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tansi cuzzins!
We are getting closer to the end of our walk together – there are only four more lessons to go. Welcome to week thirty-four of studying the Y dialect of the Cree language together!
Each week, readers follow along with me as I learn more about my language using a sacred type of alphabet called Spirit Markers (some folks call them syllabics). The Spirit Marker chart we're using is called a Star Chart and it is below. It's oriented opposite of how "western" maps are – North goes on the bottom for us, and South is at the top.
You can find past lessons on the website here. Not all lessons are up yet on the website – my apologies! We're working on a new system of organizing them.
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We're on the very last branch of the Star Chart, which extends in the northeast direction and contains the last six Spirit Markers we'll be looking at this year.
The Spirit Marker we're looking at today is ᓇ, which is spelled 'na' in SRO and pronounced just like it is written.
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This is the short form of the vowel. When we put a dot on top of the Spirit Marker, like so ᓈ, the vowel becomes longer.
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Our word of the week is ᓈᐯᐤ (nâpêw). It means "man," or "male."
In the graphic below, you can see the two Spirit Markers that represent the two syllables of the word, 'na' ᓈ and 'pew' ᐯᐤ.
But what's that little circle at the end of ᐯ?
It's called a diminutive Spirit Marker and you can see it, along with all the other diminutive Spirit Markers, along the bottom of the Star Chart above.
Diminutive Spirit Markers add sounds to the syllable represented by the main Spirit Marker. They are only ever used in conjunction with a main Spirit Marker and not on their own. In this case, it adds a 'w' sound to the end of the word.
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How is it pronounced? To me, it sounds like, "napew" is pronounced na-PAY-yoo.
Hear how a fluent speaker pronounces it here.
That concludes our mini Cree lesson for this week! I want to thank all of you who have donated to our reciprocal fundraising campaign. We've extended it by a few days because members of our team have been ill this week.
hiy hiy for walking with me on this journey, as I explore my language and its sacred alphabet.
ᑭᓇᓈᐢᑯᒥᑎᓄᐤ (kinanâskomitinow) I am grateful for your readership and the community we're building together.
Aunty Eden
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Eden Fineday is a nehiyaw iskwew and the publisher of IndigiNews. She is a also a mom, writer and student of nehiyawewin. She lives with gratitude as an uninvited guest on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), səl̓ ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Peoples.
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