Coffee and Cree

This weeks special guest is Shirley-Anne Lazaruk.Shirley is originally from Waterhen Lake, Sask but has lived in the Slave Lake, AB area for decades.Shirley is a retired registered nurse who is also a fluent Cree speaker.As one of the only home care nurses who is fluent in nehiyawewin, Shirley was often consulted to also interpret for doctors. Shirley shares some great words related to nursing and health care, including Diabetes, heart conditions and more. Shirley also shares some fond memories of learning valuable lessons on the land with her father. She also teaches us some words we can use for modern inventions like televisions and texting. She even teaches us to say Hippopotamus!

In this weeks episode we are joined again by Les Skinner. Les is a Cree Teacher with the Canadian Native Friendship Centre as well as the Edmonton Public Libraries.and online classes. Les also teaches nēhiyawēwin classes through Concordia University and Grant Macewan University.Les has been teaching the Cree classes for over ten years, after attending them himself to regain his language.He aims to create a community among the students, as well as preserve the language and the traditional knowledge it holds.anohc kâ-ispayik itwēwina - This weeks wordsSâkahikan - LakeSîpiy - RiverNipimohtân sisonê sâkahikanihk - I walk beside the lakeNipakâsimon - I SwimWâpos - rabbitTâpakwân - snarenitâpakwâhâw Wâpos - I snare a rabbititê kâ-mâtâhat wâpos, tâpakwê - Where you track a rabbit, set a snarePihêwak - prairie chickensNanâtohk - different kinds, variety ofPaskwâwi - plains, prairieOskâhtak - jack pineWîhkasin - it tastes goodimâcihowin - way of livingMêskanâs - small road, small pathNîpisîs - small willow, willow branchOskan - boneOskon - liverNiwîkin - I live / resideWîki - homekapêsiwinKatawasisin - it is beautifultahkâyâw - it is cold weatherMihta - pieces of wood (plural)Iskotêw - fireKotawân - campfireKotawânâpisk - a stoveNitâskatahimihtân - I chop fire wood ( Independent)Ê-tâskatahimihtêyân - as I am chopping firewood (conjunct)Ninikohtân - alt verb for saying it I chop / gather / prepare firewoodKîskipocikan - a hand sawNikîskipocikân - I am sawing woodPôna - build a fire ( command)Nipônên - I build a fireMihca - kindling , small pieces of woodWâskahikan - house, cabinmistiko-Wâskahikan - A log cabin

Aaron Fay (@otipeyimisow) joins us for back-to-back episodes to continue where we left off.In this weeks episode we take an in-depth look at VTAs ( Animate Transitive Verbs ) and also go over some examples, while creating simple sentences combines VTA's and VAIs. We also go over some key survival phrases that you can use in everyday conversations with fluent speakers, which were first created by Wayne Jackson.

Rebecca George hails from Big Island Lake, Saskatchewan.Rebecca has taught in different schools in her home community to different grades and levels.She learned to speak nehiyawewin in the home around her Mother and Grandmother.She joins Rellik to teach us words related to time and frequencies of time. Not only will you work your way around a clock, but learn how to say words like soon, later, today, tomorrow and so many more!

Dan Cardinal is a Cree language teacher who has taught with many schools throughout Alberta including St. Josephs High School, Ben Calf Robe, Concordia University, CNFC, Red Deer College and Portage College . Dan also spent many years as the Vice President of the Metis Nation of Alberta. Dan continues to be a strong advocate for preserving the Cree language since the 1980's.This weeks vocabulary āsay – already, without delaymīna – andkitatamiskâtin – I greet you , ki (t) atamiskât innamōya nantāw -I am not bad, I am fineninanāskomon ē-nitomiyan ōta kā – pē- piksweyan – I am grateful you invited me here to speaktāpwē – it is truenīsta mīna – me alsonimiywêyihtên – I am happyāsay mīna – and , alreadyê-wâpamitân – I am seeing younīsta – me alsotāpwē – it is trueanohc – today , miyo kīsikāw – it is a good dayanohc yîkwaskwan – it is cloudy todayapisis yîkwaskwan – a little bit cloudywāpahki apisis kā-yīkwaskwan – tomorrow it will be a little cloudykimiwan – rain, it is rainingmitoni – very , much , a lotmistahi – very much , a lot , greatlymitoni mistahi kimiwan – it is raining heavilykîwê-sîkipêstâw – it is down pouringaya – ah , well, hmmēwako – this , thatkimiwanayāw – it is raining there , misponayâw – it is snowing thereninisitohtên – I understandapisis kimiwan – a little rainkimiwanis – a little rainmispon – falling snow , there is snow fallingmisponayaw – it is snowy (flurries)kōna – snow ( on the ground )mistahi ē-mispon – it is snowing alotē-pimohtēyān ē-misponayaw – I am walking as it is snowingê-kiskinwahamâkêyân nêhiyawêwin – I am teaching Cree languagekiskinwahamâkan – studentnikiskinwahamâkân – i teachniyānan askiy – 5 yearswâwâskêsiw sâkahikan – Lac la Biche (Elk Lake) wâhyaw – far away mekwac – right now, currentlyka-otâkosik – in the eveningnikotwāsik tipahikan – six o’ clockayinānēw tipahikan – eight o’clock isiyihkâtêw – it is called thismīhcet – many , alotôma niya nikî-pê-ohpikin – ” where I grew up”ôcênâs – town , village , settlementtānisi isiwepan ? – How is the weather ?Tānisi kīsik kīsikak ? – How is the sky today ?anohc kisāstēw – today the weather is hotanohc kisin – today is coldekwa mīna – and alsoka kītwan – you will sayanohc tahkāyāw – today is very coldkisē – pīsim – january , cold month , great monthmāyi – kīsikāw – it is a bad daymāyi – prefix for badmiyo – prefix for badmiyo kīskikāw – it is a good daykīsikāw – day timetipiskāw – night time, eveningpīsim – the sunkīsikaw pīsim , the suntipiskāw pīsim – the moontahkāyāw ōma ka ōtakosīhk – it is cold this eveningyōtin – it is windyanohc yōtin – today it is windyyōtinisin – a little bit windy (diminutive)mitoni yōtin – very windymistahi yōtin – very windy , big windēkotē – over theretānisi isiwepan ēkotē ? – How is the weather over thereōta miyo kīsikāw māka yīkwaskwan – here it is a good day but it is cloudymistahi nimiywêyihtên – I am very happy , I am very gladē – wī – atoskēmak- my co worker i would work withacimo – tell me a storymawisowin – picking berrieskayās ka miywāsin – it was good back long agoayisiyiniwak – people ( plural)ê-wîcihitok – we would help each othernohkompam ka kīwē oho sīpiy – my late grandma lived in owl riverekosi maka – that is all

Neil Redcrow is a cree language enthusiast and teacher through acimowin opaspiw Society.Neil is from Onihcikiskwapiwinihk (Saddle Lake, AB) but currently residing in Amiskwaciy Waskahikan (Edmonton.)Neil is also heavily involved within cultural and language projects.As a husband and father, Neil Joins us for an episode dedicated to parenting words and positive words of affirmation to teach our children.We also introduce pre verbs like nitaw (go) and pê (come) and revisit personal pronouns.

Dorothy Thunder joins us for our inaugural episode of Coffee and Cree. Dorothy Thunder is a Plains Cree (nêhiyawiskwêw) from Little Pine First Nation, Saskatchewan and full-time Cree instructor in Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. She is a Language Keeper, educator, and an Aboriginal woman who practices the traditional way of life. In this episode Dorothy teaches us words related to the fall season and also touches on animacy, diminutives, personal pronouns, VAI verbs and conversational departing phrases.