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 delay mīna – and kitatamiskâtin – I greet you , ki (t) atamiskât in namōya nantāw -I am not bad, I am fine ninanāskomon ē-nitomiyan ōta kā – pē- piksweyan – I am grateful you invited me here to speak tāpwē – it is true nīsta mīna – me also nimiywêyihtên – I am happy āsay mīna – and , already ê-wâpamitân – I am seeing you nīsta – me also tāpwē – it is true anohc – today , miyo kīsikāw – it is a good day anohc yîkwaskwan – it is cloudy today apisis yîkwaskwan – a little bit cloudy wāpahki apisis kā-yīkwaskwan – tomorrow it will be a little cloudy kimiwan – rain, it is raining mitoni – very , much , a lot mistahi – very much , a lot , greatly mitoni mistahi kimiwan – it is raining heavily kîwê-sîkipêstâw – it is down pouring aya – ah , well, hmm ēwako – this , that kimiwanayāw – it is raining there , misponayâw – it is snowing there ninisitohtên – I understand apisis kimiwan – a little rain kimiwanis – a little rain mispon – falling snow , there is snow falling misponayaw – it is snowy (flurries) kōna – snow ( on the ground ) mistahi ē-mispon – it is snowing alot ē-pimohtēyān ē-misponayaw – I am walking as it is snowing ê-kiskinwahamâkêyân nêhiyawêwin – I am teaching Cree language kiskinwahamâkan – student nikiskinwahamâkân – i teach niyānan askiy – 5 years wâwâskêsiw sâkahikan – Lac la Biche (Elk Lake) wâhyaw – far away mekwac – right now, currently ka-otâkosik – in the evening nikotwāsik tipahikan – six o’ clock ayinānēw tipahikan – eight o’clock isiyihkâtêw – it is called this mīhcet – many , alot ôma niya nikî-pê-ohpikin – ” where I grew up” ôcênâs – town , village , settlement tānisi isiwepan ? – How is the weather ? Tānisi kīsik kīsikak ? – How is the sky today ? anohc kisāstēw – today the weather is hot anohc kisin – today is cold ekwa mīna – and also ka kītwan – you will say anohc tahkāyāw – today is very cold kisē – pīsim – january , cold month , great month māyi – kīsikāw – it is a bad day māyi – prefix for bad miyo – prefix for bad miyo kīskikāw – it is a good day kīsikāw – day time tipiskāw – night time, evening pīsim – the sun kīsikaw pīsim , the sun tipiskāw pīsim – the moon tahkāyāw ōma ka ōtakosīhk – it is cold this evening yōtin – it is windy anohc yōtin – today it is windy yōtinisin – a little bit windy (diminutive) mitoni yōtin – very windy mistahi yōtin – very windy , big wind ēkotē – over there tānisi isiwepan ēkotē ? – How is the weather over there ōta miyo kīsikāw māka yīkwaskwan – here it is a good day but it is cloudy mistahi nimiywêyihtên – I am very happy , I am very glad ē – wī – atoskēmak- my co worker i would work with acimo – tell me a story mawisowin – picking berries kayās ka miywāsin – it was good back long ago ayisiyiniwak – people ( plural) ê-wîcihitok – we would help each other nohkompam ka kīwē oho sīpiy – my late grandma lived in owl river ekosi maka – that is all
