“Why the buffalo?” asked the grandson.
Grandfather invited his grandson to sit on a bench beside him.
“A long time ago Our People came from the Northern Woodlands to the Great Plains looking for food,” Grandfather said. “They saw that the Buffalo lived in harmony with Mother Earth the same as Our People did.”
“Weren’t there other animals too?” asked the grandson.
“Yes, Nôsisim, there were other large and small animals that were useful, but the Buffalo was valued above them all.”
“Tell me more, Mosóm,” said the grandson.
At first Our Ancestors did not know much about this huge creature that roamed the prairies or how to hunt it.”
“I don’t know anything about them either,” said the grandson. “I have never seen a real one.”
Cree:
“ê kî pimâcihkoyahk kayas paskwâw mostos” îtwît mosôm.
tosici kâ kwîcimât ka wîtapimikot osima
“kayas kitayisîniminowak ê kî pî ohtohtêcik sakahk kîwîtinohk paskwâw ê takohtêcik ê nitonahkik mîcowin. Mosôm ê itwît. “e kiskêhtahkik paskwâw mostos pa pêyahtik ê wîci pimâtisîmât okâwîymâw askîy pêyakwan kitayisîniminowak.”
“kotakwak ci pisiskiwak mina” ê kwîcihkêmot nâpêsis.
“tapwê nôsisim, kotakwak ê mâmisikicik êkwa ê apisîsicik pisiskiwak ê apacihihcik mâka paskwâw mostos mâci mistakisôw pihci kotakwak.”
“wihtamowin kîyâpic mosôm” îtât omosôma ôsisim.
“mistam namôya mistahi ê kiskîmâcik ôhi kâ misikitîyit pisiskiwa kâ wîkîyit paskwâw ahpô tânsi êsi ka êsi nôcihâcik”
“nîsta namôya nikiskêyimâwak,” itwêw ôsisim. “namôya wihkâc ni wâpimâw ê pimâtisit”.
English:
Cree:
Judith Silverthorne 