamahk éwakw Anim Aya, kispin kiwi-wicihikawinanaw tanisi k-ési-pimacihoyahk, ka-ki-anima-wicéhtamahk, ka-ki-anima-kiskinohamakosiyahk, tanisi kwayask k-ési-pimacihoyahk. méy nayéstaw ka-nawaswatamahk aya (atiht ayisiyiniwak méy miywéyihtamwak anima pinkow, os4m mistahi nawaswatamwak ayisiyiniwak), é-itwécik mana, osAm mistahi nawaswatéwak sdniyawa aya, néhiyawak anohc ka-kisikak; “kétahtawé nét-~ néhtéhkatéhki, naméy ka-ki-mowéwak s6niyawa.”
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[23]
{24]
they were mean to the ducks, they used to take their eggs and eat them.
The life of long ago certainly was good, but you probably could not really live like that today, for there is too much damage to the earth, there is so much cultivation all over. For example, the people used to live on prairie-chickens, they are gone now because they have no place where they might lay their eggs, the land is cultivated all over. Although there must still be some wood-chickens, partridges, some people must still live on that kind, and they also used to live on rabbits.
We have lost that way of making a living, for in everything there is now a different way of making a living, the Whites have come to teach us a different way of life and they have destroyed many of these things. They have also poisoned the water; some fish are poisoned, too, it is said, they must be dumping lots of things from what they do in their factories. Surely it has to be the oil that has poisoned the fish, and the ducks, too. And that is what one hears is going on today. Surely we could not go back to that life which used to be so good, but should follow as best we can what they teach us (the Crees often call them ‘our brothers’, the ‘Whites’ as we call them), for they are trying to help us, I guess, for us, too, to live in a different way, to follow a different lifestyle.
But we should not fight that, if we are going to be helped with a different lifestyle, we should cooperate with that, we should be educated in how to live in that lifestyle. We should not only chase after bingo (some people do not like it because the people chase after it too much); as they say, the Crees chase after money too much nowadays; “Someday when there is hunger, they will not be able to eat money.” That is what the people
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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30
ékosi man é-ititocik ayisiyiniwak anohc ka-kisikak, naméy kahkiyaw ayisiyiniw ka-miywéyihtahk anima pinkow, os4m aya, awdsisak mistahi é-nakatihcik é-kitimahihcik. mAskét nawac aya, pitos is 6ma éyapic mistahi kikiskéyihténanaw, pitos isi k-€s-4ya-pahpakwacihoyahk 6ma, ahpé piko ka-kaskikwAsoyahk, ékwa atiht kaskihtawak aya, ta-mikisihkahcikécik. mistahi pikw awiyak miywéyihtam mikisihkahcikéwin, ka-ki-~ éwakw ana —~ anima ohci-pimacihon4niwiw, mihcét étokwé 6té kiwétinohk, éwakw 4nim é-ohci-pimacihocik aya, mikisihkahcikéwin anima, ékwa aya maskisina, astisak, ékwa aya miskotdkaya anihi é-osihtacik; éy4pic 6ma mihcét ayisiyiniwak 6té kiwétinohk, iskwéwak mina mistah é-atoskécik, ka-kakwé-pimacihocik. ékwa aya, ékwa miciwin min étokwé mistahi kikway aya kaskihtamasowak, osthtamAsowak aya, é-nécikinoséwécik ékwa é-paswa-~ é-paswacik min Aya (tanisi man Aniki ka-kaskapasohcik kinoséwak), ékonik é-wawéyistahkik min épimacihowiniwaw —~
ws f
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
say to one another today, not everybody likes that bingo because the children are often left alone and neglected. It would perhaps be better for us, for we know lots of other kinds of entertainment, to entertain ourselves differently, for instance to sew, and some know how to bead. Everybody really likes beaded things, and people could make a living with that, a lot of people up North must be living on that, on beadwork, and they also make moccasins, mittens and coats; there are still many people in the North, women also work in order to try and make a living. And they must also earn a lot of food for themselves, they also make it for themselves, they catch fish and then dry them (what is it again when the fish are smoked?), they also prepare these for their livelihood —~
Rs | x
Their Example Showed Me the Way
3!
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32
[em:] [Fa:] [—EM:}
[FA:] {em:]
[FA:]
[Em:] [FA:]
—~ €-nitotamawiyan, —
éha.
— é-m4c-acimostatan 6-ki-miywéyihtam4n, oxen man é-ki-~ é-ki-apacihat aya, thirteen pikw é-itahtopiponwét és é-ki-macatoskét ? —~
asay anima m4cipayin ékwa.
h.
o>
Emma Minde awa é-wi-4cimostakoyahk, Hobbema ohci, kihtwam é-wi-acimostakoyahk, dsay nisw4w étikwé tapes anihi kikisthtanaw.
éha.
ékosi, kiya, acimo!
IV
anohc ékwa 6m Aya, é-wi-4cimostawak aw Aya, Freda
Ahenakew, niwtkimaékana aya é-ki-mac-Acimostawak, tanis
é-ki-is-A4ya-mAc-ékistikéwiyiniwit niwikimakan aya, ‘Joe Minde’ ka-ki-isiythkasot (‘Joseph Minde’ é-ki-isiythkasot, maka kakiké ‘Joe
Minde’ ki-~ ki-isi-wihaw mana); éwakw 4wa niwikimakan
é-ki-Acimostawit wiya, €wak 6ma k4-wi-atotamén.
péyakwaw é-Acimostawit, nistosap é-itahtopiponwét, ka-ki-mac-Atoskét kistikanihk; ébhtawiya 6-ahkosiyit é-ki-wicihat. ékwa miton aya é-ki-miywéyihtam4n €-itacimostawit os4m aya, méy
ayiwak kikway ékwa ékos tsi 6-wapahtamihk. ayéhkwéwa man é-~,
nisw é-ki-niswahpisoyit, é-ki-pikopicikét 6-mostohtét, nisw
kwayask 6-ki-pé-hiskinowapahtihicik
[26]
[27]
[Em:] [FA:]
{EM:]
[FA.] {EM:]
[FA:]
(em: ] [ra:]
—~ you asked me for it, —
Yes.
— I began to tell you that I was happy [when I heard] that he had used oxen and that he had begun to work when he was only thirteen years old —~
It [the tape] has already started to run.
Oh.
It is Emma Minde who is going to tell us stories, from Hobbema; she is going to tell us stories again, and we have already finished recording two tapes, I guess.
Yes.
That's it, your turn, do tell!
IV
Emma Minde’s Marriage
Joe Minde
Today now I am going to tell Freda Ahenakew
about my husband, | had begun to tell her about how my
husband, whose name was Joe Minde, had started to farm
(Joseph Minde had been his name but he always used to be called Joe Minde); and it was my husband himself who
told me the story I am about to tell. Once he told me the story of when he had begun, at the age of thirteen, to work in the fields; his father was ill
and he was helping him. And I was very happy about
what he told me because you do not see anything like
that any more. He had harnessed two oxen together and
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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[28]
34
ayéhkwéwa é-pikopicikéhat. miton étokwé ki-A4m-~-ayimaniyiw niwikimakan opimatisiwin, é-aw4sisiwit itéyihtakwan é-ki-mac-aya-okistikéwiyiniwit. ékwa tanisi é-ki-is-aya-nisitawéyimak niwikimakan, ki-pakwatam wiy aya, nah-nikan ké-nékosit, méy éhci-miywéyihtam wiy Aya, ka-péhtakwaniyik owihowin. ki-otinaw péyakw4w é-~ é-nakat-~, mwéstas €-ki-nakataskéyit aya 6htawiya, mamawi-ayisiyiniwa ki-otinik, ka-tapapistamawat éhtawiya k-6kimahkaniwit; miton éwakw Anima naméy ¢hci-miywéyihtam. ki-wihtamawéw ésa ayisiyiniwa, “s6skw4c nama kikway éwakw Anima ninitawéyihtén niy aya, k-AtoskatamAn, niwi-6m-4ya-~ niwi-tétén 6ma, niwi-okistikéwiyiniwin, ékos éwako niwi-~ niwi-kisatén, osim mistahi nika-wanihtan nitatoskéwin, 6ma okimahkaniwiyani,” é-ki-itwét, nista niki-péhtawaw ékos é-itwét. ahpé 6m Aya, tapiskéc éma mékwac ké-totamén, é-wi-Aciméhiht, naméya min éwak éhci-nitawéyihtam, méy dhci-ndhté-t6tam, mina naméy dhe-~ ohci-nitawéyihtam wihkac omasinipayiwina nanitaw ka-wapamimiht kik-4cim-~ kik-Acimiht [é-pahpit].
ékos 6-~, 6-ki-nakatahk ékwa askiy, ayis moy ékwa kiskéyihtam niwikimakan, nik-Acimaw ékwa; wista miton aya, pah-pahk(i| ta é-ki-aya-pahkisihk, tapisk6c aya k-ayisiyiniwiyahk 6m Aya, kahkiyaw kikway é-miywasik kitayandnaw é-is-ayisiyiniwiyahk, mina kikway é-mayatahk. kikway é-ki-kitimahikot niwikimakan, é-ki-minihkwéskit; éwakw anim é-wi-~ é-wi-wihtaman anohc, maka ayiwak kikway é-miywAsik ékota aya kik-éhcipayin, kik-Acimak ohci niwikimakan. 4t[a] é-ki-minihkwét niwikimakan, ahci piko é-ki-kaskihtat é-atoskét. naméy 6hci-nakiw ka-mah-minihkwét, kisikawa ka-wanihtat, atoskéwin aya, anima ka-~ k-ayat okistikéwiyiniwiwin, méy éhci-nakatam otatoskéwin; ahci piko mana ké-mah-minihkwéci ékwa k4-ayiwépici ka-nipaci, ki-wayawiw man é-nitaw-atoskét kistikanihk. méy éhc-aya-atawéyihtam niwikimakan (mwéhc Anohc 6m é-w4pamak), méy éhci-atawéyihtam kik-asiskiwihkwét, kik-atoskét kistikanihk. €-ki-piwéyimot étokwé mana, niki-itéyihtén aya,
kwayask é-ki-pé-kishinowapahtihicik
[28]
had ploughed, walking behind them, driving a team of two oxen to plough the land. My husband's life must have been difficult, he was no more than a child, you might think, when he began to farm. And as | knew my husband, he disliked being in the limelight, he did not like for his name to be heard. He had been chosen once, after the death of his father, he had been chosen by the assembled people to take his father's place as chief; he really had not liked that at all. He had told the people, “I simply do not want that kind of work at all; I am going to do this, | am going to farm, and so I am going to stay with it, because I will lose too much of my working time if I am a chief,” he had said, and | myself had heard him say that. Even what I am doing right now, when he was asked to tell a story, he did not want that either, he did not want to do that, and he never wanted his pictures to be seen so that his story would be told [laughs].
And so, now that he has departed this world, | will tell about my husband, for now he will not know about it; he, too, used to have a few real weaknesses here and there, just like other people, all of us who are human have good traits and bad traits. What used to give my husband trouble was that he used to drink; today I am going to speak about that, but something good will come of it, of what I will tell about my husband. Although he used to drink, my husband still used to be able to work. He did not use to stop in order to go drinking around, to lose days of work from his farming, he did not use to leave his work; when he had been drinking, then when he had rested and slept, he would still go out to go and work in the fields. My husband did not think anything (it is as if I saw him today), he did not think anything of getting dirt on his face, of working in the fields. He must have been truly
Their Example Showed Me the Way
35
[29]
36
niwikimakan aya, éka é-ohc-atawéyihtahk é-dyimaniyik atoskéwin. ahp6é mana niki-koskohik nistam k4-wicéwak, ata ka-kimiwahk, ka-kisowé-~-postayiwiniséci ka-kimiwaniyik, 4hci piko man é-ki-pikopicikét, ahpé é-sikwahcisikét. méy éhci-kostam atoskéwin, tapiskéc anima éka k-dhci-kostahk minihkwéwin, mak anima mina atoskéwin séskwac naméy éhci-kostam, méy éhe-4sénam. nikah-miywéyihtén'® éwak 6m Aya, mihcét oskinitkiwak ékwa napéwak ka-péhtahkik, tanisi péyak ayisiyiniw é-néhiyawit é-ki-p-~ é-ki-pé-is-4ya-ayisiyiniwit. tapwé é-ki-~ ki-sakécihik minihkwéwin, maka naméya wiy éhe aya nihcipitik aya owaskawiwinihk isi, ahci piko ki-atoskéw. éwakw anima kéhcina aya é-ki-miywéyihtaman, é-ki-oh-~ aya é-ki-isi-wapamak niwikimakan 6té ka-pé-wicéwak, é-~ é-oskinikit ékospi niwikimakan k4-pé-wicéwak, ékwa nist é-~ é-ki-oskinikiskwéwiyan, péyakwan é-ki-itahtopiponwéyahk késwan awa ka-ki-wicéwak napéw.
ékwa 6-wi-wihtamdn ota, 4skaw mana niki-népéwihik, iyikohk é-ki-miyohtwat niwikimakan, é-ki-miyo-tétawat wicayisiyiniwa. mihcét ayisiyiniwa é-ki-pé-nitahtamikot aya séniyawa, ékos
A
é-ki-is-Ayawahkahoht niwikimakan, naméy wihkac é-ohci-tipahamakot. maka é-itéyihtam4n, nitawasimisak man ékosi é-ki-itakik ékwa é-ati-kis-6hpikicik (é-ki-mana-pakwatahkik iyikohk é-kitimahimiht 6htawiwawa, séniyawa é-~ é-nitahtamimiht, ékwa éka wihkac kaw atiht é-miyacik), 6misi mana niki-itawak nitawasimisak: “@kay nanitaw itwék! ékos an[a] é-wi-isi-pihkohot kéhtawiwaw, ékos An{a] €-wi-isi-kasinamasot, ka-pihkohow éma ka-tétahk, é-kitimakéyimat wicayisiyiniwa;” &ékosi man é-ki-itakik nitanisak. ayisk iskwéwak piko é-ki-ayawayahkik nisto, méy wihkac aya napésisak néh-ayawananak, ékosi nist étokwé é-ki-isi-miyikowisiyan. éwak 6hc dya ka-ki-kakéskimakik mana nitawasimisak, éka nanitaw kik-étéyihtahkik 6htawiwawa é-ki-kitimahimiht, maka méy —~ méy é-kitimahiht ayisiyiniw, nititéyihtén aya, ék-~ ékosi —~ ékosi k-€si-miyo-tétahk ékwa ayisiyiniwa €k4 kaé-nanaskomikot; ahpé wiya kimanit6minaw méy
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[29]
humble, I used to think, not to have thought anything of hard work. He even used to surprise me when I was first married to him, even when it was raining he would still dress and do his ploughing or harrowing. He was not afraid of work, just as he was not afraid of drinking, but he also was not at all afraid of work, he did not shirk it. I would be happy for many teenagers and men to hear this, how this human being, a Cree, had come to live. True, drink did get the better of him, but it did not drag him down in his activities, he still did his work. I certainly used to be happy that I could see my husband in this light when I came over here to be married to him, he was a young man when I came to be married to him, and I was a young woman, too, it just happened that we were the same age, | and the man to whom I was married.
And I am going to speak about it here, my husband used to put me to shame at times because he was so good- natured and treated his fellow-man so well. Many people used to come to borrow money from my husband, and he was buried without ever having been paid back by them. ‘That is what I think and what I used to tell my children as they came to be adults (they used to hate the way people took advantage of their father by borrowing money from him and in some cases never giving it back), I used to tell my children as follows: “Don't say anything! That is how your father will get saved, that is how his sins will be wiped off, he will get saved by what he did, his love for his fellow- man;” that is what I used to tell my daughters. For we only had three girls, we never had boys, that is what I was given, I guess. That is why I counselled my children not to mind it that people took advantage of their father, on the contrary, a person suffers no harm, I think, when he does good works in this way and earns no thanks from people,
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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[30]
[31]
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wihkac ohci-nanaskomik awiya é-ki-~ é-ki-miyo-tétawat, ékosi mina mana niki-isi-mAmitonéyihtén.
ékwa 6htawiya ékwa anih Aya, k4-ki-wicéwayit aya, ok4wisa, moy wihkac ‘nikawiy’ ohc-itéw, ‘nikawis’ ki-itéw mana, maka kwayask ki-pamihikwak aya, kwayask ki-pamihik, kwayask ki-kitapamik. maka méy wihkéc ohci-kaskihtaw ‘nikawiy’ kik-état. maka wiya ki-manacihéw; kikway wiythtamakoci, ki-tapwéhtawéw. 6htdwiya mina, kikway ka-wihtamékot, kiyam ata k4-kisikitotikot, ki-manacihéw 6htawiya, ki-tapwéhtawéw. mina m4n Astamispt at[a] é-kihci-wikihtot, ki-atoskawéw mana kistikanihk; é-ki-atoskéstamawat éhtawiya. ékos anim Aya, ékoni kéhcina 6h aya ka-nitawéyihtaman aya, oskayisiyiniwak napéwak ka-péhtahkik, wistawaw ka-kitimakéyimacik aya 6ht4awiwawa, min 6k4wiwawa ka-nanahihtawacik, kikway ka-miyo-sthkimikocik, ka-tapwéhtawacik min aya atoskéwinihk isi, naméy anim anima ka-pakwatahkik atoskéwin, ka-ki-anim-aya-~ kahkiyaw (iskwéwak mina ka-itakik, méy katac piko napéwak ékosi kit-étakik), kahkiyaw anima 6-ki-pakitinikowisiyahk 6ta waskitaskamik aya, kik-atoskéyahk ékwa kik-apwésiyahk, ka-kispinatamahk kikway aya k-6hei-pimacihoyahk. ékosi, méy ayiwak ka-ki-pikiskwatitinawaw, misawac é-kiskéyihtamék 6ma kikway ka-wihtamatakok, tépiyahk é-~ €-kiskis6mitakok.
nisis ékwa aya, nimanacimakan aya, ‘Daniel Minde’ é-ki-isiyihkasot aya, niwikimakan éhtawiya, éwakw ékwa, nisw
kwayask 6-ki-pé-hiskinowapahtihicik
[30]
[31]
even our God himself never got any thanks when he would do a good deed to someone, and that is how I used to think about it.
And he never used to call her ‘mother’, the one his father was married to, his step-mother, he used to call her ‘step-mother’, but she used to treat them properly, she treated him properly, she accepted him properly. He never was able, however, to call her ‘mother’. But he used to respect her; whatever she told him, he would obey her. Also, anything his father told him, even when he spoke to him in anger, he used to respect his father and he used to obey him. And later, too, even when he was married, he would work for his father in the fields; he used to do his work for him. And so I definitely want these young people and men to hear this, for them, too, to love their fathers and to listen to their mothers, to obey them in the good things in which they encourage them, in work, it is not right that they should dislike work, they should all (and I am talking to the women too, it does not only have to be men to whom I say this), we have all of us been placed upon this earth so that we should work in sweat, so that we should earn our livelihood. That is it, I will not be able to speak to you any more, in any case you know what I am telling you, I am merely reminding you.
Joe Minde’s Family
Now it is my father-in-law, my parent-in-law, Daniel Minde was his name, my husband's father, now it is
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4o
é-wi-acimakik aya, éwakw aw aya, nimandcimakan ka-ki-wicéwat aya, ékoni aya, Astamispi iskwéwa é-ki-aya-wicéwat; niwikimakan okawiya €-pdni-pimatisiyit, kotaka iskwéwa é-ki-wicéwat aya; é-osk-Ayiwiyit nawac iyikohk aya, iyikohk wiya. ‘Mary-Jane onacowésis’ éwako é-ki-isiythkasot, koni niw-~ niwikimakan aya é-ki-~ 6-ki-ohpikihikot, okawisa. é-nistopiponwét ésa k4-kiwatisit niwikimakan, ékwa ékoni 6h aya é-ki-ohpikihikot ok-~ okAwisa.
A
éwakw Anima aya, anohc k-atotaman, naméy wihkac ‘nikawiy’ é-ohc-itat aya niwikimakan, ‘nikawis’ man é-ki-itahkémat aya. péyak ki-osimisiw aya ékota ohc iskwéwa, ékwa péyak napéwa ésa mina ki-osimisiw. mak és 4na wiya napésis ana nistam ka-ki-nihtawikit, ékw ésa é-ki-p6ni-pimatisit; ‘Paul’ és éwako é-ki-isiythkasot. @kwa kihtw4m awa (‘nisikos’ niki-itahk6maw man aya, Mary-Jane Minde), kotak(a] ékwa ki-ot4nisiw, ‘Justine’ (mékw4c anohc 6ma nika-wihaw é-isiythkasot, ‘Justine Littlechild’, ékos é-isiyihkasot awa nicahkos); ékoni kotaka osima niwikimakan, ok4wisa ohc nih Aya é-otanisiyit; ékwa kotaka mina é-ki-aya-owitisanit, maka wiy ékonik anik aya, méy kéhcina kikway é-kiskéyihtam4n, méy nika-ki-mamisk6mawak — aniki pikw Aya, nistam anih 6-~ aya, owikimakana anihi nistam aya, nimanacimakan awa Dan Minde, ‘Celina’ és é-ki-isiyihkAsoyit, ékoni aya niwikimakan okawiya. ékwa ki-omisiw, ‘Sophie’ é-isiyihkasoyit; ékwa kotaka mina ki-omisiw, ‘Julie’ €wako é-ki-isiythkasot; ékonik 6ki niso aya, niwikimakan ékoni nistam okawiya —~ okawiwawa aya ohc Aya, ékota ékonik é-ki-nisticik; ékwa ékonik anik aya, Asay méy pimatisiwak ékonik nicdhkosak. éwakw Ana Sophie, ‘Sophie Wolfe’ ki-isiylhkasow, ‘Pete Wolfe’ é-ki-isiyfhkasoyit owikimakana, ékwa ana nit-~ kotak nicahkos, éwako é-ki-osk-~, iyaskohc, ‘Julie Headman’ éwako é-ki-isiyihkAsot, anihi ka-ki-~ ka-ki-kah-kihci-wikimacik napéwa; éwakw aw éndpéma ki-isiythkasoyiwa aya, ‘Jimmy Headman’. maka kahkiyaw ékwa 6k Aya ayisiyiniwak ka-wihakik, méy pimatisiwak ékonik. maka wiy 4w Aya, Justine Littlechild, éyapic pimatisiw; ékwa anihi ka-ki-wicéwat aya napéwa, é-ki-nitaw-~ é-ki-nitawi-notinikéyit
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
this one, I am going to tell about the two of them, this one, my father-in-law, and the one he was married to, he had married this woman later in life; my husband’s mother had died and he had married another woman; she was younger than he was. She was called Mary-Jane ondcowésis, she had raised my husband, his step-mother. My husband was orphaned at the age of three, and it was this one, his step- mother, who raised him. That I have just told about, that my husband never used to call her ‘mother’, that his kinship term for her was ‘step-mother’. He had one younger sister from this [second] marriage, and also one younger brother. But the first-born boy, that one had died; Paul had been his name. And then again, she (my kinship term for Mary-Jane Minde used to be ‘mother-in-law’), she had another daughter, Justine (I will give her full name as it is today, Justine Littlechild, that is my sister-in-law’s name); she was another younger sister of my husband's, she was from his step-mother, she was her daughter; and he also had other siblings, but as for those, I do not really know anything for certain, I will not be able to talk about them — except for these, my father-in-law Dan Minde’s first wife, Celina was her name, she was my husband's mother. And he [my husband] had an older sister, Sophie was her name; and he also had another older sister, Julie was that one’s name; these two were from my husband's first mother [sic] -~ their mother, they were three children of hers; and these, these sisters-in-law of mine, have already died. It was that one, her name was Sophie Wolfe, her husband's name was Pete Wolfe, and my other sister- in-law, next in line, her name was Julie Headman, they had married these men in church; and that one’s husband was called Jimmy Headman. But the people whom I have named, they are all dead. But this one, Justine Littlechild, she is still alive, and the man she was married to had gone
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é-ki-simakanisihkaniwiyit, ékwa aya niso ki-owihowiniw, ‘Joseph-Smith’ kKi-isiythkasow éwakw An{a] aya, ‘nitawémaw’ mana niki-itahkémaw.
éwako mina napéw aya, niya wiy ohci niki-itéyihtén, é-ki-iyinisit man éwakw ana napéw, piyéhtawaki man Aya, é-ki-~ é-ki-péhtawak niya tipiyaw, é-ki-kakéskimat man 6taw4simisa, ékos ékota ohci miton Aya, niya wiy ékota niki-ohtinén é-ki-kihkatéyimak aw Aya, ‘Smith Littlechild’ ka-ki-isiyihkasot; 6-k-~ é-ki-péhtawak otanisa é-kah-kakéskimat, ékwa min é-miyo-sthkimat. péyak éwakw an[a] Aya, ‘Agnes’ isiyihkasow, é-ki-Acimostawit, “kakiké awa nohtawiy é-sthkimikoyahk, ‘atoskék! ékay konit ay-ayak!’ é-ki-itikoyahk mana ndhtawiy,” — 6ma man Aya, é-ki-~ ékay oki k-atoskécik, ka ka-masinahikéhihcik nanitaw kik-6h-pimacihocik ka-k-~, ékota ohci kik-6h-pimacihocik, s6niyaw ohci tipahamahtwawi, éwakw anim 6hci ka-ki-sthkiskakocik man éhtawiwawa. ékwa mina man é-~ é-ki-sihkiskakocik mina mana ka-kiskinohamakosicik ayiwak, ka-kiskéyihtamacik ayiwak. ékonik 6k Ayisiyiniwak éka wihkac étokw é-Acimihcik aya, 6t@ naway omiyo-t6tamowiniwaw, ékonik 6k ya k-Acimakik niya. nist 6m é-isi-péyakoy4n, ékosi man é-ki-isi-miyo-kiskinowapahtihicik 6k ayisiyiniwak aya, tanis é-isi-pikiskwécik, mina tanis é—~ é-itacihocik, é-ki-miywéyihtahkik k-atoskécik. péyakwaw é-ki-pé-wikimikoyahkik éwak éhci ka-ki-péhtawak anim aya, éwakw awa Smith Littlechild, é-kakéskimat otanisa ékwa min aya é-k4h-kiskinohamawat anim Aya, kiskinohamakosiwin aya, ka-pétacik man A4wasisak aya, wikiwahk k-atoskatahkik okiskinohamakosiwiniwaw. é-ki-wah-wicihikocik é6htawiwawa éwakw anim 4ya, tanisi kik-ési-masinahahkik anim Aya (méy nika-ki-Akayasimon aya), atoskéwin mana k4-miyihcik
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
[32]
to be in the war, he was a soldier, and he had two names, Joseph-Smith that one was called, and my kinship term for him used to be ‘brother’.
Counselling
And that man, too, so far as I was concerned, I thought that man was clever, and each time | heard him, and I did hear him myself, he used to counsel his children, and it was because of that that I formed a high opinion of him, of the one who was called Smith Littlechild; I used to hear him counsel his daughters and encourage them in the right way. The one was called Agnes, and she used to tell me, “My father is forever urging us, ‘Work, you all! Don't just hang around!’ my father used to tell us,” — there are those, after all, who do not work, whom no one will hire so that they might earn a living, so that they might live on it when they are paid wages, that is why their father used to urge them on. And he also used to urge them to go to school more, so that they would have more knowledge. Since these are the people that no one ever tells about, their good works back then, these are the ones about whom I tell. I, too, am now widowed, and this is how these people had shown me by their fine example, how they spoke and also how they made a living; they liked to work. At one time they had come to live with us, and that was the occasion when I had heard him, it was Smith Littlechild counselling his daughters and also teaching them about that, the schoolwork which children bring home, to work at their schoolwork at home. Their father would help them with writing that (I must not say it in English), the work which
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[34]
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kiskinochamatowin ohci. ékwa man é-masinahahkik aya, wikiwahk é-atoskatahkik ékwa, kiskinohamatowikamikohk ékwa man étohtatatw4w|i] anima kikway ka-masinahahkik, okiskinohamakéwa man é-miyacik, mahti kwayask kik-étastacik éwakw anima.
miton 6m Aya, é-isko-kaskihtay4n, pikw éka k-dkaydsimoyan 6m aya, kiskinohamatowin 6m é-ayimahk aya, kwayask ka-wihtamihk tanis aya k-ési-kiskiwéhamihk mn 4nihi tahto-aya,"’ mékwac anohc ka-kiskinohamakosicik osk-4yak; méy niy é€wako néh-tawinén. maka péyak kikway man é-itwéyan (ité ka-ki-kiskinohamakosiyan aya, tépakohp-askiy niki-ayan aya, kiskinohamatowikamikohk aya), 6hi mana ka-kihci-wikicik kiskinohamawdakanak ita, ka-kiskinohamakosicik; ékota é-nipacik ékwa ékota ohci min é-kiskinohamAkosicik, ékota aya, ékotowihk é-ki-kiskinohamakosiyahk; excuse me, nik-étwan, ‘boarding-school’ ki-isiyihkatéwa — mdy niwi-néhiyaw4h,'* maka pikw ékwa ka-néhiyawéyan,’3 ka-nisitohtakawiyan kikway ka-mamisk6taman [é-pahpit]. ékoni anih aya, mistah é-ki-miywasiki ka-k-~ ka-ki-ihtakoki aya, ayamihéwiskwéwak man é-ki-kanawéyimacik aya awasisa ékospi, napésisa ékwa iskwésisa. ékwa mitoni man aya ayamihéwiskwéwak kwayask é-ki-paminikoyahkik, kwayask min é-ki-kakéskimikoyahkik.
éwak ohc ékospi, anik Astamispi aya wéyawitwawi kiskinohamatowikamikohk ohci, kah-kihci-wikihtotwawi, napéw ékwa iskwéw ahp6o oskinikiw ékwa oskinikiskwéw, kwayask anima ki-is-€yawak ékonik anik aya ayisiyiniwak. wikiwin ki-miyéwak otawdsimisiwawa, ékwa ki-kaskihtawak min Aya, otatoskéwiniwaw ohc é-pamihacik otaw-~ otawasimisiwawa. mdy dwiya aya ohci-miyikwak aya, kihci-m-~ kihc-6kimanahk ohc Aya ta-miyikocik k-6h-pamihacik otawdsimisiwawa; wiyawaw otatoskéwiniwaw ohci ka-ki-pamihacik otawasimisiwawa. ékwa min Aya, iskwéwak é-ki-kisatahkik aya, é-isi-wah-wikicik otawasimisiwawa é-ki-pamihtamasocik. ékwa min aya, é-ki-néhacik man étawasimisiwawa, iyikohk é-kitimakéyimacik, ékwa naméy mistah éhpimé é-ohc-aya-kanawéyihtamohacik otawasimisiwawa; ékosi
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[33]
[34]
they are given by the school. And they write it, working on it at home, and when they take back to school what they have written, they give it to the teacher to see if they have done it correctly.
This is as much as I am able to do, I must not use English to speak about education, it is hard to speak properly in rendering these various terms having to do with when the young people go to school; I have never come across that [a Cree term for ‘homework’}. But one thing I usually say, where I used to go to school (1 had been there for seven years, at that school), these schools where the students lived in residence when they went to school; they slept there and went to school from there, there, in that kind we used to go to school; excuse me, I will use the word, they are called boarding-school — I was not going to speak Cree [i.e., English], but I have to speak Cree [i.e., English] now so I will be understood in what | am talking about [laughs]. These [schools] used to be very good when they existed, the nuns used to keep the children in those days, the boys and the girls. And the nuns really used to take proper care of us and they also counselled us properly.
And because of that, in those days, when they would later go out from the school, when they got formally married, men and women or young men and young women, these people used to behave properly. They used to give their children a home, and they were also able to provide for their children by means of their work. No one used to give them anything, there was no welfare for them from the government with which to provide for their children; it was with their own work that they used to provide for their children. And the women also stayed at home with their children and looked after them for themselves. And they also breast-fed their children, they loved them so much, and they did not leave their children
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é-pé-isi-kiskéyihtaman niy Aya, taht 6ki ka-pé-wic-dhpikimakik aya, oskinikiskwéwak ékwa min éskinikiwak ka-ki-wici-kiskinohamakosimakik; ékos Anim é-ki-isi-miyo-pimatisicik, wikiwin €-ki-miyacik aya otawasimisiwawa aya, kah-kihci-wikimatwaw|[i] 4wiya. naméy éhci-paskéwihitowak, moy dhci-wépinéwak otawasimisiwawa. kéydpic'4 man Anohc, kéhté-ayak €wako mistahi k-4kawatahkik, ka-ki-~ osk-4yak min éwakw Anima ka-ki-Asawinamahcik mak anohc étokwé ékwa, mistah étokwé €-Ayimahk ékwa éwakw 4nim Aya, néhiyawak k-ési-wah-wikicik, ka-wihtamawacik aya osk-aya, osm ékA é-wi-nitohtakocik. maka min étokwé aya, naméy mitoni nipimakan éwak 6ma k4-mamiskétaman. éyapic kiwapamawawak atiht ayisiyiniwak, kah-otinitotwawi kah-kihci-wikihtotwawi, éyapic é-wicéhtocik, éyapic é-kitimakéyihtocik, éy4pic wikiwin é-miyacik aya otawasimisiwawa. é-miy-~ 6-miywa-~ 6-miywépisinihk anim éwakw Anima ka-wapahtamihk, ayisiyiniwak ka-wap-~ k4-wapamihcik aya, é-kisatahkik wikiwawa, wikiwin é-miyacik otawdsimisiwawa. ékwa atiht étokwé éyapic kisé-manitowa sawéyimikwak aya, é-wi-kakwé-miy-6hpikihacik otawasimisiwawa ékwa é-kakéskiméacik. méya wiya mitoni ta-p6méhk 6ma, ayisiyiniwak atiht anik aya, é-iskonikowisicik, nititwan mana, kwayask é-wi-kakwé-pimatisicik wikiwahk, iyisahowin é-ayacik. éwakw anima k4-péhtaman, ayisiyiniwak ékwa ék4 é-nisitohtahkik éwako pikiskwéwin, iyisahowin. ayisiyiniw ohcitaw waskitaskamik anim aya, é-nésowisit ayisiyiniw, kahkiyaw é-ihtasiyahk anima, 6-nésowisiyahk anima é-pastahoyahk, é-patinikéyahk. maka osm mistahi kiwahkéyéyihténdnaw ékwa aya, ka ayahk, é-wi-kasinamawayahkik ayisiyiniwak kikway, kispin kikway k-dhci-kisiwahikoyahkik,; ékota anim ékwa, pikiskwéwin anim é-apatahk, ‘iyisahowin’ anima ka-~ ka-itamihk aya; ayisiyiniw aya, kispin ayaw éwakw Anima ‘iyisahowin’ k-€siyihkaték, 6k4 ka-tétahk kikway niyéhté-méyi-totahki. tapiskéc ayisiyiniw awiya kA-kisiwahikot, naméya ka-kisistawat, naméya ki-~ ka-mac-ayimémat, naméya kika-nitawi-nétinat ka-pakamahwat, kik-éyisahot ék4 ka-tétahk éwakw Anima. ékwa ka-kitapamat
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
to be kept somewhere else; that is what | myself have come to know about all those with whom I have grown up, the young women and also the young men with whom | have gone to school; that is how they have led a good life, giving their children a home, after getting properly married to someone. They did not separate, they did not abandon their children. Still today the elders very much wish for that, that this be passed on to the young people, but today that is very difficult, I guess, given how the Crees are living, to tell the young ones, because they are not going to listen to them. But what I am talking about cannot be completely dead. You still see some people, when they have chosen one another and have gotten married to one another, still staying married, still loving one another, still giving their children a home. It is good to see that, when you do see it, when one sees people staying with their homes, giving their children a home. And some, I guess, still have the blessing of God, because they try to raise their children well and counsel them. One should not give up, there are still some people left by divine grace, I always say, who are trying to live properly in their homes, who are able to resist temptation. I hear that people do not understand that word, to resist temptation. It is natural for people on this earth to be weak, all of us, we are all weak in our sins and transgressions. But now we are too weak in our spirits, so that we are not going to wipe the slate clean for people if they have in some way angered us; that is where this word is used, ‘resisting temptation’ as they call it, if people have that, ‘resisting temptation’ as it is called, to hold back when they want to do something bad. When someone angers them, for instance, for them not to stay angry at that person, not to gossip about him, not to go fight him and hit him, but to resist temptation and hold back in that. And to look at
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wicayisiyiniwa, “wist Awa é-sakihikot kisé-manitowa,” kik-étéyimat, ka-kasinamawat, ka-pénéyihtamawét anima, kikway ohci ka-ki-paci-tétakot, ka-ki-paciyawéhikot; éwakw anima kahkiyaw é-manésiyahk kipimacihowininahk. maka ayiwak ayisiyiniwak ka-ki-ihtakocik, é€wako ka-wihtamakoyahkik, kitéhinawa k-apacihtayahk, méy piko kimamitonéyihcikaninaw, kitéhinawa k-a-~ kik-Apacihtayahk ka-kitimakéyimayahkik ayisiyiniwak, ka-kitimakinawayahkik ayisiyiniwak; kispin ka-kisiwahikoyahkik, ka-p6néyihtamawayahkik, naméya ka-~, naméya ka-kisistawayahkik ayisiyiniwak, naméy mina ka-~ kiméc ka-nétindyahkik, méy k-4h-ayimoémayahkik. éwakw anima iyisdhowin aya, €kA totamahki, ék4 ka-mAyi-tétawayahk kicayisiyininaw.
anohc ayamihéwiyiniw, k4-nahiniht an[a] 6skinikiw é-ki-misiwandcihisot, anohc ayamihéwiyiniw, ékos é-isi-kakésk-~-kakéskimikoyahk. “sakihitok!” @-itikoyahk, “kasinamatok kikway k4-tétamék! ponéyihtamatok! kitimakéyihtok'” éwakw Anima kitimakéyihtowin aya, ka-kasinamatoyahk. mina kotak kikway é-kiskis6mat ayisiyiniwa, “kakwé-sakihihk kisé-manitow! kwayask kakwé-tétamok! ékwa aniki kiwicéwakaniwawak, wisdmihkok, kispin kimiskawawawak ayisiyiniwak k-6wicéwakaniyék! itohtahihkok kisé-manitowa ka-sakihacik! kiskinohamahkok t4nisi k-ési-sakihacik kisé-manitowa!” ékos ana] é-itikoyahk anohc, ayamihéwiyiniw 6ta anohc, k-Aayamihéstamaht an{a] 6skinikiw ka-misiwandacihisot ana; iyikohk man é-~ é-wisakitéhéyahk, oskayisiyiniwak kd-misiwandacihisocik, oskintkiwak ékwa oskinikiskwéwak. “héy, kih-kitimakéyimak ésa,” kititéyihténanaw, awiyak wiyapamayahk([i] aya, oskayisiyiniw ka-m-~ ka-misiwanacihisot. méy pikw ékosi k-ési-mamitonéyihtamahk, ka-t6tamahk anima, ka-wapahtihayahkik aniki é-sakihayahkik 6k aya, osk-Ayak, oskayisiyiniwak. ka-p-~ ka-pahpiyahk ka-pikiskwatayahkik, ka-wapahtihayahkik €-kitimakéyimayahkik. 6éwakw anim é-manésicik, éwako —~ éwak dhe étok 6m 4hpé aya, “méy nanitaw itapatan 6ta ka-pimatisiyan askihk, méy 4wiyak nikitimakéyimik;” askaw anik étokw ékos é-isi-mamitonéyihtahkik, éwak éhc étokw Aniki ka-mah-misiwandcihisocik osk-ayak.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
their fellow-man and think, “He too is loved by God,” to wipe the slate clean for him and to forgive him for whatever wrong he had done to them, for having grievously angered them; that is what we all lack in our lives. But there should be more people to tell us this, for us to use our hearts and not only our minds, for us to use our hearts and to love people, to care for people; if they have angered us, for us to forgive them, not to —~ not to stay angry with people, not to fight them behind their backs, not to keep gossiping about them. That is the meaning of ‘resisting temptation’ if we do not do this, for us not to harm our fellow-man.
The priest today, at the burial of the young man who had killed himself, the priest today counselled us like that. “Love one another!” he said to us, “wipe the slate clean for one another for what you have done! Forgive one another! Love one another!” That is the meaning of loving one another, for us to wipe the slate clean for one another. He also reminded people about another thing, “Try to love God! ‘Try to do right! And ask your friends along, if you find people to have as your friends! Take them along for them to love God! Teach them how to love God!” That is what the priest told us today, at the prayers for that young man who killed himself; we have such heavy hearts when young people kill themselves, young men and young women. “Oh, if only I had loved him,” we think when we see a young person who has killed himself. We should not only think that way, we should do it, we should show these young ones, these young people, that we love them. We should laugh and speak to these young people, we should show them that we care for them. That is what they lack, that is probably why they sometimes think, “There is no use living on this earth for me, nobody cares for me;” and that is probably the reason why these young people kill themselves.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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[37]
5°
ék 6m 4nohc piyisk aya, nitat-Atotén 6m 4nohc tanis é-ispayik, os4m mistah é-mésihtayan aya, é-kitimakinawakik mana onikihikomawak; iyikohk é-matocik, é-sisikotéyihtahkik otawasimisiw4wa k4-pimacihiso-~ ka-~ k4-aya-misiwandcihisoyit, k4-nipahisoyit. mamitonéyihcikan é-ndhté-astayan aya, omamitonéyihcikaniwahk ékonik 6ki ka-matocik, péhtahkw4w(i] 6m Aya, kisé-manitowa aya ka-nitotamawacik, kwayask k-6tinikowisiyit 6h 6taw4simisiwawa ka-nakatikocik. méy Anik é-mac-Ayiwicik osk-ayak 6ma ka-tétahkik, maka étokwé man Aya, mistahi piyisk mamitonéyihcikan é-ayacik ékwa méy é-kiskéyihtahkik é-tétahkik étok 6m Aya, ka-tétasocik, ka-misiwandcihisocik, ké-nipahisocik. méy anima étokwé omamitonéyihcikaniwaw é-kikiskakocik; é-wanéyihtahkik anim aya, askaw ohci minihkwéwin, askaw ohci pihtwawin 6ma ka-tétahkik, iyayaw man ékosi niya nitisi-mamitonéyihtén aya, osk-ayak k4-misiwandcihisocik.
maka péyak kikway mina, kotak kikway ka-ki-tétamahk, ka-nitohtakowisinanaw anima, k-A4hkam-ayamihéstamawayahkik 6k ésk-Ayak. méy pik ésk-ayak, kéhté-ayak mina k-4yamihéstamawayahkik, é-nésowéatisicik kéhté-ayak. kéhté-ayak éki mina ka-ki-kitimakéyimayahkik, osm é-~ é-kéhté-ayiwicik ékwa é-ahkosicik, ékwa ékonik 6k aya, kitawasimisinawak mina késisiminawak, nik-étwAn, ka-ki-kiskinohamawayahkik anima tanisi k-és-aya-sakihacik kéhté-aya, tanisi k-€si-manacihacik. kiyanaw anim éwako kitatoskéwininaw, Ata wiya nista péyak 6ma aya, kéhté-aya aya, ka-~ k4-tipahamahcik man 6ki kéhté-ayak, ni-~ nist 6ma péyak éwak é6ma k-ési-pikiskwéy4n, mak éyApic aya, nitan-~ ndsisimak ékwa —~, nitawdsimisak ékwa nésisimak iyikohk é-kitimakéyimakik; kiyam 4t[a] aya, ka-wisakitéhéyan aya, “nika-kisimawak,” k-étéyihtaman, ahci piko man Aya, €-kakéskimakik; ahci piko man é-wi-kakwé-ma-minomakik, osim —~, méya kakiké misawdc nika-ki-kisimawak, mwéstas ka-m&mitonéyihtamwak anima kikway, é-miywasik k4-wihtamawakik; ékos Anim €-ispayik. k4-kéhté-ayiwiyahk tahto, méy anima ka-kostamahk ka-kakéskimayahkik kitawasimisinawak; méy mina
kwayask &-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[36]
137]
And finally, in telling what is going on today, I feel it so much, I feel sympathy for the parents; they cry so much and they are so shocked when their children commit suicide, when they kill themselves. I want this thought to take hold in the thoughts of those who are crying, if they hear this, that they will ask God that these their children who have left them behind be nevertheless admitted through His grace. These young people are not bad when they do this, but they must get to a point where they have a great deal on their minds and do not know what they are doing when they do this to themselves, when they commit suicide, when they kill themselves. They must be out of their minds; their minds are blurred when they do that, sometimes from drinking, sometimes from smoking that stuff, that is usually the first thing that comes to my mind when young people kill themselves.
But there is one thing also, another thing we should do, and God will hear us, to persist in praying for the young people. Not only for the young people, to pray also for the old people, because the old people are frail. We should also care for the old people because they are old and sick, and also for these, our children and our grandchildren, I will say, we should show them how to love the old people, how to respect them. For us, that is our responsibility, although I am one of the old people myself, the ones who get old-age pensions, I am one of them and I am talking this way, but I still —~ I love my grandchildren, my children and my grandchildren so much; and even though I have a heavy heart and think, “I will anger them with what I say,” I still counsel them; | still try to straighten them out by what I say because I will not anger them forever in any case, later they will think about the good things which I told them; that is what happens. As many of us as are old, we should not
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§2
ka-kostamahk, késisiminawak ka-kakéskimayahkik. miton anik askaw é-miywéyihtahkik, ka-péhtahkik kikway, ka-wihtamawayahkik, 6k é-kiskéyihtahkik wiyawaw, maka kiyanaw é-kiskéyihtamahk, ta-ki-A4sawinamawayahkik anima, kikway é-miywasik é-kiskéyihtamahk, ékos éwakw anima kakiké ka-pimipayin, ay-Asawi-kakéskimayahkwéwi kitawasimisinawak ékwa késisiminawak, wistawaw ékosi ka-tétamwak aya, otawasimisiwawa ékosi k-~ kik-ési-paminéwak aya, méy ka-kostamwak ka-kakéskimacik. éwakw anim anohc k4-mamiskétahk ayamihéwiyiniw, pik 6ma ka-maémawéhkamatoyahk, kwayask ka-kakwé-isi-pimatisiyahk, now4hc"? ka-kakwé-isi-pimatisiyahk; ékosi piko k-és-Aya-miyawaténanaw, pikw 4wiyak nawaswatam miyawatamowin; ékos ayisk é-ki-isthikoyahk kisé-manitow, ékosi mina mAn aya kititikawindnaw ka-kakéskimikawiyahk, ayamihéwiyiniwak kéhcina ékw 4yamihéwiskwéwak ka-péhtawakik, ékosi é-isi-kakéskihkémocik: “kisé-manitow 6m é-ki-osihat ayisiyiniwa, ka-miyawatamiyit, naméy aya ka-kakwatakéyihtamiyit;” ékosi man 6-itwécik. ékos 6ma é-ki-isi-pakitinaw-~-pakitinat ayisiyiniwa ka-miyawatamiyit, naméy éhci-pakitinéw ayisiyiniwa ka-kakwatakihtayit mina ka-kakwatakéyihtamiyit, ékosi man é-itwécik, maka manitowi-masinahikanihk, kisé-manitowi-pikiskwéwin, ékota étokwé éwako min 6m é-~ é-asték 6ma k4-ki-wah-wihtamakawiyahk niyanan. mak éyApic misiwé aya ka-miywasiki ayamihcikéwina, ékota astéwa 6h aya ka-wihtaméan; atiht 6hi é-ayamihtayan 6ta ka-wihtamatakok.
ékwa man aya péyak kikway, kakiké é-ispayik 6ta waskitaskamik, ayisiyiniw ka-wapamiht, k-Ayamihéwatisit, pi-~ kwayask ka-kakwé-tétahk, ayisiyiniwak é-yikatéstawacik ékoni ayisiyiniwa; é-yikatéhtécik, méy é-ndhté-pikiskwatacik, é-kostacik, nik-étw4n. tanéhk anim éwako k-éspayik, tanéhk anima ka-kostiht ayisiyiniw aya, ka-wapamiht kisé-manitowa é-manacihat. ahpé étokwé mana (niy é-itéyihtaman, méy céskw 4wiyak néh-kakwécimaw), “@€wakw Aw Ayisiyiniw aya nitaw-isthkawaki, nitawi-pikiskwataki, kik-4tawéyihtam nipimatisiwin, wiya kwayask é-kakwé-pimAatisit;” ahpé étokwé mAn ékos é-itéyihtahkik ayisiyiniwak. maka niya wiy
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[38]
be afraid to counsel our children; we also should not be afraid to counsel our grandchildren. Sometimes they are really happy to hear something, for us to tell them something, for they themselves do not know but we, we know, and we should pass on to them the good things we know, and in this way these things will live on forever, if we pass our counselling on to our children and grandchildren, they in turn will do the same, they will treat their children the same, they will not be afraid to counsel them. That is what the priest talked about today, we must work together to try to lead a good life, to try to lead a better life; that is the only way we will be happy, and everyone chases after happiness; for that is how God has made us, and that is what we are told when we are counselled, that is certainly the counsel of the priests and nuns whom | hear: “God has created man to be happy, not to live in torment;” that is what they say. In that way He has put man on earth to be happy, He did not put man here to suffer, and not to live in torment, that is what they say, but God’s word is written in the Bible, and that is in there, too, what we have been told about over and over. And these good verses are still in there, the things which I am telling about; I read some of these things which I am telling you about.
And now one other thing: it always happens on the face of this earth, when a person is seen as being religious and tries to do right, people stay away from that person; they walk away, they do not want to talk to that person, they are afraid, | will say. Why does that happen, why is a person feared when she is seen to respect God. Maybe it is (this is what I think, I have not asked anyone yet), perhaps people think, “This person, if I go and bother her, if I go and talk to her, she will disapprove of my way of life, for she is trying to live righteously.” I, however, I
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é-itéyihtaman aya — niy éwako nimamitonéyihcikan, mak a4hpé étokwé é-miyikowisiyan ékosi k-ési-m4mitonéyihtam4n. ayisiyiniw ka-kakwé-miyo-pimAatisit, mistah 4n[a] 6-man4cihat wicayisiyiniwa; mistah an{a] 6-manacimat. naméy Anim ékos é-isi-kitapaméat, anima k-ési-kostikot kikway k-€si-mamitonéyimat; kisé-manitow k-ési-kitapamikoyahk, ékos Anim €-isi-kitapamat; kahkiyaw é-~ é-kitimakéyimikoyahk, ék 6mis Anim é-isi-kitapamikoyahk. naméy aya kitapahtam kimayinikéwiniwa-~ kimayinikéwininawl[a], anihi piko k4-miyo-tétamahk, ka-kakwé-sakihayahk, éwakw 4nim ayiwak é-kitapahtahk kimanit6minaw; otayamihaw min ékos é-isi-mamitonéyihtahk, é-kakwé-kitimakéyimat wicayisiyiniwa. éwako niya nimamitonéyihcikan é-Asawinamatakok.
ékwa 6k aya, pitos ékwa 6ma n-~, aya (kawi néma ka-pé-maci-m4misk6ma-~-mamiskétamén, nisis ékwa nisikos, ka-wi-acimacik —~ kA-wi-Acimo-~-acimakik; ékw ékwa kaw Aya nika-kiwétotén k-atot-~ k-4totaman), ékonik 6k dyisiyiniwak aya, niwikimakan onikihikwa, nik-étwAn, miton 6ta ka-pé-ayayan, aya, maskwacisihk (méy kinwés néh-wicéwawak aya, nisw-ayamihéwi-kisikaw aya), é-ki-~ é-ki-ndsicik anik aya, onihcikiskwapiwinihk, ékoté é-~ é-ki-ohci-pé-kiwéhtahicik aw aya, nisis ékwa nisikos. ninikihikwak é-mékw4-wicéwakik aya, é-mékwé4-oskinikiskwéwiyan, nik-étwAn, ékoté é-ki-pé-kiyotécik, ékoté é-ki-pé-takohtécik. ékwa kayahté étokwé apisis é-ki-nisitawéyimicik ahkosiwikamikohk é-ki-ayayan, ékota ohc 4w aya, nisis 6-ki-pé-wah-wicéwat ninikihikwa é-pé-nitawapamiyit. éta Ponoka é-ki-asiwasoyan, ciki maskwacisihk, ékwa 6ta man é-~, ita ka-wikicik é-ki-pé-katikoniyit ésa man ékota aya, ninikihikwa aya, ka-pé-nitawapamiyit aya, é-ki-pé-wicéw4t man 4wa nisis aya, Dan Minde, ékota ohc Ana é-ki-nisitawéyimit, 6-ki-a-~ é-ki-ayayan
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
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think — that is my thinking, but perhaps it is given to me that I think like this: When a person tries to live righteously, she really respects her fellow-humans, she really talks to them with respect. She does not look upon them in such a way that they would be afraid of her, what she might think of them; the way God looks upon us, that is the way she looks upon them; He loves us all, and He looks upon us this way. He does not look upon our wrong- doings, only upon the things we do right; when we try to love him, our God looks upon that especially; Christians also think that way, they try to love their fellow-humans. That is my thinking which I am passing on to you.
An Arranged Marriage
And they, this was a digression (back to that which I had started out talking about, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law whom they —~ whom I was going to tell about; and now back to that, | will return to what I was telling about), these people, my husband’s parents, I will say [i.e., his father and step-mother], about the time when I came to live here at maskwacisihk (I had not been staying with my parents for very long, perhaps two weeks), when my father-in-law and my mother-in-law came to fetch me at onihcikiskwapiwinihk and brought me here from over there. While I was still living with my parents as a young girl, I will say, they had travelled there to visit, they had come and arrived there. And they must have known me a little bit from before, as I had been in the hospital, because my [future] father-in-law had come along with my parents to come and see me. I had been in the hospital here at Ponoka, close to maskwacisihk, and
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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ahkosiwikamikohk aya, tanitahto-pisim étokwé niwanikiskisin, maka niki-~ niki-sawéyimikowisin ka-pé-wayawiyan ékoté ohe aya ahkosiwikamikohk, kawi é-ki-kiwéyan. ékwa m4n 4wa, nisis man aw 4ya (mwéstas ot[i] tyikohk é-ki-~, ékos 6-itahk6mak), €wako mana é-ki-pé-nitawapamit é-~, nintkihikwak 6ma ka-pé-nitawapamicik. maka naméy wihkac néh-kaskihtan ka-pikiskwéy4n, é-ki-wanihtayan nipikiskwéwin ékospi. mak tyikohk étokwé é-ki-ayamihéstamakawiyan, kawi niki-miyikowisin ka-pikiskwéyan. ékota ohci ka-ki-ispayik é-ki-nisitawéyimit étokwé, ékwa é-ki-pé-kiyétécik aya, é-ki-kiwéyan anim é-pé-kiydtécik aya, é-nipa-ayamihahk, ékoté é-kiyokécik, ka-ki-pé-nitawapamacik aya ninikihikwa, é-pé-mamiskétamawacik 6m ya, okosisa éyapic 6-mésapéwiyit, é-ki-nitawéyimit okosisa ka-wicéwimak.'®
ki-ayiman pimatisiwin (@kw 4wa niwicéwakan awa Mrs. Ahenakew, é-nitawéyimit éwako k-atotaman aya, tanis é-ki-pé-is-4yayan 6ta aya maskwacisihk), aya man é-~ é-itwéyan; kayds man-~ aya, péci-ndway 6té ka-ki-atotamihk, kéhté-ayak man
A
é-ki-mékicik otawasimisiwawa, ékos Anim é-~ é-ki-is-Aya-~, 6kos 4w é-ki-isi-nakiskawak napéw aya ka-ki-nakasit awa, Joe Minde, méya wist é-ohci-nisitawéyimit, kwa méy nist é-ohci-nisitawéyimak. mak ékwa 6k aya, ontkihikomawak 6ki, wiyawaw éwako é-ki-wiyasiwatahkik 6m Aya, é-ki-kakayawisit awa, kwayask é-ki-tétahk awa niwikimdkan, é-ki-atoskét, 6-ki-nanahihtawat Shtawiya. é-ki-étokwé-nisis-kakwé-miskamawat'7 iskwéwa aya, tanih ékoni ka-kitimakéyimikot, é-ki-itéyihtahk étokwé, wiy é-ki-nawasénamawat 6m Aya okosisa, niya ka-wicéwimak!® — tanéhk étokwé k4-ki-itétahk, méy 6s4m é-ohci-miyohtwayan [é-pahpihk]! @kwa, é-ki-pé-kiwéhtahicik anim Aya ékospi, ité aya, nista ka-ki-ohciyan aya onihcikiskwapiwinihk, é-ki-pé-kiyokécik
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtthicik
[40]
my parents used to camp there at his [my father-in-law’s] place when they came to see me, and my father-in-law, Dan Minde, used to come along with them, because of that he knew me, I had been at the hospital I forget for how many months, but I was blessed by divine grace so that I came out again from the hospital; and I did return back home. And my father-in-law (it was only later that I called him by that kinship term), he used to come to see me when my parents came to see me. But I was never able to speak, | had lost my voice at that time. But people must have said so many prayers for me that I was given my voice again. Because of what had happened, I guess, he knew me, and they travelled and came to visit, they travelled and came to visit after I had returned home, they were visiting for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, that was when they came to see my parents, discussing with them the fact that his son was still a bachelor and that he wanted me to marry his son.
Life used to be difficult (and my friend here, Mrs. Ahenakew, wants me to tell about that, how I came to be here in maskwacisihk), that is what I usually say; it is told about times past that the old people in the old days used to arrange the marriages of their children, that is how I met this man who has now left me behind, Joe Minde, he did not know me and I did not know him. But it was for the parents, it was they who decided this, and he was a good worker, my husband did the right thing, he worked and he listened to his father. My father-in-law must have tried to find a wife for him, one who would love him, he must have thought, for he had made the choice for his son, for me to marry him — | wonder why he did that, for I was not very good-natured [laughter]! And then they brought me back here at that time, from over there where I for my part had been from, onihcikiskwapiwinihk, they had come there to
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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ékota. ki-dyiman mak Aya, ispi é-kakwécimit aya néhtawiy aya, “kiwi-wicéwaw ci aw éskinikiw,” é-itikawiyan; kinwés méy néh-pikiskw4n, osAm éka céskw ahp6 ohkw4kan é-wapahtamwak, ki-ayiman aya, ka-naskomoyén aya, ka-wicéwak awa, ‘Joe Minde’ awa ka-ki-isiythkasot. piyisk é-kihkamikawiyan 6m Aya, éka é-wi-naskomoy4n. nik-étw4n anima, tanis é-ki-itaspinémikawiy4n: “paskac mana, naméy kiwi-kakwé-dh-ondpéminawaw,'? ékwa mana mwéstas é-mah-méhcowiyék;” ékos é-itaspinémikawiyahk. piyisk ékwa k4-naskomoyan, “wiy é-sithkimiyan, ‘éha!’?° nik-étwan étokwé,” k-étwéyan. ki-4yiman niya nipimatisiwin; niki-miskamakawin niya napéw ka-wicéwak, mo-~ ékosi méy é-ohci-nisitawéyimak, ékos 6té ékwa ka-ki-pésikawiyén maskwacisihk.
é-ki-matoyahk anima nikawiy aya, maywésk ka-nakatam4n anima nikinan. é-ki-ayimahk séskwac, ka-pé-aydyan 6té, 6-~ ék4 é-ohci-nisitawéyimakik ayisiyiniwak. é-tipiskak 6m dt[a] é-ki-takohtéyahk aya; Asay 6-kawisimocik ayisiyiniwak ka-takohtéyahk, é-ki-pésiyahk pésiwinihk, é-4pihta-tipiskak é-takw4péyoyahk, ékwa é-pipok. ékos anim ékwa nikiwandn, ma kikway ékospi aya wasaskocépayis ohc-ihtakon, wasaskoténikana man é-ki-saskahamihk aya, ka-wi-wasaskoténikéhk. é-pihtokwéyahk 6ma é-wani-tipiskaék 6m Aya, wikiwahk é-takohtéyahk, méy nikiskéyihténan tanité é-nitawi-nipawiyahk, ék-~ ékos 6m Aya (kotak piminawasowikamik é-ki-ihtakok, ékwa kotak aya é-aniskésték waskahikan ékoté é-ati-pihtokwéyahk, ékoté és 6m Aya, apiwikamik ékwa nipéwikamik aya, é-ayaki dhi); miton és 6m Aya, cik é-nitawi-nipawiydn aw ékota é-nipat aw aya, Joe Minde awa ka-ki-wicéwak. ispi ékwa é-wAsaskoténikéhk aya, cik és éma nipéwinihk é-nipawiyan; ékw awa nicdhkos Justine aya, péyakosap ékospt é-itahtopiponwét, ékota wist é-nipawit, “aw ita nistés k4-pimisihk,” é-isit (é-pahpihk]. ékwa és awa, Joe Minde és awa, niwikimakan ékwa (nik-étahkémaw, dsay ékwa é-ki-nakasit), é-ki-akwanahkwéyAmot ésa ka-pihtokwéyahk [é-pahpihk]. ékos anima niy é-ki-isi-nakiskawak, 6ya napéw ka-ki-wicéwak.
kwayask &-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[41]
visit. But it was difficult then, when my father asked me, “Are you going to marty this young man?” was said to me; I did not speak for a long time, because | had not yet even seen his face, it was difficult for me to respond, to marry this Joe Minde as he was called. Finally I was scolded because I would not respond. I will say the scolding words which were said to me: “On top of it all, you girls make no effort to get married, and then later you go crazy and run around,” those were the scolding words said to me. Finally | responded, “Since you urge me, | guess I will say yes,” is what | said. For me, my life was difficult; a man had been found for me to marry and I did not know him, and so I was brought over here to maskwacisihk.
We did cry, my mother and I, before I left home. It was difficult indeed for me to come and live over here, for I did not know the people. We arrived here at night; the people had already gone to bed when we arrived, we had travelled on the train, with the train arriving at midnight, and it was winter. And so we went home [from the station}, there was no electricity then, you would light the lamps when you wanted light. It was dark as we went inside on arriving at their house, we did not know where to go and stand, and so (there was another kitchen, and another extension to the house, we went on in there, and there was a living room there and a bedroom); and so, very close to where I went to stand, there was Joe Minde sleeping, the one to whom I was married [but who is now dead]. Then, when they lit the lamp, here I was standing close to the bed; and my sister-in-law Justine was eleven years old at that time and she, too, stood there and said to me, “There he is, my older brother, lying there” [laughter]. This was Joe Minde, my husband (I will call him by that kinship term even though he has already left me behind), he had hidden his face under the covers when we came in
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[42]
60
mak Aya, é-ayamihayan ohci, nik-étw4n, méy niya nikaskihtawin, wiya piko kimanitéminaw ka-wici-~ ka-wicihikoyahk kikway ka-kaskihtayahk; piko ka-mawimoscikéyahk ka-nitotamawayahk, kikway é-miywasik aya ka-miyikoyahk. niki-kaskihtan awa ka-sakihak napéw aya, ispi é-ki-kihci-wikimak. niki-mandcihaw, ékwa nikiskéyihtén nist é-ki-sakihit; niki-saki-~ niki-étokwé-aya-sakihik wista, k-Gh-ki-tépéyimot ka-kihci-wikimit; ékosi mana nititéyihtén. é-kiht-~ é-kihcéyihtakwahk anima kihei-wikihtowin, éwakw 4nim 4yisiyiniwak, naméy ka-ki-wanikiskisicik; péci-naway kotakak k4-nakatikoyahkik kéhté-ayak, é-ki-pé-anima-manacihtacik éwakw Anim Aya, ‘wikihtowin’ ki-isiyihkatamwak, kihci-wikihtowin mak aya, ka-nitawi-kihc-Asotama-~-n-~-tohk ayamihéwikamikohk ka-pihtokwéhk, éwak 6hci ‘kihci-wikihtowin’ k-éh-isiyihkaték. éwako mina m&na tapitawi kiwthtamakawinanaw, ayamihéwiyiniwak mihcétiwak kiwihtamakaw-~, kihce-Ayamihéwiyiniwak mina kiwihtamakonawak, kihci-wikihtowin anima miton é-kihkatéyihtakwahk. ahpé wiya césos”’ 6htawihkawina, ‘kihcihtwawi-césap’ ka-ki-isiythkasot, kwa okawiya, kihcihtwawi-mariy,”* é-ki-kihci-wikihtoyit, cisas*3 wist aya, é-ki-ayat anim Aya wikiwin, ita é-ki-kitimakéyimikot, 6htawiya nik-étwan ékwa okawiya; ékot[a] é-ki-pamihikot ékwa é-ki-kiskinohamakot, tanisi kit-ési-sakihat, tanisi mina k-ési-sakihat ayisiyiniwa, tanisi mina k-ési-atoskét. ékw Anim Aya, césos”4 é-ki-kiskinohamakoyahk sakihitowin; naméya katisk mana p-~ pikiskwéwinihk isi ka-mamiskétamahk, kitéhinawa ohc Aya kik-4pacihtayahk, ka-t6tamahk tapwé, ka-kitimakéyimayahkik ayisiyiniwak; ka-kakwé-wicihayahkik wistawaw kwayask ka-kakwé-pimAtisicik, taht 6k 6k ké-kiskéyihtahkik; atiht ayisk ayisiyiniwak, naméy wihkac kikway aya wihtamaw4wak aya, onikihikomawak 6k Aya, ka-wihtamawacik otaw4simisiwawa; atiht awasisak, naméy wihkac wihtamaw4wak ékoni 6hi. éwak éhci, kéhté-ayak 6h Aya,
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[42]
[laughter]. That is how I first met the man, the one no longer with us, to whom I was married.
But because I was religious, I will say, the strength was not mine, for it is only our God who will help us to deal with things; we must pray and ask him to give us good things. I was able to love this man once I had become his wedded wife. I treated him with respect, and I know he loved me, too; he, too, must have loved me, since he had been willing to get married to me; that is what I usually think. Marriage is highly thought of, that is something people should not forget; in the past, the old people who have gone before us used to treat it with respect, they called it ‘wedlock’, proper marriage, when you go and make solemn promises to one another in church, that is why it is called ‘holy matrimony’. We were told about that incessantly, there were numerous priests and bishops telling us about that, that holy matrimony is held in the highest esteem. Even in the case of Jesus, his step-father, Holy Joseph as he is called, and his mother, Holy Mary, had been properly married, and Jesus, too, had a home where they loved him, his father, I will say, and his mother; there they looked after him and taught him how to love them, and how to love people and also how to work. And Jesus taught us about love; not merely to talk about it in words, but to use it with our hearts and truly to do that, to care for people; to try to help them so that they, too, might try to live properly, all those that do not know; for some people are never told anything, when the parents tell their children; some children are never told about these things. That is why the old people should persevere, we are of course asked to counsel the young. Some people also want us to remind them about things. It is this, as I told you earlier today, that she, my mother-in-law, immediately began to counsel me, as soon as we had
Their Example Showed Me the Way 61
62
ka-ki-Ahkaméyimocik man, ata wiya é-nitotamakawiyahk anima man aya, ka-kakéskimayahkik aya osk-ayak. min ét[i] Ayisiyiniwak atiht man é-nitawéyimikoyahkik aya, kikway ka-kiskisOmayahkik. éwak 6m aya, anohc ké-wihtamatakok, é-ki-kakéskimit ana sémk aya, mayaw é-kisi-kihci-wikihtoyahk aya, niwikimakan aya — méy niyanan aya, mihcét ayisiyiniwak aya ohci-pé-itohtéwak ké-kihci-wikihtoyahk, niyanan pikw Aya niki-pé-ispayinan aya, Joe Minde awa k4-wi-kihci-wikimak ékwa wistawa, ‘Pete Wolfe’ é-isiythkAsoyit; ékoni é-ki-nawas6nacik ta-nipawistamakoyahk, ékwa kisk-~ kiskinohamatowikamikohk ohc ana nicahkos, ‘Mina Minde’ é-ki-isiyihkasot (maka k4-ki-isi-nisitawéyimayék 6ma, ‘Mina Hudson’ ékwa ki-isiyihkasow, Mrs. Hudson, 6-ki-kihci-wikimat Fred Hudson é-isiyihkAsoyit); ékonik aniki nisw Ayisiyiniwak é-ki-nipawistamakoyahkik ka-kihci-wikihtoyahk. ayamihéwiyiniw piko, ékwa ékonik 6ki nisw Ayisiyiniwak é-ki-niyananiyahk piko
aya — kotak ayamihéwikamik anim Aya, ka-ki-ohpimé-nitaw-astahk nipisthkopahk kayds-Aayamihéwikamik, ékota é-ki-kihci-wikihtoyahk aya niwikimakan. péyakwan mistah Aya niki-miyawétén, niki-miywéyihtén —~
as |
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
gotten married — for us, not many people had come to our wedding, only we had driven there when I was getting married to Joe Minde, and his brother-in-law called Pete Wolfe; they had chosen him to stand up for us, and from school my sister-in-law, she was called Mina Minde (but you knew her as Mina Hudson, her name was Mrs. Hudson since she had married Fred Hudson as he is called); these two stood up for us at our wedding. With the priest and these two people there were only five of
us — it was another church, the one which was moved out to the place where the willows stand, it was the old church, that is where we were married, my husband and I. I had a very good time all the same, and I was happy —~
wef RS
Their Example Showed Me the Way 63
[em:] ékosi ci 6m ékwa? [Fa:] &kos Anim Asay é-sipwépayik. fem:) 6h.
[43] ékonik 6k Aya, é-nitawéyimit aw aya Mrs. Ahenakew k-acimakik aya, nisis ékwa aya nisikos, tanis é-ki-is-Aya-~-is-~-ispayik, anima nistam ka-wikihtocik. é-ki-acimostawit man Aya nisikos, nistam 6té ka-pé-aydy4n aya, kiskinohamatowikamikohk ohci wist aya, ékota ohe é-ki-wicéwat 6h aya nisisa, nistam ka-kihci-wikihtocik (kayahté awa nisis aya, asay nitatotén éwako, kayahté kotaka é-ki-wicéwat), ékwa 6h Aya, oskinikiskwéwa és ay é-ki-kiskinohamAkosiyit 6ta, 6ma kayasi-kiskinohamatowikamik, ékota és éhci é-ki-wicéwat; ostésa ésa wiya nisikos é-ki-mékiyit wiya; wista naméy é-ohci-nakayaskawat 6hi napéwa, ‘John Louis’ ki-isiyihkasoyiwa ostésa, ékon és é-ki-aya-sihkimikot ka-wicéwat ohi napéwa,
é-ki-étokwé-aya-itéyihtamiyit, ka-miyo-pamihikot 6h ékoni 6hi
napéwa, osam é-ki-atoskéyit. ékwa min é-ki-nakacihtayit 6m Aya,
A
asay aya, awdsisa é-ki-ayawayit, “ka-kitimakéyimik étokwé,” é-ki-itéyihtamiyit aya, éwak éhci ékoni 6hi ka-ki-wicéwat wista napéwa. mak 4wa aya nisikos kwayask ki-tétam, ékos é-ki-isi-wapamak, €-ki-miyo-kiskinowApahtihit aya, é-ki-kitimakéyimat 6hi, nisis awa nimanacimakan aya,
kaé-mamiskémak, Dan Minde, é-ki-kitimakéyimat ékwa kwayask
64 kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[43]
[EM:] Is it ready now? [Fa:] It is ready, it has started already. [em:| Oh.
V
The Marriage of Mary-Jane and Dan Minde
An Arranged Marriage
It is these Mrs. Ahenakew wants me to tell about, my father-in-law and my mother-in-law, how things used to be when they first got married. My mother-in-law had told me about it when I first moved over here, she, too, had come straight from boarding-school when she had married my father-in-law, when they first got married (my father-in- law had previously, I told about that already, he had previously been married to another), and this young woman {my mother-in-law] who had also [like me] been a student in the old boarding-school here, she also got married straight from there; her older brother had arranged the marriage for my mother-in-law; she also had not known the man, John Louis was her older brother's name, he had urged her to marry that man; he [her brother] must have thought that this man would be a good provider for her, because he worked. He was already used to having children, moreover, “I guess he will care for you,” he [her brother] had thought, and because of that she, too, had married that man. But my mother-in-law acted properly, that is how I saw her, she showed me by her own good
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é-ki-pamihat. kakiké @-ki-~ é-ki-kanAcinakosit nisis, é-ki-wiyasiwéhkaniwit. nanatohk isi min é-ki-wapahtaman é-wicihikot aya owikimakana, é-ki-kiskinohamakosiyit, kwa wiya naméy é-ohci-kiskéyihtahk nisis kik-ési-masinahikét, ékota anima mistahi ki-wicihik aya owtkimakana, kikway k4-wi-masinaha-~ ka-nitawéyihtahk ka-masinahikatéyik kikway, éwakw 4wa mana nisikos aya é-ki-masinahahk kahkiyaw kikway, otisthcikéwiniyiw ohe 6ma ka-ki-aya-wiyasiwéhkaniwiyit nikan; piyisk ékwa ki-okimahkaniwiw nisis. @kwa étokwé aya, é-ki-miywéyimikot étokwé ayisiyiniwa, é-ki-~ é-ki-kitimakéyimat ayisiyiniwa; péyak kikway mana kakiké é-ki-péhtawak awa nimanacimakan Dan Minde, é-ki-isi-sihkimat aya ayisiyiniwa, méy pik 6sk-dya, séskwAc ayisiyiniwa é-ki-péhtawak man é-ki-itat, “kitimakéyimihkok kéhté-ayak!” — ékosi man é-ki-itat, “kitimakéyimihkok kiwac-awasisak!” tanitahtw4w nikf-péhtawaw, ékos é-itat ayisiyiniwa é-kakéskimat. mina niyandn ka-kakéskimikoyahk niwikimakan ékwa niya, ékosi mana niki-itikonan: “kihcéyimihkok kéhté-ayak, kitimakéyimihkok kiwac-awasisak!” — ékosi man é-ki-itikoyahk; ékoni miyo-pikiskwéwina aya niki-kiskisin. ékwa niki-manacihawak aya nista, é-ki-wapamak niwikimakan kwayask é-kitapamat aya ontkihikwa, nista niki-manacihawak nisikos ékwa nisis; tanis 6-isi-sthkimicik, tanisi 6-isi-nitawéyimicik, niki-tétén. tapwé ata, méy é-ohci-nakayaskaman kikway ka-ki-kiskinohamawicik, niki-kakwatakihtan man A4skaw mak Aya, naméy wihk4c nanitaw noh-itwan, niki-wi-kakwé-nanahihtén aya, ka-kakwé-atamihakik 6k aya ka-ki-wahkémakik ayisiyiniwak; aniki mina kotakak aya, niwikimakan omisa niso, ékonik mina man Aya, nikisk-~ nikiskisin man é-ki-kitimakéyimicik, ékwa nist é-ki-kitimakéyimakik. @-ki-pé-kah-kiyokawicik mana, ékwa é-ki-mah-mihcétésécik. 4s6né an[a] 6misimaw, Sophie Wolfe, ayiwak éwako é-ki-kitimakéyimit, min 4yiwak éwako é-ki-mihcétését; niki-péhtén mana, min é-ki-wapamak
a
é-ki-miyohtwat €wakw 4n[al] aya nicahkos, é-ki-kitimakéyimat
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
example, she loved him, my father-in-law, my parent-in-law, the one I am talking about, Dan Minde; she loved him and she looked after him properly. My father-in-law always looked clean, he was a councillor. I also saw that his wife helped him in various ways, she had gone to school, and he, my father-in-law, did not know how to write, in that his wife helped him greatly, when he wanted to write something, when he wanted something written, it was my mother-in- law who would write everything, all his dealings as a councillor, first; and finally my father-in-law became chief. And the people must have liked him, because he loved the people; one thing I always used to hear my parent-in-law Dan Minde say was how he used to urge people, not only young ones, | heard him say to anybody, “Love the old people!” — he used to say that, “Love the orphans!” I used to hear him say that to the people many times as he counselled them. Also when he counselled us, my husband and me, he would say this to us: “Treat the old people with reverence! Love the orphans!” — he would say to us; these are good words, and I remember them. And I, too, treated them with respect, since I saw my husband properly looking upon his parents, I, too, treated my mother-in-law and my father-in-law with respect; what they urged me, what they wanted me to do, that I would do. Although, it is true that at times I had a difficult time, since I had not been used to the things they taught me, I never said anything, I was going to try and listen, I tried to please the people I now had as relatives; and also the other ones, my husband's older sisters, two of them, they too, | remember, loved me, and I in turn loved them. They used to come to visit me, and they both had many children. Especially the oldest sister, Sophie Wolfe, she especially used to love me, and she had more children (than her sister]; 1 used to hear
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68
ayisiyiniwa, é-ki-kitimakéyimat kéhté-aya; péyak mana nétokwésiwa min é-ki-kanawéyimat é-ki-kitimakéyimat.
éwako kayds 6ya ayahk, ‘k-ésihkosiwayaniw’ ka-ki-itiht ana okimahkan, ékoni é-ki-wicéwat 6hi nétokwésiwa, ékoni mana ka-ki-kanawéyimat nicahkos Sophie, é-ki-néhiyawiythkasot éwakw An[a] aya nécokwésiw, ‘oscikwanis’ €-ki-isiyihkasot; éwakw ana mina mana nétokwésiw é-ki-nihta-kakéskihkémot, 6-ki-miyohtwat min éwakw Ana nécokwésiw. é-ki-péhtaman man ékospi, miton étokwé kayas éwakw 4wa ka-ki-pimatisit aya (@wak 6ma k-6h-wihtamihk 6m aya, tipahaskan ita 6ma k-aydyahk, ‘Ermineskin’ k-ésiythkaték; €wakw 4n[a] ayahk, owihowin é-apatahk oma aya tipahaskan ka-ki-aya-wihtamihk, ‘Ermineskin’ k-ésiyihkaték aya, ‘k-dsihkosiwaydniw’ é-ki-isiyihkasot); niki-péhtawaw mana éwakw awa nimanacimakan Dan Minde, é-ki-mamiskémat, ékoni 6hi kiséyiniwa, 6h 6kimahkana; wist és é-ki-kakéskimikot ékoni anih 6kimahkana. é-ki-kiskiwéhokot ésa, éka céskwa kikway é-~ 6-tawinahk, é-~ é-ki-wihtamakot ésa niyak aya, €-ki-w4pahtamiyit, 6mis fs 6-ki-itikot: “6té nikan kiwi-okimahkaniwin,” é-ki-itikot ésa, ékwa tanis Aya, é-isi-miyopayik, kik-ési-kanawapaméat aya, otiyintma okimahkan, “ka-kitimakéyimacik kitayisiyinimak; ka-ndtamawacik kitayisiyinimak, ita ayahk, k4-nayéhtawipayicik.” @wakw anim és é-ki-kwayaci-wihtam4kot nisis aya, kayas anih 6kimahkana aya, ‘k-6sihkosiwayaniw’ ka-ki-isiyfhkasoyit. tapwé é-ki-wapamak nisis é-ki-kitimakéyimat ayisiyiniwa. ka-wiyasiwatimiht man Aya, é-ki-t@pwa-~ é-ki-tépwatikot man é-nitawi-pikiskwéstamawét, ékay ékwayikohk ka-mayi-tétamiht aya, ka-wiyasiwatimiht 6m Aya, minihkwéwin ohc ahpé kotak kikway ohci aya, ka-mAyipayiyit
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[44]
and I also used to see that this sister-in-law of mine was good-natured, she loved people, she loved old people; she also used to keep one old lady, lovingly.
Ermineskin’s Counsel
Long ago he who is no longer with us was chief, k-dsihkosiwaydniw as he was called, he had been married to this old lady, she was the one my sister-in-law Sophie used to keep, that old lady used to have a Cree name, her name was oscikwénis, that old lady also used to be good at counselling, and that old lady also used to be good- natured. [ used to hear it at that time, it must have been long ago when he [Ermineskin] had still been alive (that is why they named this reserve where we live Ermineskin, as it is called; it is his name which was used when they named this reserve Ermineskin, as it is called, his name had been k-6sihkosiwayéniw [i.e., Has-an-Ermineskin]); | used to hear my parent-in-law Dan Minde talk about him, this old man, this chief; he, too, had been counselled by that chief. He had had prophesies uttered by him, about things which he [Dan Minde] had not yet encountered, he had been told by him about the future, he [Ermineskin] had seen it and he had said thus to him: “There in the future you are going to be chief,” he had said to him, and how things might go well, how a chief should look after his people, “For you to care for your people; for you to take up for your people where they run into trouble.” That is what my father-in-law was told in preparation by that chief of long ago, that k-dsihkosiwayaniw as he was called. It is true, I saw that my father-in-law loved the people. When they went to court, they would call on him to go and speak for
Their Example Showed Me the Way
[45]
[46]
7°
k-6tinimiht, éwako @-ki-wapamak nisis é-ki-tdtahk; é-ki-itohtét mana, é-nitawi-pikiskwéstamawét otayisiyinima. ékwa min Aya, k-étwéyan, kakiké é-ki-kakéskimikoyahk, kakiké 6-ki-kakéskimat okosisa, ka ka-pakitinamiyit atoskéwin, k-ahkaméyimoyit k-atoskéyit. wista kayahté étokwé nisis, maywés k-ahkosit, mistah é-ki-atoskét.
ki-nisiwak 6ki nisisak, péyak ayahk, ‘Sam Minde’ kotak
ki-isiyihkasow. éwako mina ki-wiyasiwéhkaniwiw péyakwaw, ékwa mina ki-okimahkaniwiw péyakwaw. kahkiyaw ékonik 6ki nisw ay-~ ayisiyiniwak atoskéwin é-ki-nékohtacik aya, 6ta 6ma maskwacisihk; é-ki-okistikéwiyiniwicik, €kwa mostoswa min é-ki-ay4wacik mana, méya mihcét oht-4-~ ohc-ayawéw wiya nisis awa Dan Minde, maka wiy 6-~ osima, mihcét aya pisiskiwa, mostoswa ékwa misatimwa é-ki-ayawayit. ékwa é-ki-wicihiwéyit mina man ita aya ka-téhtapihk aya, 6ki mana kotiskawéwatimwa k-4yawacik. péyakwan nisis, éwakw aya, éta é-pé-ay-ay4y4n Asay ki-p6nihtaw, kotiskawéwatimwa ésa man é-ki-ayawat nisis, kwa ésa mAn é-ki-papamohtahat, ékos étokwé mén é-ki-isi-séniyahkét. €kwa mana wiya ni-~ niwikimakan aya é-ki-ay-apit mana, 6-kanawapokét ékwa mina man Aya é-ay-atoskét kistikana —~ kistikanihk, kahkiyaw kikway é-ki-nakacihtat, éhtawiya é-ki-kiskinohamakot, éwakw anim Anohc k-@totaman aya, kotak anim Aya 4cimowin k-ésihtayan, ayéhkwéwa man é-ki-~ é-ki-pikopicikéhat ka-mAci-okistikéwiyiniwit aya niwikimakan, é-~ é-oskini-~ é-o0-~ 6-oskinikintwis-~ é-oskinikiwiyinisiwit ékospi.
ékos étokwé anim Aya, é-itéyihtaman mAna niya, kiyipa ka-maci-kiskinohaméhcik 6k aya, osk-ayak, ka-sakihtacik atoskéwin
kwayask é-hi-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[45]
[46]
them so that they would not be dealt with so harshly when they were in court for drinking or some other thing, when they were arrested on some charge, I used to see my father-in-law do that; he used to go there to go and speak for his people. And also, as I said, he would forever counsel us, he would forever counsel his son, not to let go of work and to persevere in work. My father-in-law himself must have worked hard previously, before he fell ill.
Teaching by Example
My father-in-law was one of two brothers, he was one, and the other one was called Sam Minde. He [Sam Minde] also used to be a councillor once, and then he also was chief once. Both these people left evidence of all their work here at maskwacisihk; they used to farm, and they also used to have cattle, my father-in-law Dan Minde, he did not have many, but his younger brother [Sam Minde] had many animals, cattle and horses. And he also used to be part of the riding circuit, he used to be one of those who have race-horses. The same with my father-in-law [Dan Minde], but that one had already quit by the time I came here; he used to have race-horses and had followed the circuit with them, that was how he must have made money. And my husband used to stay home keeping house and also working in the fields, he knew how to do everything, his father had taught him, that is what | told about earlier today, when J made the other recording, that my husband had used oxen to plough the land when he began farming, at a time when he was still a very young boy.
I usually think you have to start early in training young people to love work, while they are still young, then they
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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aya, miyékw4-osk-ayiwitwawi, miywéyihtamwak ékwa k-atoskécik. ékos 6-ki-kisk-~-isi-kiskéyihtaman niwikimakan, é-ki-miywéyihtahk man é-atoskét kistikanihk; ékwa mina, pisiskiwa mana mitoni kwayask é-ki-pamihat. ékoni 6hi niso ayahk, k-atotamAn aya, k-acimakik 6ki nisw at[a] aya ayisiyiniwak, é-ki-anima-miyo-kiskinowapahtihiwécik atoskéwin aya, é-ki-sakihtacik k-atoskécik, 4kwa min é-ki-kiskinohamawécik otawasimisiwawa k-és-Aatoskéyit.
kah-kihtwam éwak 6ma kiwihtamatinawaw, mdy Ayisk kakiké awa misawac séniyaw ka-miyikawiyahk, awa mistahi s6niyaw ka-miyikawiyahk. pikw ékwa ayisiyiniwak ka-kiwétotahkik k-Atoskécik ka-kakwé-pimacihocik aya, awa s6niy4w, kisipipayiki. atiht méy tapwéhtamwak mak aya, méy kakiké awa ka-ki-miyikawinanaw awa soniyaw ka-miyikawiyahk;, asay at-4-~-Astamipayiw awa s6niy4w k4-miyikawiyahk ékota; piko kawi ka-kiwétotamahk k-atoskéyahk, ka-kakwé-pim4cihoyahk, kayas mana k4-ki-isi-pimacihocik napéwak ékwa iskwéwak.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtshicik
like to work. I know that is true of my husband, he liked working in the fields; and he also very much took proper care of the animals. These two [Dan and Sam Minde], the story I am telling, these two people whom | am telling about, they used to set a good example for people by their work, they loved to work; and they also showed their
children how to work.
I have been telling you all over and over that we will not be getting this money [oil royalties] forever, in any case, the large sums of money we get. People will have to go back and work to try and make a living when this money, when the oil wells run out. Some do not believe this, but we will not be able forever to get this money that we are getting; already the sums of money we are getting are becoming less and less; so we will have to go back and work to try and make a living; the way men and women
used to make a living long ago.
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VI
kotak kikway awa k4-nitawéyihtamawit aw aya, iskwéw aw aya, 6hi ké-ah-otinahk” aya Acimowina, é-n-~ é-néhté-kiskéyihtahk tanis iskwéwak kayds é-ki-totahkik aya, tanis 6-ki-isi-pimacihocik wistawaw otawAsimisiw4wa aya, tanis é-is-Aya-pimacihacik. mihcét aniki é-ki-kaskihtacik aya é-mikisihkahcikécik ékospt iskwéwak, ékwa ayiwinisa man é-ki-osthtacik é-ki-mikisihkahtahkik mi-~ anih aya, waskitasdkaya é-ki-m-~, ‘mikisasdkaya’ ki-isiyihkatéwa, ékotowahk man é-ki-osthtacik, pahkékinwésakaya. ékwa mina maskisina ékwa astisa, é-ki-pé-wapamakik éwakw Anim é-tétahkik, mistahi é-ki-mikisihkahtahkik mana kikway k-ésthtAcik, maskisina ékwa aya astisa. 6kw 4nihi mina mén 4ya maskisina aya é-ki-misiwéminakinahkik, misiwé man é-ki-mikisihkahtahkik anihi maskisina aya, ‘napakaskisina’ mana ki-isiyihkatéwa. 6wakw anima n-~, éwakw 4wa nisikos é-ki-kiskinowapamak ékoni €-ki-t6tahk; é-ki-~ é-ki-kiskinohamawit mina tanisi k-ési-mikisihkahcikéyan. ékwa min Aya, ék-~ ékAya é-ohci-nitawéyimit aya, ka-nah-nayahtoyit mikisa, kwayask niki-kiskinohamak aya k-ési-mikisihkahcikéyan, tanisi mitoni ka-tétaman, é-ki-~ 6-ki-kwayaski-kakéskimit, tanis éka k-ési-nayahtocik mikisak [é-pahpit]. 6kwa niki-nanaskoméw nisikos, sémak aya é-ki-kiskinohamawit, mayaw k4-pé-wicéwakik, ékoni éhi ka-tétam4n, tAnisi k-€s-A4ya-~-kanacihtayan waskahikan min éwakw aya, ata k-~ as-~ é-ki-kiskin-~, at[a] Asay é-ki-kiskinohamakawiyan kiskinohamatowikamikohk, niki-sthkiskak aya, ka-kandcihtayan waskahikan, ka-kisépékihtakinikéyan ékwa ka-kisépékinaman wiyakana. séskwac kahkiyaw kikway 6m aya ka-ki-isi-kiskinohamakawiyan, niki-nitawéyimik ékoni ka-pimitisahaman. ékwa niki-manacih4w, niki-tétén kahkiyaw ékoni.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
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VI
Self-Reliant Women
Another thing this woman wants from me when she is recording these stories, she wants to know what women did long ago, how they themselves made a living and how they made a living for their children. Many of the women used to be able to do beadwork then, and they used to make clothes and beaded them, overcoats, beaded coats they were called, they used to make that kind, leather coats. And also moccasins and mittens, I used to see them then, they did that, they used to put a lot of beadwork on the things they made, moccasins and mittens. And these moccasins they covered with beadwork, they put beadwork all over the top of these moccasins, they used to be called flat moccasins. This ~, I learnt this by watching my mother-in-law making them; she also taught me how to bead. And she also did not want me to have beads climbing up on one another [if the thread is too tight], she showed me how to bead properly, exactly how to do it, she instructed me properly how not to have the beads climbing up on one another [laughs]. And I was thankful to my mother-in-law that she taught me right away, as soon as I came to live with them, how to do these things, how to clean house and that kind of thing, although I had already been taught at boarding- school, she urged me to clean house, to scrub floors and to wash dishes. She wanted me to follow strictly everything I had been taught. And I treated her with respect, I did all these things. Naturally, my mother had,
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cikémA, Ata wiya kayahté nik4wiy min ékos é-ki-isi-kiskinohamawit, é-ki-sthkimit ékoni kahkiyaw kikway, é-aw4sisiwiyan ohc é-ki-sthkiskawit ka-kasiyakanéyan ka-wépahikéyan; ékoni ka-t6taman, ékwa min aya, ka-kakwé-kanacihoy4n, kahkiyaw kikway niki-kiskinohamak nikdwiy.
mistahi mana niki-sakihaw nikawiy, késkéyihtamAn|i] éyapic 6ma, éydpic 6m Aya, kAa-mamitonéyimak nikawiy, ninandskomaw, nisaékihaw éyapic, iyikohk kikway é-miywasik é-ki-pé-kiskinohamawit. min é-ki-kitahamawit, 6k4 ka-mayi-wicéwakik aya nici-kiskinohamawdkanak, éwako mina m4na kakiké niki-wihtamak, éka ka-ka-~ ka-nah-ndtinakik, ka-ka-~ @ka ka-kah-kihkamakik nici-kiskinohamawakanak; éwako mina kakiké niki-kitaham4k; moy niya piko, nitisana mina mana ki-kitahamawéw. Ata kakiké é-ki-wi-kakwé-kiskinohamakoyahk aya, ka-miyo-wicihiwéyahk aya, pikw awiyak 6ma ka-wic-ayamayahk, tapiskéc kiskinohamawakanak, ékwa ayamihéwiskwéwak ékwa ayamihéwiyiniwak ka-man-~ ka-manécihayahkik; kahkiyaw ékoni é-ki-wihtamakawiyahk aya ka-t6tamahk, ninikihikonanak éwako é-ki-kaskihtacik wiyawaw ka-kis-~ ka-wihtam4koyahkik. méy min éhci-kostamwak wihkdc aya, ayamihéwikamikohk aya k-étohtahikoyahkik ka-nitawi-péhtamahk anim aya, ayamihéwiyiniw aya ka-kakéskihkémot, kisé-manitowi-pikiskwéwin ka-wihtamakoyahk. éwak éhc étok 6m anohc aya, kahkiyaw wiyaw4w aya, €-wi-~ 6-wi-mamihcimakik é-ki-kiskinohamawicik ninikihikwak aya, ayamihawin ka-sakihtayan, éwak ohc 4nohc éyapic ké-sakihtayan aya, kisiwak ékwa éta é-wikiyan 6m ita ayamihéwikamik ka-cimaték, tépiyahk katisk é-pimohtéyan ékwa Ota, é-kitapahtam4n, tahto-kisikaw ayamihéwikamik
é-nitaw-ayamihayan.
[eEm:] kékAc As-~ Asay ékota anima, katisk min é-miyopayik é-kisthtayan anim aya, the last word, tapiskéc anima kotak min Anima ka-kisthtayahk.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowépahtihicik
[49]
of course, taught me the same things previously, she had urged me in all these things, from childhood on she had urged me along to wash dishes and to sweep; to do these things and also to try and keep myself clean, my mother had taught me everything.
I loved my mother very much, I still think of her whenever I feel lonesome, I thank her, I still love her, she had taught me so many good things. And she had warned me not to live on bad terms with my schoolmates; she forever used to tell me this, not to fight with them, not to scold my schoolmates; against that also she forever used to warn me; and not only me, she also used to warn my siblings against it. She forever used to try and teach us, of course, to get along well with people, with everyone we had to five with, such as the other schoolchildren, and to treat the nuns and the priests with respect; all these things she used to tell us to do, our parents, they used to be able to tell us that. They also were never afraid to take us to church so that we would go and listen to the priest preach and tell us the word of God. I guess that is why today I am going to speak proudly about my parents, all of them, that they taught me to love the church, that is why I still love it today, I live close to where the church stands now, | just have to walk a little ways and J just look at the church from here, I go to church every day.
RS
[eEm:] Almost —~ again it turned out well, just as I am finishing it, the last word, just like the other [tape] we finished.
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{em:] Asay anima ci é-y6hténaman? [ra:} Aha! aha.
ékwa 6k 4ya iskwéwak ka-nitawéyimikawiyan aya kik-acimakik aya, 6ta maskwacisihk, tanis é-ki-tétahkik, maywés awa s6niyaw ka-miyikawiyahk mi-~, mina kay4s 6ta, aspin ohci ka-pé-wicihiwéyan, tanisi ka-pé-isi-wapamakik iskwéwak aya, mihcét iskwéwak é-ki-wapamakik aya, mistah é-ki-atoskécik é-ki-kakdyawisicik. ékwa nama wihkac é-ohci-péhtawakik ka-kisiwiyocik. 6-ki-mana-natahkik mihta sakahk, é-ki-nacimihtécik, é-pésihtacik é-kinwAyiki, ékwa é-pé-nihtinahkik ita ka-wikicik, @kwa wikiwahk min é-~ é-mosc-d4ya-nah-natwahahkik ékoni anihi aya mihta ka-p6nahkik; wiyawaw iskwéwak éwako é-ki-wapamakik é-ki-tétamasocik, éka —~, ata k-dya-~ k-6napémicik, kotak kikway k-6tamiyoyit atoskéwin, ékos é-ki-isi-wicihacik onapémiwaéwa, é-ki-nikohtéstamasocik man iskwéwak. Ata wiya nista piyisk niki-tétén éwakw anima, niki-yéyihikawin é-nah-nikohtéyan. niki-yiwéyaskocinin man &-mosci-nacitapéyan”° nipisihtakwa, @ka kikway k4-~ k4-ponamén aya nikihk; é-kiskisiyan iyikohk man askaw é-ki-yah-yayikaskociniyan k4-natitapéyan’’ nipisihtakwa. ékos anim aya é-ki-is-ahkaméyimocik kayds iskwéwak. nam-~ naméy aya iskwéwak ohci-kitimakinasowak at[a} 4ya, ké-nakatikocik onapémiwaéwa aya, ékA kikway k-émihtimicik, ki-astamasowak mana mihta. ékwa piyé-takohtétwawi mana napéwak ki-kisowihkasowak, onapé-~ o-~ wiwiwawa man aya é-ki-astam4soyit aya mihta, ahpé mitoni ka-pwatawihtacik iskwéwak aya, mihta ka-kahcitinahkik ahpé6 nipisihtakwa, piwihtakahikana man é-ki-ponahkik (mistahi ki-ihtakonwa wiy é-ki-mosci-nikohtéhk), kotowahk man é-ki-ponamahk, piwihtakahikana. mak ani mana nistam ka-maci-kwahkoténikéyahk aya, é-ki-kaskapahték [é-pahpit]. nanatohk kikway 6m 4ya, atiht osk-dyak itawak méy é-tapwéhtahkik, tanisi man é-ki-itacihocik kayas aya 6té ayisiyiniwak naway. min 6h ayahk, ka-mosci-ponamihk ékwa 6hi
kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowdpahtihicik
[50]
[em:] Have you turned it on already? [Fa:] Yes! Yes.
And it is these women I am expected to tell about, here at maskwacisihk, what they used to do before we were getting this money [oil royalties], and also how I have seen them here, from long ago, for all the time 1 have been living here, how I used to see many women working a great deal, they were hard workers. And I have never heard them complain. They used to go for firewood in the bush, they used to go for firewood, loading pole-length wood and then unloading it back where they lived, and also, at their homes, chopping the firewood into stove- lengths to burn; I used to see the women themselves do this for themselves, even though they had husbands, when the men were busy doing something else, that is how these women used to help their husbands, by cutting firewood for themselves. I, too, finally used to do that, I was tempted by their example to go cutting wood. | used to get torn ragged from dragging willows home by hand, when I had nothing to burn at my house. I remember how ragged I used to get sometimes when [ hauled willows home; that is how women used to persevere in the old days. The women did not feel sorry for themselves when their husbands left them behind, and when they had no wood, they used to lay in firewood for themselves. And when the men would come home they used to warm themselves by the fire because their wives had laid in firewood for themselves; and when they were completely unable to get firewood or willows, the women even used to burn wood-chips (there used to be lots of them for wood was chopped with an axe), that is what we used to burn, wood-chips. But when we first started the fire, well, it used to smoke. There are all kinds of things, it is said
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kotaw4napiskwa, méy ékoni atiht wapahtamwak anohc 6k aya k4-pimatisicik aya, mékwAc 6k 6sk-ayak, nayéstaw 6m Aya wasaskocépayis ékwa pimiy ka-pénamihk, ékoni pikw é-wapahtahkik;, ékwa man Aya, 6-Acimostakocik mak-~ man 4tiht onikihikowawa aya, mihta man é-ki-pénamihk aya, ka-piminawasohk ékwa aya, ka-kisowihkasocik ayisiyiniwak aya, wikiwaw aya ka-kisisahkik. ékosi man é-ki-is-Aya-atoskécik wiy Ayisiyiniwak, ékwa mina man 4nihi wasaskoténikana ka-ki-apacihtacik aya, é-ki-mana-kaskitéwapahtéki, iskwéwak mina man ékoni é-ki-kanacihtacik maywés aya ka-wasaskoténikécik, ‘askiwi-pimiy’ ki-isiyfhkétéw man Anima ka-ki-aya-wasaskoténikakéhk.
ékwa aya, anima k-atotamAn aya, iskwéwak iyikohk é-ki-atoskécik, kahkiyaw kikway aya é-ki-tétamasocik — é-ki-osthtamasocik, nik-@twan; miskotakaya 6hi ka-kikiskahkik aya, wiyawaw é-ki-kaskikwatam4socik, papa-~ papakiway4nékinwa man é-ki-atawécik, ékwa mina man Aya, otawdsimisiwawa oh Aya, ayiwinisisa ka-kikiskamiyit aya, é-ki-kaskikwatamawacik man 4ya, wiyawaw otawdsimisiwawa, é-ki-wiyisamasocik ékwa é-kaskikwatahkik €kw-~, méy, méy pikw Awiyak aya kaskikw4swakana anihi, méy pikw awiyak ohc-ayaw, é-ki-moscikwatahkik man Aya, iskwéwak ayiwinisa Ohi k-6sihtamasocik. ékwa tahto ka-ki-kitimakisiyahk, 4skaw ahp6 méy noh-kaskihtanan papakiwayanékinwa k-atawéstamasoyahk, ékwa ék4 wihk4c é-ohci-papamohtéyahk aya, nayéstaw misatimwak ékwa otapanaskwak é-ki-apatisicik aya, nanitaw wah-itohtéhki. maskimotékinwa mana kah-kanataépawatayahki, ékoni mana niki-apacihtanan aya, itamihk 6h Ayiwinisa aya k-6sihtayahk, iskwéwak mana pihtawésakana é-ki-osihtamasocik aya, maskimotékinwa anim ita mana, pahkwésikan ka-ki-asiwasot. papakiwayanékinwa ayis ki-wapiskawa, mak 4ya ki-masinahikatéwa. ka-kisépékinahkik man dnima ki-pawinamwak aya, ka-masinahikatéyik anima; atiht min é-ki-dsahkik,?* ékosi man é-ki-is-dya-pahkwatinahkik anih aya, ka-masinahikatéyiki.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[51]
about some young people that they do not believe how people used to live back there in the past. And some of those who live today, the young of today, have never seen a fire made or a wood-stove, they see only electric and kerosene heaters. Then some of them are told about it by their parents, that they used to burn firewood to cook and for people to keep warm, to keep their houses warm. For this is the work people used to do, and also the lamps they used to use, they used to give off black smoke, and the women also used to clean these before they lit them, it was called coal oil, that which was used for lighting.
And I have told about the fact that the women used to work so much, that they used to do everything for
themselves — they made it for themselves, I will say; the dresses they wore, they used to sew for themselves; they would buy cloth, and also the clothes their children wore, they themselves used to sew for their children, they used to cut the patterns out for themselves and then sew them, not everyone had a sewing machine, the women used to sew by hand when they made clothes for themselves. And those of us who were poor, we sometimes were not even able to buy cloth for ourselves, and we never used to go anywhere [to shop], since only horses and wagons were used when you were going somewhere. Once we would have washed them clean, we used to use flour-bags to make underclothes, women used to make slips for themselves with these flour-bags in which the flour had come. For the cloth used to be white, but it carried writing. When they washed them, they took off the writing; some also used to boil them, that is how they would take the writing off.
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ahp6 étokwé ka-ki-atotaman, péyak kikway ayisiyiniwak é-ki-pahpicik aya. méy étokwé nanitaw k-atotam4n péyak é-ki-pahpihiht aya, oskinikiskwéw és aya, é-ki-kihtiméyihtahk ésa ka-pahkwatinahk anima ka-~ ka-masinahikatéyik, soskwac és ékos ts é-ki-osihtat aya, pihtawésak4n aya, maskimotékin é-apacihtat. mak étokwé mitoni ki-pahpawiwépinam, miton étokwé ki-ka&h-kaskaham kwayask aya, aya, ka-k-~ €k4 ékwayikohk ka-sitawayik, ékos isi é-kaskikwatamésot étokwé pihtawésakan. mak étokwé aya, é-sakékamoniyik ésa, Macs Best é-itastéyik ésa [é-pahpihk).
[Fa:] €kos é-isiyihkasot cf pahkwésikan?
pahkwésikan ékos é-ki-isiyihkAsot an|a] aya k-Askitit, éwakw anim étokwé é-sakamoniyik ésa ka-wapahtamoht [é-pahpihk]! tépiyahk ka-pahpihk 6m éwako k-4-~ k-atotaman [é-pahpihk]. méy étokw awa oskinikiskwéw é-~ ohci-kiskéyihtam éwakw Anim Aya, é-ki-wapahtamoht anim Aya, éka é-ohci-pahkwatinahk anima
masinahikéwin.
# ékw-~ ékw Anima min Aya, é-ki-man-aya-~-kahkiyaw-kikway-tétamasocik iskwéwak. wiyds anim 4ya (ma kikway anih 4ya ahkwatihcikana ohc-thtakonwa), wiyas k-ayacik mistahi aya, méso-wiyds ahpé mostoso-wiyas, kahkéwakwa man é-ki-osthtacik; é-ki-osthtacik man aya wayawitimihk anih aya, mwéhci mikiwahp é-isthtacik. mistikwa man é-ki-apacihtacik aya, ékota pthc-ayihk é-kaskapasahkik anima wiyas aya, kah-panisahkwawi, kahkéwakwa man é-ki-osthtacik ékwa é-ki-kaskApasahkik. # péyakwan kinoséwa, é-ki-paniswacik mana kinoséwa ékwa é-ki-kaska4paswacik. * ékwa, kékdc kahkiyaw iskwéwak €-ki-ayacik kiscikdnisa. piwi-kiscikanisa man aya é-ki-ayacik, ékosi man Anihi ki-isiyihkatéwa, ita aya k-6hpikihtacik askipwawa ékwa oskataskwa, ‘piwi-kiscikanisa’ mana
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowépahtihicik
[52]
[53]
Perhaps I should tell about one incident people used to laugh about. I guess it’s all right to tell it how one young woman was laughed at, she was too lazy to take the writing off, she simply made a slip like that, using a flour- bag. But she must have shaken it out and properly scraped it off {rather than washing or boiling it] so it would not be so stiff, and she must have sewn a slip for herself just like that. But, I guess, it was hanging out below her dress, and the writing said Mac's Best [laughter]!
[ra:] Is that the name of the flour?
That was the name of that flour, uncooked [i.e., not bannock], and that is what was showing, that was visible [laughter]. It is simply for a laugh that I am telling this [laughter]. This young woman did not know, I guess, that it was visible, that she had not taken off the writing.
# and it was also that, that the women used to do everything for themselves. The meat (there were no freezers), when people had lots of meat, moose meat or beef, they used to make dried meat; they used to build a structure outside, making it exactly like a tipi. They used to use poles, smoking the meat inside there, after cutting it into sheets, they used to make dried meat and smoke it. # The same with fish, they used to cut them into sheets and smoke them. # And nearly all the women used to have gardens. They used to have vegetable gardens, that is what they used to be called, where they grew potatoes and carrots, they used to call them vegetable gardens. Of the garden seeds, they never had very much of anything
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ki-isiyihkatamwak. ékwa ékoni dhi man ya piwi-kiscikanisa, ékama ohc aya mist-~ ayiwakipayicik*? kikway (6ta man ya, ‘asahkéwikamik’ mana ki-isiyihkatéw 6m ita k-6h-~ k-6h-paminahkik —~ k-6h-paminiwécik 6k 6kim4-~, aya, okimanahk ohci, ka-paminiwécik 6ki), ékotowahk man 6hi é-ki-miyikawiyahk, piwi-kiscikanisa ka-kistikéyahk. askipwawa mana piko ka-ki-atawéyahk, ékoni é-kistikéyahk. @kwa mina man
a
é-ki-manisamahk aya, maywésk aya ka-pakitinamahk aya asiskihk, é-ki-~ 6-ki-pikinisamahk mana, “ékos isi kiyipikinwa,” é-ki-itikawiyahk mana.
ékoni kahkiyaw iskwéwak é-ki-tétahkik, maka man Aya, onapémiwawa mina ki-wi-~-wicihikwak man é-pikopitah-~, é-ki-pikopitamakocik man Asiskiy, ita ka-kistikécik; ékwa anim Aya, ka-w-~ ka-wéhcasiniyik aw iskwéw éka ékwayikohk k-atoskét; ékosi mana niya wiya niwikimakan é-ki-isi-wicihit aya, 6-ki-m-~ é-ki-pimi-pikopicikét man ékota é-ki-pimi-pakitinaman 6h Askipw4wa. mistahi mana miton é-ki-pakitinaman askipwawa, tasipwaw mdy kakétihk mana niki-atoskanan aya, 6ma man Aya, macikwandsa k-dhpikihki,3° maka niki-nakacihtanan piyisk aya, wipac kahkiyaw ka-kawikahamahk, méy wihkac mistah éhci-wipacikinwa anihi aya macikwandsa. ékwa piyisk mina niki-ayanan aya, é-ki-atawéyahk méniyanahk aya, ayahikakana anihi, péyak misatim man é-ki-pim-ayahikét, ékotowahk niki-ayanan anim aya 4pacihcikanis, ékota é-Apacihtaéyahk. ékwa aya, aya, péyakwaw é-kiskisiyan iyikohk é-ki-miyokihtayahk askipwawa, ékosi man é-ki-isi-tipahamahk, mitatahtomitanaw-maskimot é-ki-ayayahk, ékwa é-ki-apisdsik watihkan anim ité mAn Aya é-ki-astayahk askipwawa, é-ki-yahkatihkatamahk, ék4 anima nanitaw é-ki-astayahk anih askipwawa; méy wayaw-~ wayawitimihk wihkac néh-ayahénan, kahk-~ kahkiyaw mn é-ki-pthtokwatayahk. *
ékwa mina mn aya, kayahté ohpimé niki-atotén, nikdwiy mana mistahi 6-ki-mawisot aya, minisa, é-ki-pasahk, ékwa takwahiminana mina é-ki-pasahk é-ki-takwahahk mana. ékwa atiht man é-ki-kaskapiskahahk kotaka minisa aya, ‘iyinimina’ mana
kwayask 8-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[54]
[55]
(it was called the ‘ration house’ here, where they looked after it -~ where they looked after people on behalf of the government, the ones who looked after people [i.e., the Indian agents]); there we were given that kind, garden seeds for us to plant. We only used to buy potatoes, and we planted them. And we also used to cut them up, before we put them down into the soil, we used to cut them small because “They grow faster that way,” we had been told.
The women did all those things but their husbands also used to help them by ploughing the soil for them, where they would plant; so that it would be easy for the woman and she would not have to work so hard; that is how my husband helped me, too, he used to go along ploughing and I followed behind putting in the potatoes. I used to plant lots of potatoes, and we worked extremely hard, in fact, at the time when the weeds come up, but finally we knew what to do, when you cut them all down early, the weeds did not really take over. And finally we also had a hiller, we had bought it from a White place, one horse went along and did the hilling [of the potatoes], we used to have that kind of machine and used it. And I remember once, when we grew such a good crop of potatoes, that is how we measured them, we had one hundred bags, and the cellar where we stored potatoes was small, we dug it out to make it bigger, we had no place to put all of the potatoes; we never left them outside, covered with dirt, we used to haul them all inside. #
And we also used to, I told about this before somewhere, my mother used to pick lots of berries, she used to dry them, and the chokecherries she used to both crush and dry. And some other berries she used to can,
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[56]
[57]
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ki-isiyihkaétéwa ékwa aya, nikikomina; ékoni man é-ki-kask4piskahahk aya, météy4piskohk.
ékwa mina man 4nim aya, min éwakw Asay niki-atotén, é-ki-pahkékinohkét mana. wiy éwakw Anima niya méy nikaskihtan, tahk ayiwak ayisk 4stamispi aya, osk-ayak ki-néwo-~ ki-nésowatisiwak. mak 6ki kéhté-ayak, mitoni ki-kaskihtawak man aya, 6-osthtamasocik pahkékinwa, 4s6né anih 4pisimésoswayana, mitoni ki-wiya-~ ki-wéhcihéwak ékoni mitoni, é-osthtamAsocik. niki-wap-~
apoepoeps
—~ ékwa nicahkos, é-ki-osthtamAsocik man ékotowahk. ékoni 6hi pahkékinwa 4tiht mana nikawiy ki-atoskémow, é-ki-dyiméyihtahk étokwé mAn Aya kik-dsihtat, osm mana mistahi min é-ki-atoskét
aya wasakém nikin-~
—~ Asay min éwako pakahkam nitatotén, é-ki-yikinikét kakiké nikawiy, mostoswa é-ki-ay4wat é-miyosiyit, # 6-yikinikéstamasot ékwa ascascwas ékwa manahikan, téhtds4poy, naméy wihkac oht-at-~ ohc-4ya-atawéw, mistahi man ékotowahk aya, é-ki-aya-ohtacihoyahk. ékwa pahpahahkwana min é-ki-ayawat, kéhkésa min é-ki-ayawacik, mostoswa min 6ma k-étwéyan, askaw ki-minahowak wiyés, ékota ohc Aya, é-4pacihtayahk wiyas, maka kayas mina tanis é-ki-isi-wapamakik ayisiyiniwak é-tétahkik, awiyak mistahi wiyas k-ayat, é-ki-asamat m4na kotaka ayisiyiniwa; é-ki-nitomihcik man Askaw ayisiyiniwak aya ka-pé-micisocik, ékwa man é-miyihcik ka-kiwéhtatacik wiyas. * iyikohk ka-misiwanataniyik anima wiyés, ékos 4nima man é-ki-tétahkik, é-ki-nitom4cik mana owicéwakaniw4wa, ka-pé-natamAsoyit wiy4s; # kéhté-aya mina man é-ki-asamacik aya, wiyds. # éwakw anim
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowApahtihicik
[56]
[57]
blueberries they used to be called, and wild black- currants; these she used to can in jars.
And she also used to, and I have also told about this already, she used to tan hides. I, by contrast, am not able to do that, because as time went on young people became weaker and weaker. But the old people were very much able to tan hides for themselves, especially deer hides, they used to have an easy time in tanning these for themselves.
arb
—~ and my sister-in-law, they used to make that kind for themselves. With some of the hides, my mother had someone else to do them for her, she must have found them difficult to prepare, and she also worked too hard
around our house —~
—~ | also told about that already, { think, that my mother used to milk the cows all the time, she used to have good milk cows, # she milked for herself, and she never bought curds and cream, or milk, she never bought very much of that kind, we used to live on that. She also had chickens, they also had pigs, and sometimes, as I said, they also used to butcher a cow for meat, and we used the meat from that, but in the old days, as I saw people do it, when someone had lots of meat he used to feed other people; people were sometimes asked to come and eat, and given some meat to take home with them. # Instead of letting the meat spoil, that is what they used to do, they invited their friends to come and get meat for themselves, * and they also used to feed meat to the old people. #
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aya, ‘mamawi-wicihitowin’ méniyawak k-ésiyihkatahkik, nik-akayasimon éy4pic, ‘share’ k-étwécik, ékos é-ki-tétahkik kayds néhiyawak. é-ki-aya-~ kikway k-ayiwakipayicik, kayacic3’ man é-ki-miyitocik. éwak 6m étokwé mina méy nisitawéyihcikatéw, osdm ékwa mistahi é-s6niyawi-mamitonéyihtamihk, kahkiyaw kikway nayéstaw é-kakwé-s6niyaéhkatamihk. min 6k ayahk, naméy mistahi wihkac ékwa aya ayisiyiniwak é-~ €-minahéstamasocik, nayéstaw é-atawakécik mostoswa aya; ékota k-Ghtinahkik kikway aya miciwin k-4tawéstamas-~
—~ ékoni 6hi 6-ki-wapahtamAn aya, Asay 4hkwatihcikana é-ihtakohki,3? 6-apisasik é-ki-ayayahk ahkwatihcikan, * ki-atoskémow mn é-nipahtaméht aya niwikimakan aya, ayéhkwésisa man é-ki-atotat aya, 6ténahk aya, ka-minahéstamakot, ékwa anita é-asiwatayahk akoc-~ ahkwatihcikanihk. # méy éwako kinwés néh-téténan, ékos anima wipac ka-ki-at-ahkosit niwikimakan aya. # kahkiyaw kikway ati-pikopayin ayisiyiniw k-ahkosit, méy wiya miton dhci-pikopayiw éydpic aya, mistahi kistikana ki-ayawéw niwikimakan, ékwa min 4ya mostoswa ki-ayawéw. m4ka masinahikan ki-osihtaw, é-ki-mah-miyikoyahk ékoni, maywésk ka-nakataskét #. kahkiyaw niki-atawakén aya mostoswak, maka késwan méy mistah é-ohc-itakisocik. méy niya noh-kaskihtan ka-pamihakik 6ki pisiskiwak, os4m aya * Ayiman iskwéw wiya ka-pamihat pisiskiwa, ékosi méy ayiwak néh-kanawéyimawak # mostoswak, kahkiyaw niki-mékin. ékw Anihi min aya, askiya, kayahté wiya é-ki-4h-atoskémot, wiya nistw-askiy é-ki-aya-ahkosit. kayahté é-ki-awihiwét aya, 6ka é-kaskihtat k-atoskét, ki-awihiwéw anih Aya kistikana; atiht néhiyawa, atiht méniyawa ki-awihéw. mak ékwa niy aya, naméy kinwés éwako néhe-aya-nohté-tétén k-aya-~ k-Awihiwéyan. niki-miyawak anih Aya askiya nésisimak; péyak iskwéw, ékwa niso napéwak, ndsisimak niki-miyawak. méy kikway
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtthicik
[58]
That is what the Whites call cooperation, | will say it in English again, sharing as they call it, that is what Crees used to do long ago. When they had a surplus of something, they used to give it to one another. This also is not well understood, I guess, as money is the general obsession now and you only try to make money from everything. The people also never really butcher for themselves now, they only sell cows; and with that they earn something to buy food for themselves —~
—~ these things I used to see, there were freezers already, we used to have a small freezer, # my husband used to have someone else butcher for him, he used to have steers butchered for him in town and we put the meat in there, in the freezer. # We did not do that for a long time, it was shortly afterwards that my husband fell ill. # Everything will fall apart when a person is ill, my husband did not really go broke, he still had a lot of grain and he also had cattle. But he made a will and gave these to each of us before he departed this world #. I sold all the cattle but, as it happened, they were not worth very much. [ was not able to look after the animals myself because # it is difficult for a woman to look after animals, so I did not keep cattle any longer, # | gave them all away. And the land also, he himself had someone else work it for him, on an annual basis, beforehand, for he was ill for three years. He had rented it out to people beforehand, since he was unable to work, he had rented the fields out to people; some he rented out to Crees, some to White people. But as for me now, | did not want to do that for long, to rent it out to people. I gave the land to my grandchildren; one is a woman and two are men, I gave the land to my
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[s9]
néhci-néhté-kanawéyihtén os4m aya, é-ati-kéhté-ayiwiyan min ékwa ispi aya, €-pamihikawiyan okimanahk ohci, ékwa min 6ta 6ma néhiyanahk 6m Aya, # 6ki ka-paminacik kéhté-aya, ékot[a] é-ki-ohci-pamihikawiyan. méy 4yiwak kikway nohci-néhté-ayan.
astamispi ékwa, ékosi mwéhci ka-ki-ispayik 6ma ka-ki-t6tam4n, niki-taciwihawak 6k aya, kéhté-aya ka-paminacik, “méy nitawéyimawak 6ki ka-tipaham4hcik kéhté-ayak, kikway askiy kik-ayacik,” niki-itikawindn, é-mamawépiyahk. “Asay kahkiyaw niya niki-miyawak nésisimak,” nititwan [é-pahpit], Asay niya niki-kisi-miyawak anik 4ya nésisimak, péyak Theresa okosisa, ékwa nisw 4wa k4-pé-pihtokwét Kathleen aya otanisa, ékwa éwako ka-ki-ohpikihak, omos6ma sémak é-ki-miyikot aya askiy, aya, ékota anima k-ésthtahk anim ya will, ékota ki-masinahikatéyiw Karen owihowin, wiy é-ki-ohpikihayahk, omos6ma é-ki-astayit owihowin. ékwa aya, kotak nésisim ana ka-ki-p6ni-pimatisit, éwako é-ki-miyak aya, Allen, # maka ékay é-pimAtisit, kotak an{a] fyaskohc Anthony ékwa (€wakw ana sémak ow&hkémakana ka-kiskisototakot, Lester Frame), é-ki-miyat anih Aya wiscdsa, “wiy éwako kik-ayaw askiy,” 6-ki-itikot, méy —~ Ahkosiwikamikohk é-asiwasoyan, Asay ki-~ ki-kisi-miy4w ana nésisim, maka mitoni nimiywéyihtén nésisim éwakw 4w Aya, nika-mamihcimaw nésisim é-miyohtwat kwayask. kwayask é-paminat aya owikimakana ékwa otaw4simisa, éwako néha [pointing to a picture on the wall] —~
Sporpors —~ k-édcaw4simisicik; €awako sastwiskwéwa k4-wicéwat, k-étitan,
éwakw aw awa Anthony Young, ékwa ‘Wilma Starlight’ an{a] é-ki-isiythkasot ka-wicéwat. éwako mina —~
kwayask &-ki-pé-hiskinowpahtihicik
[59]
grandchildren. | did not want to keep anything because | was getting older, and also at that time I was getting a pension from the government and also from the reserve here, # these who look after the old people, I was getting a pension from there. I did not want anything else.
Later, it happened exactly as I had acted on it, I had gotten ahead of the ones who look after the old people, “I do not want the old people who are paid a pension to have any land,” we were told, at a meeting. “As for me, I have already given all of it to my grandchildren,” ! said [laughs], ] had already finished giving it to my grandchildren, one is Theresa's son, and two are the children of this one who just came in, Kathleen, and her daughter [Karen] is the one we had raised, her grandfather had given her land already, it was when the will was made, Karen's name was written in there for we had raised her, her grandfather had put her name in. And another grandchild of mine who has died, I had given it to that one, Allen, * but when he died, another was next in line now, Anthony (that one was remembered by his relative [Anthony] right away, Lester Frame), he [Anthony] gave it to him, his cross-cousin, “He shall have that land,” the other had said to him [references obscure], not —~ I was in the hospital, the land had already been completely transferred to my grandchild, but I am very glad that my grandchild, I will speak with pride of my grandchild [Anthony], that he is truly good-natured. He looks after his wife and children properly, that one [pointing to a picture on the wall] ~
spobots
~—~ who have children; the one who is married to a Sarcee woman, as | said to you, it is this one, Anthony Young, and Wilma Starlight is the name of the one who is married to him. And she also —~
Their Example Showed Me the Way
gl
arbi
—~ aw iskwéw. anim anohc k-étwéyahk, é-wicihitocik osk-dyak aya, ka-kihci-wikihtocik. péyak iskwéw anohc ékos é-isi-pikiskwéyahk aya, kotak iskwéw 6-witapimit é-micisoyahk, ékosi é-itwéyahk, ésisima é-~ é-wicihikoyit anih iskwéwa é-~ é-kihci-wikimAyit, é-miyohtwat an{a] iskwéw é-wicihat anih éskinikiwa, ta-pénihtayit minihkwéwin; ékos é-isi-miywéyihtahk an[a] aya iskwéw, ‘Louisa Wildcat’ é-isiyihk4sot. ékw An{a] étokw-~
[eEm:] —~ ékwa, mdy ayiwak ékwa kotak kikway nikiskisin ékwa. [Fa:| mékwac? [em:] ka-kiskis6miyan 6h Aya, kahkiyaw ékoni nitatotén, éha.
{Fa:] aha.
92 kwayask 6-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
apap
—~ this woman. As we were saying here before, young people who are properly married help one another. A certain woman and | were just speaking like that, I was sitting with another woman as we were eating, and we said this, that her grandchild gets help from that woman whom he married, that that woman is good-natured and helps that young man to quit drinking; she was so happy, the woman [with whom I talked], Louisa Wildcat is her name. It must have been that one —~
[em:} —~ and I cannot think of anything else now.
[ra.] Right now?
[—em:] I have told about everything of which you reminded me, yes.
{ra:] Yes.
Pies
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Vil
anohc ékwa 6ma kA-wi-aya-AtotamAn aya, nisikos aya,
a AK
é-wi-acimak aw Aya, méy kayds 6ta aya ka-nakatikoyahk, é-ki-nakataskét aya, ayiki-pisim é-mékw4-akimiht, ‘Mary Minde’ éwako ka-ki-isiythkasot; 6ta kéhté-ayak ita ka-kanawéyimihcik, ékot[a] 6-ki-kanawéyimiht. éwakw Awa min aya é-nitawéyihtamakawiy4n k-acimak. ékosi mitoni nimiywéyihtén, éwakw awa k-acimak aya, nisikos é-ki-kitimakéyimit. €wako mina mihcét kikway é-miywasik é-ki-pé-kiskinohamawit, ékwa mihcét kikway é-ki-pé-kiskinow4pahtihit iyikohk kwayask, wistawaw kwayask é-ki-pamihisocik aya, anihi ka-ki-wicéwat napéwa, ‘Sam Minde’ ka-ki-isiyihkasot éwako mina kotak nisis. mistah aya é-ki-nihta-atoskét min éwako é-ki-okistikéwiyiniwit; ékwa mostoswa mina é-ki-ohpikihat. ékoté ohc étokwé mina m4na niwitkimakan ki-kiskinohamAsow, tanis Aya k-ési-nihta-atoskét; é-ki-mah-masinahikéhikot ésa man éhcawisa é-ki-nitaw-ah-atoskéstamawat mana kistikanihk, ékwa pisiskiwa mina man étokwé é-ki-pamihtamawéat. nistam 6ta ka-takohtéyan aya, maskwacisihk, niki-wapamawak ékonik anik Ayisiyiniwak miton aya, é-ki-miyo-pamihisocik, é-ki-miyonakohcikécik wikiwahk ékwa min aya, wasakam ékota. waskahikana anih é-ki-itaskitéyiki, misatimokamikwa ékwa aya, kistikanikamikwa. éwakw Ana nisis aya, ékwayikohk é-ki-miyomahcihot wiy aya, iyikohk kA-ki-miyonakohcikét ékwa min Aya, ayisiyiniwa mana é-ki-masinahikéhat aya, ka-wicihikot aya, anima kistik-~ ka-ki-okistikéwiyiniwit. ki-nan-~ nanatohk mana ki-~, atoskéwin, nanatohkésk4n ki-aya-paminam, anima mina man Aya, kayas ka-ki-tahkopitamihk maskosiya, kotowahk mina m4n é-ki-paminahk é-masinahikéhat ayisiyiniwa, é€wakw 4w aya Sam Minde.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[60]
Vil
Mary and Sam Minde at Work
What I am going to tell this time, I am going to tell about my aunt; she left us behind here not long ago, she departed this world in April, her name was Mary Minde; here at the old folks’ home, that is where she had been kept. She is the one that I am expected to tell about. So I am very happy to tell about that one, my aunt, because she cared for me. She also taught me many good things, and she taught me many things by her example, for they, too, had made such a proper life for themselves, she and the man she was married to, Sam Minde was the name of my father-in-law’s brother. He was very good at working, and he also used to farm; and he also raised cattle. My husband must have learnt from these, too, how to be good at working; he used to be hired by his uncle, and he used to go and work for him in the fields and, I guess, also used to look after the animals for him. When I first arrived here at maskwacisihk, | saw that these people used to make a good life for themselves, they used to make things look prosperous, in their home and also around it. There were buildings all around, horse-barns and granaries. That uncle of mine stayed quite healthy, he made his place look so prosperous and he also used to hire people to help him with his farming. Various kinds of work, he used to manage work of all kinds, as when they used to bundle hay in the old days, he used to manage that kind of work with hired people, this was Sam Minde.
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[62]
ékwa owikimakana mistah aya ki-wicihik, waskawiwinihk isi min éwako mistahi é-ki-wicihikot aya, atoskéwinihk. éwakw awa nisikos, é-ki-~ é-ki-aya-Acimostawit m4na tanis é-itahkamikisit wikiwahk. tanitahto étokwé man Aya (6ma mistah-atoskéwin k-Aycik, tapiskéc aya, kistikén ka-manisoht ékwa ka-kistikéhk), tanitahto ésa man Aya oskayisiyiniwa oskinikiwa é-ki-atoskahacik, ékwa wikiwaéhk é-ki-nipayit. @wakw anim aya nisikos é-ki-4cimostawit, Mary Minde: “miyékwa-nipatw4wi man 6k aya atoskahakanak, é-ki-nitaw-4samakik niya misatimwak,” é-itwét, “€-ki-nitawi-pamihakik man,” é-itwét, ékwa kah-kisi-pamihaci misatimwa aya, ékos anim étokwé man é-ki-~ é-ki-kwayaci-kisp6hat, man ékos €-ki-wiyahpicikécik 6ki kisi-micisotw4wi, é-mac-atoskécik 6k éskinikiwak. “@-ki-pé-pihtokwéyan ékwa mén é-piminawatakik, ékwa é-koskonakik ka-micisocik;” ékos aya ka-ki-itacimostawit, ékos é-ki-isi-wicihat owikimakana — péyakwan étokwé man éwikimakana min é-ki-na-nipayit étokwé man Aya, k-6h-ki-nitawi-pamihat wiy 4ya misatimwa.
éwakw 4nima min Aya, kotak ana mina nisikos aya Mary-Jane Minde, ékosi mana niki-isi-wapamaw, ki-pah-pamihéw mina man éwakw aya misatimwa. maskéc méy éhci-péyakowak, kayas étokwé ékos iskwéwak 6-ki-isi-kakAyawisicik aya, ék4 ondp-~ onapémiwdwa kah-pamihtamakotwawi misatimwa aya, ahpé nanitaw k-~ k-étamahcihoyit, k4é-mayamahcihoyit, iskwéwak man é-ki-nitawi-pamihacik misatimwa. ékwa o-~ mina mostoswa k-ayawacik, ékotowahk mina man é-ki-nitaw-dsamacik é-ki-pamihacik. nista mina mana niki-wah-wicihaw niwikimakan aya, k4-pamihat aya opisiskima, k4-nitaw-dsamat aya maskosiya, ékwa Askaw kistikdna mina mana ka-~, ki-ihtakowak man aya é-osihihcik aya, ‘asamastimw4n’ é-ki-isiyihkasocik anik aya, é-askihtakosicik kistikanak ékos isi é-ki-manisohcik; ékotowahk mina mAn aya é-ki-asamihcik pisiskiwak. ékoni kahkiyaw é-ki-wapahtamén tanis 4ya é-ki-isi-paminahkik kikway ka-~, kéhté-ayak oki ka-ki-pé-ayacik, kwayask ki-paminamwak.
kwayask &-ki-pé-kiskinowdapahtihicik
[61]
[62]
And his wife helped him a great deal, she helped him a great deal with the work itself, with the labour. It was this aunt of mine who used to tell me about what she did around the house. I wonder how many (when they had lots of work, for example, when they were swathing grain and seeding), how many young people, young men they had working, and they all slept at their house. That is what my aunt, Mary Minde, told me: “While they were still sleeping, these hired hands, I used to go and feed the horses,” she said, “I used to go and look after them,” she said, and when she was done looking after them, I guess, she had the horses fully fed and ready, and so the young men harnessed them, after they had finished their own breakfast, and began to work. “I used to come inside then and cook for them, and wake them up to eat,” that is what she used to tell me, that is how she used to help her husband — her husband must also still have been sleeping, like the others, I guess, that is why she used to go and look after the horses.
And the other one, too, my mother-in-law Mary-Jane Minde, I saw her do the same, she also used to look after the horses. Probably they were not alone, women long ago must have been hard workers in such things, when their husbands did not look after the horses for them; or when they [the men] were not feeling well, when they were feeling sick, the women used to go and look after the horses. And when they also had cattle, they used to go and feed that kind, too, and look after them. I, too, used to help my husband in looking after his animals, when he went to feed them hay and sometimes grain, there were also bundles made, green-feed as it was called, they were green sheaves of grain [usually oats] cut that way [green]; that kind also used to be fed to animals. I saw all these things, how they looked after things, what the old people had, they looked after properly.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
97
[63]
98
éwa-~ éwakw étokwé man aya, kayas man Aya ayisiyiniwak, miyamitonéyimihtwawi, éwak éhci kwayask ka-ki-pimAatisicik, os4m é-ki-otamiyocik, mistahi mana kikway atoskéwin é-ki-otamiyocik. maka naméy éhci-pakwatamwak, ki-miywéyihtamwak anim Ayisiyiniwak aya, k-atoskécik, ka-pamihisocik anim Aya, otapwésiwiniwahk ohci kikway ka-kaskihtamasocik. @wakw anim ékwa mistahi ka-wanihtayahk. médy kiyanaw piko, misiw ité étokwé aya éwakw 4nim é-wanihtahk aya, nayéstaw 6-~ é-wi-kakwé-wéhtisihk ékwa aya, ka-s6niyahkéhk ékwa ékota ohci ka-pimacihohk. maka man 4skaw miy4mitonéyihtamahki, “matwan ci kétahtawé aya, éka kikway ohpikici kistikan, matwAn ci ka-kaskihtananaw s6niyaw ka-mowayahk?” — ékosi man é-itwéyan, osdm mistah atiht ayiwakéyiméwak séniyawa.
[Fa:] éha!
“matwan ci kétahtawé éka kikway ohpikihki,33 matwan ci séniyaw ka-mowdanaw?” — ékosi man é-itwéy4n, é-pahpiyan man askaw, niwicéwakanak m4n ékos é-itakik. tapwé ayisk étokwé kah-ki-ihkin kétahtawé, éka kikway k-éhpikik aya; kotaka 6h Askiya, akAmaskihk été, iyikohk mihcét ayisiyiniwak é-nipahahkatosocik, ma kikway é-ohpikiniyik aya; kikway kA-kistikécik, méy é-ohtinikécik. méy —~ méy 6s4m aya anima —~, méy anim é6sam éka kikway é-ohpikiniyik aya (€-ayamihtayan man aya, askaw é-pé-itisahamakawiyadn Acimowina aya), akamaskihk ata kikway k-6hpikik aya, manicésak ésa man é-kitacik kistikana, 6-misikiticik. kikw-ayak34 étokwé ékonik aniki manicésak aya, locusts, ékos é-isiyihkatacik aya, é-kitayit ésa man 6kistikaniwawa. éwak éhe anim Aya, k-6h-nipahahkatosocik mihcét ayisiyiniwak ékoté, # ékwa notinitowin min 6hci, éwak éhci k-Gh-nipahahkatosocik.
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowdapahtihicik
[63]
When you think of the people of long ago, I guess, that must be the reason why they lived properly, because they kept busy, they kept busy with lots of work. But they did not dislike work, the people liked to work in order to look after themselves and to earn things for themselves by their sweat. That is what we have largely lost now. Not we alone, it must be like that all over, that this was lost and that people are only going to try the easy way to make money on which to live. But when we think about it sometimes, “I wonder if one day, when there is no grain growing, I wonder if we will be able to eat money?” — that is what I usually say, some people put too much emphasis on money.
[ra:] Yes.
“] wonder if one day, when nothing grows, I wonder if we will eat money?” — that is what I usually say, and sometimes I laugh and say that to my friends. For it could indeed happen someday, I guess, that nothing would grow; there are other countries, over there across the ocean, where so many people are starving to death and nothing is growing; whatever they plant, they do not get any harvest from it. It is not, however, that nothing grows (I read about it, sometimes I get these stories sent to me), even when something grows in these places overseas, insects eat the entire crops, and big ones. | wonder what kinds of insects these are, locusts, that is what they call them, they devour their entire crops. And that is why many people are starving to death over there, # and also because of war, that is why they are starving to death.
Their Example Showed Me the Way
[64]
[65]
100
VU
aya, ékwa awa, kéhcina éwako ka-néhté-acimak, éwako ka-ki-acimak, nisikos Mary Minde, péyakwaw é-ki-péhtawak ématowihk é-~- é-ki-aya-4cimot aya, itowihk 6ma k-Acimoyén, nitanis Theresa é-ki-Acim6hat 6hkoma. ékospi é-ki-nitohtawak awa nisikos é-atotahk, “nistam awa ka-kihci-wikimak napéw aya, é-ki-aya-~, mistahi é-ki-kitimakisiyahk,” itwéw. mak Awa k-Acim6hit, é-nitawéyimit anim Aya, tanis éwakw awa min é-ki-is-Aya-wicé-~ é-ki-~ é-ki-is-6h-Aya-ondpémit}> 6h aya Sam Minde. éwako mina kiskinohamatowikamikohk ohc Aya, é-ki-ohc-4ya-wayawit, ékoni 6h aya ka-kihci-wikimat Sam Minde. éwakw és 4wa man Aya, é-ki-atoskawat ésa man a4yamihéwiskwéwa, ékwa iyikohk é-ki-nihta-atoskét aya, kwayask é-ki-tétahk, ayamihéwiskwéwak ésa mistah Aya, é-ki-takahkéyimacik 6h aya oskinikiwa, iyikohk é-kakayawistyit. ékwa étokwé min awa Mary Minde aya, kwayask é-ki-tétahk, ayamihéwiskwéwa min éwako é-ki-aya-atamihat, ka-wihtamakot és aya, “méy aya
kinitawéyimitinan aya —~” es | os [Fa:] —~ ka-pdyoyan. aya anima —~ k-4cimostawit anim aya, ka-miywéyimAacik anih aya
oskinikiwa é-miyohtwayit, ékwa anihi min éskinikiskwéwa
kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowapahtihicik
[64]
[65]
VIT
The Marriage of Mary and Sam Minde
An Arranged Marriage
Now she certainly was the one | wanted to tell about, the one I should tell about, my aunt Mary Minde. Once I had heard her telling a story on this kind [the tape- recorder], the kind I am telling on, my daughter Theresa had her great-aunt tell a story. At that time I listened to my aunt telling about it, “When I first got married to this man, we were very poor,’ she said. But this one [Freda Ahenakew] who is having me tell about this, she wants me to tell about how she had taken this man, Sam Minde, as her husband. She also had come straight out of boarding- school when she got married to Sam Minde. He had used to work for the nuns, and he had been so good at his work, he did things properly, the nuns very much liked this young man because he was such a good worker. And Mary Minde also must have done things properly, and the nuns were happy with her, too; so they told her, “We do not
want you —~” 7) [Fa:] _—~ when you stopped.
She told me about it, that they liked that good-natured young man and also the good-natured young woman, and
Their Example Showed Me the Way
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é-miyohtwayit aya, iskwéyac anim 6mos6ma aya, 6k é-nitawéyimiht ka-kiwétotawt os4m aya, ékospt wiy ayamihéwiskwéwak man Aya é-ki-pakwatahkik anim é-péhtahkik aya, osam étokwé man 4wa kiséyiniw aya, anima pawamiwin é-ki-aya-nécihtat. “mdy, méy ka-kiwétotaw4w aw Aya, kimosém, os4m aya kik-As6skamak anima éka kwayask é€-itatisit,” é-ki-itikot ésa; “ka-miskamatinan awiyak ka-wicéwat,” é-ki-itikot ésa, kwa ékoni 6h ésa kA-ki-miskamakocik, é-nisitawéyimayit aya, Sam Minde, é-ki-~ é-ki-itikot ékoni ka-kihci-wikimat, ékos ékoni ka-ki-kihci-wikimat ékwa aya. tapwé mitoni kwayask é-ki-t6tahkik, ata wiya mana wist Aya, ki-minihkwéyiwa aya, owikimakana #, k-étwéyan aya. éwakw Ana mana nisis, Sam Minde, ki-atoskéw péyakwan ata ka-minihkwét; ki-pakitinam mana minihkwéwin, méy éhci-nawaswatam, iyikohk ka-tawayik aya, éka kikway k-étamiyot ahpo k-étakosik, ékota mana piko ka-ki-minihkwécik 6k ayisiyiniwak, 6-ki-kaskihtacik kah-kipthci man é-pénihtacik. ahpé kah-kinwés askaw, méy é-ohci-minihkwécik, méy tahto-kisikaw é-ohc-isthkahkik minihkwéwin. éwako é-ki-kaskihtacik 6ki, os4m é-ki-~ é-ki-sakihtacik étokwé aya otatoskéwiniwaw. é-ki-aya-~, itawak man 6ki niwahkémakanak, Mindes k-étihcik, é-ki-kihc-~-kihcéyihtahkik anima opimatisiwiniwaw k-ési-pimatisicik. é-wi-~ é-ki-wi-kakwé-miy-ésihtacik aya owthowiniwaw, ayisiyininahk, ayisk é-ki-pé-kitimak-éhpikihikocik okAwiwawa; kwayask étokwé é-ki-ohpikihikocik okawiwawa.
[66] ékonik m4n 6k aya iskwéwak, ka-péyak-dhpikihtamasocik otawasimisiwawa — péyak ki-omisiwak. méy 4hpé nikiskisin aya, kwayask anim éwihowin aya, kéhcina owihowin nik-étwan, onéhiyawi-wihowin piko é-ki-kiskéyihtaman 6-ki-omisicik, é-ki-isiythkasoyit. ‘wapanohtéw’ é-ki-isiyihkasot éwakw 4n{a] aya
102 kwayask é-ki-pé-kiskinowépahtihicik
[66]
at the end of school they did not want her to go back to her grandfather because the nuns did not use to like what they heard at that time, that the old man must have dealt with spirit power. “No, you will not go home to your grandfather because he will infect you with his wicked ways,” they had said to her. “We will find you a husband,” they said to her, and they found Sam Minde for her, she knew him, and they told her to get married to him, and so she married him. They very much did things properly, although her husband, he used to drink #, as I said. My father-in-law’s brother, Sam Minde, still used to work the same, even when he drank; he would leave drink alone, he did not chase after drinking, only when there was time, when he was not busy or in the evening, only then did these people drink, and they were able to quit at any time. Sometimes they did not drink even for long periods, they