WEBVTT
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What I would like to say first
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is that I am thankful to share what I know.
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My name is Edith Matoush,
I’m from here in Nemaska,
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but I was raised in Old Nemaska.
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I’m going to talk about
how I learned the Cree language
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and how much I wanted to learn
how to read in Cree.
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Seeing my grandmother, my grandfather and
my aunt Mary read it (the bible) in Cree,
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I wanted to do the same
and someone was there to teach me.
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I’m going to talk about the time
I first familiarized the Cree language.
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But, I’ll show you a photo
of the person who taught me.
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I’ll talk about her because she was the one
that taught me the Cree language.
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When kids were taken to residential school,
including myself, it was very hard.
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No one was allowed to speak in their language.
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The only time we could was
once we landed back home in old Nemaska.
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It was very hard because we weren’t allowed
to talk in our language, they stopped us.
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She was the person who taught me,
she didn’t teach me inside a school.
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I’d always visit Mary at her place
and she taught me from there.
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I’ll show you what Mary used
when she taught me.
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I loved this person.
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My aunt taught me using this Cree syllabic chart.
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I really wanted to learn this, because I was the type of
person who really wanted to know things.
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I learned it from this (the bible).
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Papers weren't around for writing
but there were pencils.
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I’ll show you what I used.
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This is what I used for writing, and a pencil.
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We didn’t have a pencil sharpener,
so she’d sharpen the pencil using a knife.
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This is what I used to write the Cree syllabics.
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Because I really wanted to learn
how to read using Cree syllabics,
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I began to memorize how
the syllabics were positioned.
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She was only able to teach me
during the summertime.
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I had to fly back to Moose Factory for school.
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She was able to teach me during summertimes.
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Once I’d arrive by plane, I would go visit her
and she’d teach me how to write.
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I’m thankful that my aunt
was there to teach me.
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She understood the bible,
and I wanted to learn.
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My grandfather was a priest,
he was able to read it.
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My grandmother and Mary
knew how to read as well.
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I’d visit my aunt and
she taught me the Cree language.
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Once I knew how to read, I was very happy.
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I am very thankful that she was the one
who taught me the Cree language.
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This...
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Is my 10th testament Cree Language Bible.
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I’m thankful that I was able to read it because
I became better at reading it.
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I’ve bookmarked it and shown where I read it.
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I love it that she taught me to read the bible.
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I can say, I’m very thankful that I’m able
to understand the bible in Cree
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and I love it very much.
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I’m thankful that I was taught
to write in Cree syllabics.
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The Cree language is very important to me.
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I really wanted to learn about it
and eventually I learned.
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By learning how to read it,
I was able to make music cd’s
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and this is one of them.
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I’m thankful that I was able
to make use of what I was taught.
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I read all of these
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and I use this for singing and I’m going to sing.
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I thank you lord my saviour,
for the times you have kept me.
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How many times have you held my hand,
I’m going to walk with you.
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I thank you lord my saviour,
for the times you have kept me.
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How many times have you (held my hand),
I’m going to walk with you.
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I can say that I’m thankful
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that God helped me understand my language.
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God was the one that helped me.
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I’m thankful I’m able to know the Cree language
because I know it quite a lot.
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Many times I’m hired for translations or writing
something in Cree and I always do that.
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People alway say “ask Edith”.
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I do the work and I never say no.
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I try my best to help people on it.
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I also taught in Adult Education
and Continuing Education.
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I taught people this and one person
has now used the teachings.
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Something else that I want to talk about,
when I was raised in old Nemaska.
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As I grew up, nothing really disrupted me.
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I did go to residential school in Moose Factory
when I was small.
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We were always forced not to speak
in our language, we weren’t allowed to.
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They always wanted us to speak in English.
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We were able to once we were outside playing together, because they couldn’t hear us.
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No one was allowed to speak in Cree.
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If someone was heard talking in their language,
someone would get a hit
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and they really wanted to stop the kids
from talking in Cree.
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Others had soap shoved in their mouths because they wanted them to stop speaking their language.
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That was what I experienced
while attending residential school.
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I can say that I learned the white-man ways
because when I was young I experienced it.
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But you know, once I landed back home in old Nemaska, I would go to my aunt and she’d teach me.
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I would go visit her during July in old Nemaska,
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it felt like a very short time to learn about Cree syllabics.
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I continued doing this whenever
I was home, I’d visit her
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and I eventually learned how to read
and write in Cree syllabics.
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Sometimes she’d ask me
to write something up
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using this to write on.
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I’d write something, she would read it
and sometimes she giggled.
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I’d ask her what I wrote and she’d read it to me.
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She encouraged me constantly
to continue learning it.
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She said that I could do it
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and that’s what I did,
I learned the Cree language.
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I felt really bad, because when I was young
it was my first language,
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it was spoken to me first by my mom and dad.
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I wasn’t spoken to by them in English,
but in Cree.
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When they stopped us from speaking
in our language, I felt really bad.
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It broke my heart because
they didn’t see the pain they caused.
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I felt really sad, but I can say I’m very thankful
that I continued using my language,
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they couldn’t stop me from using it.
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Today, I’m very thankful
that I’m able to speak in Cree.
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One time, I saw that there was a need
for a Cree language instructor.
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After seeing the opening, I thought
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“how come I’m not using the Cree language
that I was taught by my aunt?”.
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I applied and was told
to come back for the interview.
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We sat together and began the interview,
they asked me
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“can you really teach the Cree language?”.
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I responded back saying
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“you know, I didn’t apply for something I can’t do,
because I really believe that I can do it”.
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Soon after I was hired
as a Cree language instructor.
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I never had the learning material,
so I had to make my own.
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I used a lot of things for teaching
and used the Cree syllabics.
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Sometimes the late Annie Whiskeychan
would send me the learning material.
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I’ve now taught for 34 years.
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The first few years I taught,
the kids enjoyed it.
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But these days are really different,
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whenever I’m teaching the kids don’t care about it
and they use English all the time.
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They use English to talk to each other
but not Cree.
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Some of the kids are able to talk in Cree, but
the younger ones always do so in English.
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Just thinking about it, I really think
that the Cree language will be lost.
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One time someone asked about that
and what I thought about it,
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I answered the question by saying that
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“it comes from the parents, they’ll have
to speak in Cree to their children”.
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My parents raised me to talk in Cree
and always did that.
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They never spoke to me in English and
because of that I’m able to talk in Cree.
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It wasn’t until I went to residential school
that I was able to speak English.
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These days though, it’s very different,
I see a lot of English being used.
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This hurts me and I can only hope
that parents speak in Cree to their children.
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You know, when speaking to your child in Cree, that’s the language they’ll begin using.
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The older kids are able
to speak in Cree, right?
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But the younger one’s aren’t able to
as they use English to speak.
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Whenever you talk to children in Cree, their answer is always going to be “what did you say?”.
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They don’t understand it when I try talking to them,
I continue to do so and they respond by saying
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“I don’t understand you”.
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I think the kids aren’t spoken to in Cree
in their homes,
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they watch tv mostly or use all sorts of gadgets.
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They do this a lot too which I call gossiping devices,
they use it and watch tv.
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I think that these are the causes
why kids can’t speak in Cree.
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When they watch tv, it’s in English,
nothing is available in Cree.
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It’s always in English and I think
that's why they’re losing their language.
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This is happening right now and it really bothers me
that more people aren’t able to speak in Cree.
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Older kids are able to, but the younger ones
can’t as they talk to each other in English.
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They can’t understand when you talk to them.
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They answer you back saying “what are you saying?”.
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They repeat and say to me “what are you saying?”,
I continue talking to them in Cree after they say that.
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It shocks me because we’ll lose our Cree language.
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You know what I wish? that other people can help me
with carrying on with using the Cree language.
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I wish there were others.
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There are many occasions where I wish
others can do this with me,
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to help me carry on the Cree language.
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Many times I’m told to quit
what I’m doing and that I’m old,
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I say to them
“where do you see an old person?”
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Then after I tell them that we always need elders
whenever something is happening.
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What I’ll also talk about is
where the Cree language comes from.
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Whenever someone is out on the land, there is a lot
of Cree used, not so much English.
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When you see what’s outside, you describe it and use
the teachings you were taught when you were young.
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I too saw those things
that my dad would name.
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When my children were in the bush with me,
they would ask me “what’s this called?”.
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I help them by explaining what things are called
and they’d be surprised.
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Because, they don’t know it either.
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So, I’m the one that encourages them
by telling them what it’s called.
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What I can tell people is that,
don’t stop going to the bush.
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Go to the bush, there
you will be able to talk in Cree.
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When you're in the bush,
talk in Cree and not in English.
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Many words that you’ll be using will be
from what you see out there.
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It will be from the animals
that you see, the waterfowl,
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the whiskeyjack, the gray jay, the raven,
the eagle and every animal that’s out there.
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I tested the kids to name animals
like the waterfowl,
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they’re familiar with a duck
and they say “it’s a duck”.
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I’m shocked that we’re losing
more of the Cree language.
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People don’t go to the bush that much.
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We’re now living in a Non-Indigenous society
and it’s why the Cree language is pushed aside.
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When I retire from my job, I’ll be in the bush.
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I see many things that I was taught out there.
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Many times people tell me to quit
and I don’t want to.
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I say to them, “I don’t believe that you have
to quit on something because you're old.
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Even when you’re old you still
have a job to do and it's to teach”.
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I’ll stop teaching and using my Cree language
once I’m in my coffin.
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So for the people whom I taught,
continue using the language, don’t lose it.
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It’s important to speak Cree,
for me Cree language is very important.
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The way I teach is by doing one-on-one.
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It’s like when you share a kill,
you give parts of it away.
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For me, it’s the same thing when you teach Cree
language, it’s like you're feeding food to them.
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I see it as handing out my cooking to feed them
and Cree language is like that.
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You give them different things for them to learn and it could be based on whatever you’re good at.
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I’m good at Cree language,
I’m also good at doing my work in the bush.
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I know how to weave snowshoes,
framing moose hide
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and I still haven’t forgotten doing those things
whenever I’m in the bush.
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It’s why I find it important
for people to be in the bush.
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I encourage everyone of you
to be in the bush during springtime,
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don’t be in Ottawa, there isn’t
any Cree language over there.
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When you’re in the bush, when you make a kill,
the Cree language is there
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because there are names
for every part of the animal.
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This includes the moose, it has names for every part;
its pelvis, its back, its spine, its head, its nose
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and every part of it have Cree names.
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Sometimes when I teach, a moose is brought over
so that the kids can carve it.
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They’d ask me “what’s this part?” and then
I’d tell them and this surprises them.
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I remember one time I brought over a rabbit.
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I told them every part of it; the liver, the lungs, the
kidneys, the hips, the back, the pelvis, the head.
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They’d all be surprised because
I told them every part.
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Sometimes when I teach, I bring in the food
that we eat which comes from the bush.
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It’s also on what the animals eat,
like what a beaver eats.
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Because all animals eat different trees.
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One time I talked about the beaver
because it’s a clever animal that’s small
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but is able to make its home.
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I talked about the beaver and asked them if they knew what it eats, they answered that they didn’t know.
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So I brought over a white poplar to class and showed them what the beaver eats.
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I then cut up small pieces
and hand it out to them.
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I then asked all of them if they wanted
to taste what the beaver eats.
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I hand it out to them and I say try it out,
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it stung them and they said yuck!
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I then said to them, now you know what it eats
and they’re out there and this is its food.
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I told them, “we’re now eating
white people's food.
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When I’m in the bush I eat traditional food”.
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When they see their parents being in the bush,
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I want to encourage them not to stay back
and go with their parents.
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When you're in the bush, you’ll learn Cree language
by whatever you kill, like a goose.
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When you’re in the bush,
you kill different animals.
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Your mom can teach you.
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Your parents can teach you if you ask them
“what’s this animal that I killed?”
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like the scoter duck, oldsquaw duck, loon.
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Each of them have different names
and you could learn them in Cree.
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Even around here in Nemaska, there’s
a lot of Cree words you could learn.
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Everything around you like the trees,
the snow you can use your Cree.
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Once you walk outside, you can see that
there’s a lot of words you can use in Cree.
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It isn’t just things that are around the classroom,
it could be things right outside your home.
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Many times when I’d teach, I’d ask the kids
how many months are there?
00:23:41.503 --> 00:23:47.467
Their response would be one because
there's only one that’s showing outside.
00:23:47.467 --> 00:23:55.016
I say to them, no there’s
12 months within a year.
00:23:55.016 --> 00:23:56.810
They couldn’t understand me.
00:23:56.810 --> 00:24:06.653
I had to explain to them, what you see outside
is one sun and one moon.
00:24:07.028 --> 00:24:10.824
I had to explain them because they didn’t know
I was talking about the months of a year.
00:24:10.824 --> 00:24:13.034
Because we say the word sun
whenever we say the months of a year.
00:24:13.034 --> 00:24:17.998
They thought I was talking about the sun
and I said to them it isn’t the sun.
00:24:17.998 --> 00:24:22.127
I explained to them what my late dad
called the sun because there are two,
00:24:22.127 --> 00:24:27.299
“the day sun and the night sun,
also the stars”.
00:24:27.299 --> 00:24:32.304
I teach them about different things and
sometimes they ask me what things are called
00:24:32.304 --> 00:24:35.390
and I explain them and
they are surprised by it.
00:24:35.390 --> 00:24:41.938
I really want to encourage the youth to
learn the language and not lose it.
00:24:41.938 --> 00:24:48.361
Many times I tell them, “if you lose your language
it’s going to be difficult for you”.
00:24:48.361 --> 00:24:56.536
You’ll be seen as a white person
if you lose your language.
00:24:56.828 --> 00:25:04.461
Even if you look Cree and have Cree heritage
you’ll be seen as a white person.
00:25:04.461 --> 00:25:06.505
That’s what's going to happen
if you lose your language.
00:25:06.505 --> 00:25:14.054
I told them to hold on to their language
and not to lose it.
00:25:14.471 --> 00:25:22.187
Come to me, come to me,
come to me Jesus.
00:25:22.187 --> 00:25:28.818
Right now come to me, come to me,
come to me Jesus.
00:25:28.818 --> 00:25:36.284
He loves me, he loves me,
he loves me Jesus.
00:25:36.284 --> 00:25:43.333
Right now he loves me,
he loves me Jesus.
00:25:43.333 --> 00:25:50.757
He is calling me, he is calling me,
he is calling me right now Jesus.
00:25:50.757 --> 00:25:57.180
Right now he is calling me,
he is calling me Jesus.
00:25:57.180 --> 00:26:04.521
He is taking me, he is taking me,
he is taking me Jesus.
00:26:04.521 --> 00:26:11.236
Right now he is taking me,
he is taking me Jesus.
00:26:11.236 --> 00:26:18.535
I am praising, I am praising,
I am praising Jesus.
00:26:18.535 --> 00:26:25.500
Right now I am praising,
I am praising Jesus.
00:26:25.500 --> 00:26:28.587
This song is called “Come to Jesus”.
00:26:30.338 --> 00:26:32.173
I loved her so much.
00:26:32.173 --> 00:26:36.636
When I went to visit her, I didn't think
it would be the last time I’d see her.
00:26:36.636 --> 00:26:41.558
When I went to see her, I said to her
00:26:41.558 --> 00:26:47.564
“Mary, I’m so happy that
you taught me Cree language
00:26:47.564 --> 00:26:50.734
because now I’m teaching in school”.
00:26:50.734 --> 00:27:00.243
She said to me, “while you are still capable
of teaching, don’t quit and keep at it”.
00:27:00.243 --> 00:27:06.082
She then kissed me and I kissed her
and then she passed on.