Grammar
Story Analysis
Read this story and pay attention to the animate and inanimate nouns in bold. Classify them according to their inflection: singular or plural, proximate or obviative. The answers are given in the two tables at the end.
| 1 | ᐁ ᒪᑐᑎᓱᑦ ᐊᐌᓐ |
| e matutisut awen | |
| When someone sweats (Sweat lodge) | |
| 2 | ᐯᔭᒀᐤ ᓂᒌ ᐙᐸᒫᐤ ᐃᔅᑴᐤ ᐁ ᐃᐦᑑᑕᐙᑲᓅᑦ, ᐗᓈᐅᔥ ᐁ ᒌ ᐱᒫᑎᓰᑦ᙮ |
| peyakwaau nichii waapamaau iskweu e ihtuutawaakanuut, wanaaush e chii pimaatisiit. | |
| One time I saw a woman this done to her, barely she was living. | |
| 3 | ᐅᑕᐙᔑᔒᒻᐦ ᐁ ᒌ ᐱᒫᑎᓯᔭᒡᐦ᙮ |
| utawaashishiimh e chii pimaatisiyachh. | |
| Her child had been born. | |
| 4 | ᐁᐅᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᐅᒪᑐᑎᓵᓂᐦᑲᐦᑕᐙᑲᓅᑦ᙮ |
| eukw maak an kaa umatutisaanihkahtawaakanuut. | |
| She is the one they made a sweat-lodge for. | |
| 5 | ᒥᒄ ᑲᔭᐹ ᐁ ᐃᔅᐱᒋᔥᑎᑦ ᐁᑯᓐ ᑳ ᐃᔑᐦᑖᑲᓄᔨᒡ᙮ |
| mikw kayapaa e ispichishtit ekun kaa ishihtaakanuyich. | |
| But how big she was that is how it was made. | |
| 6 | ᐊᓯᓃᐦ ᒌ ᒋᓵᐱᔅᒋᔂᑲᓅᔫᐦ᙮ |
| asiniih chii chisaapischiswaakanuuyuuh. | |
| Rocks were heated up. | |
| 7 | ᐁᑯᑌᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓂᑌᐦ ᐲᐦᑕᑲᒥᐦᒡ ᑳ ᐃᐦᑕᔮᑲᓅᑦ ᐊᓐ ᐃᔅᑴᐤ ᐊᓂᑦᐦ ᐊᓂᔫ ᑳ ᒪᑐᑎᓵᓂᐦᑲᐦᑕᐙᑲᓅᑦ᙮ |
| ekuteh maak aniteh piihtakamihch kaa ihtayaakanuut an iskweu anit-h aniyuu kaa matutisaanihkahtawaakanuut. | |
| It was there inside she was kept that woman where a sweat-lodge was made for her. | |
| 8 | ᔔᒋᔥᑎᒫᑦ ᑲᔭᐹ ᐊᓂᔫᐦ ᐊᓯᓃᐦ ᐊᓂᑌᐦ ᐲᐦᑕᑲᒥᐦᒡ ᐁ ᐃᐦᑖᑦ᙮ |
| shuuchishtimaat kayapaa aniyuuh asiniih aniteh piihtakamihch e ihtaat. | |
| She water-poured those rocks while she was inside. | |
| 9 | ᑕᐦᒋᑲᒥᔫ ᑲᔭᐹ ᐊᓂᔫ ᓂᐱᔫ᙮ ᐁᑯᐦ ᒫᒃ ᑳ ᒋᓱᑦ, ᑳ ᒥᓯᒋᑐᑦ᙮ |
| tahchikamiyuu kayapaa aniyuu nipiyuu. ekuh maak kaa chisut, matutisut. | |
| It was cold that water. Then she was hot, she sweated. | |
| 10 | ᒧᔮᒻ ᐁᐦ ᐐᔭᐐᐸᔨᓂᔨᒡ ᐊᓂᔫ ᐁ ᒌ ᔒᐦᑲᒋᑦ᙮ |
| muyaam eh wiiyawiipayiniyich aniyuu e chii shiihkachit. | |
| It is like it went out her chills. | |
| 11 | ᐁᐅᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓂᔫ ᐁ ᒋᔖᐱᐦᑌᐸᔨᓂᔨᒡ ᑳ ᓂᑐᐦᑯᐦᐄᑯᑦ᙮ |
| eukw maak aniyuu e chishaapihtepayiniyich kaa nituhkuhiikut. | |
| It was it being humid (humidity) that cured her. |
Animate Nouns
| proximate | obviative | ||||||
| singular | ᐊᐌᓐ | awen | #1 | ᐅᑕᐙᔑᔒᒻᐦ | utawaashishiimh | # 3 | |
| ᐃᔅᑴᐤ | iskweu | #2, 7 | |||||
| plural | – | – | |||||
Inanimate Nouns
| proximate | obviative | ||||||
| singular | – | ᓂᐱᔫ | nipiyuu | # 9 | |||
| plural | ᐊᓯᓃᐦ | asiniih | #6 | ᐊᓯᓃᐦ | asiniih | #8 | |
Text from: Blacksmith, Louise (ed.) 1981. Weskach kaaishi-nituhkuhiisunaanuuhch. Natural Cree Medicines. Mistissini Lake, Quebec, Canada: Cree Publications. 120p: p.99, p.101.
Note: The text has been re-written in modern orthography. See the Spelling Manual in the resource section.