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	ᐋᐦ ᒥᑐᑎᓱᑦ ᐊᐧᐋᓐ
	aah mitutisut awaan
	When someone sweats (Sweat lodge)
2	ᐹᔨᒀᐤ ᓂᒌᐦ ᐙᐱᒫᐤ ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐤ ᐋᐦ ᐃᔨᐦᑐᑎᐙᑭᓂᐧᐃᑦ, ᓈᐅᔥ ᐋᐦ ᒌᐦ ᐱᒫᑎᓰᑦ᙮
	paayikwaau nichiih waapimaau iskwaau aah iyihtutiwaakiniwit, naaush aah chiih pimaatisiit.
	One time I saw a woman this done to her, barely she was living.
3	ᐅᑎᐙᔑᔒᒻᐦ ᐋᐦ ᒌᐦ ᐱᒫᑎᓯᔨᒡᐦ᙮
	utiwaashishiimh aah chiih pimaatisiyichh.
	Her child had been born.
4	ᐋᐅᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᒥᑐᑎᓵᓈᒋᓂᐦᑭᐧᐋᓂᐧᐃᑦ᙮
	aaukw maak an kaa mitutisaanaachinihkiwaaniwit.
	She is the one they made a sweat-lodge for.
5	ᒥᒄ ᑭᔨᐧᐹ ᐋᐦ ᐃᔅᑎᑎᑦ ᐋᔪᐧᐃᒄ ᑳ ᐄᔑᐦᓈᑯᐦᑖᑭᓂᐧᐧᐃᐧᐃᔨᒡ᙮
	mikw kiyipwaa aah istitit aayuwikw kaa iishihnaakuhtaakiniwwiwiyich.
	But how big she was that is how it was made.
6	ᐊᓯᓃᐦ ᒌᐦ ᒋᓵᐱᓯᔅᒋᔂᑭᓂᐧᐃᐧᐃᔨᐤᐦ᙮
	asiniih chiih chisaapisischiswaakiniwiwiyiuh.
	Rocks were heated up.
7	ᐋᑯᑖᐦ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓂᑖᐦ ᐲᐦᑎᑭᒥᐦᒡ ᑳ ᐃᐦᑎᔮᑭᓂᐧᐃᑦ ᐊᓐ ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐤ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᐊᓂᔮ ᑳ ᒥᑐᑎᓵᓈᒋᓂᐦᑭᐧᐋᓂᐧᐃᑦ᙮
	aakutaah maak anitaah piihtikimihch kaa ihtiyaakiniwit an iskwaau anitih aniyaa kaa mitutisaanaachinihkiwaaniwit.
	It was there inside she was kept that woman where a sweat-lodge-was-made-for-her.
8	ᔔᒋᔥᑎᒫᑦ ᑭᔨᐧᐹ ᐊᓂᔮᐦ ᐊᓯᓃᐦ ᐊᓂᑖᐦ ᐲᐦᑎᑭᒥᐦᒡ ᐋᔨᐦᑖᑦ᙮
	shuuchishtimaat kiyipwaa aniyaah asiniih anitaah piihtikimihch aayihtaat.
	She water-poured those rocks while she was inside.
9	ᑎᐦᒋᑭᒥᔨᐤ ᑭᔨᐧᐹ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓂᐱᔨᐤ᙮ ᐋᑯᐦ ᒫᒃ ᑳ ᒋᓯᓱᑦ, ᑳ ᐊᐧᐹᐱᔨᑦ᙮
	tihchikimiyiu kiyipwaa aniyaa nipiyiu. aakuh maak kaa chisisut, kaa apwaapiyit.
	It was cold that water. Then she was hot, she sweated.
10	ᒧᔮᒻ ᐋᐦ ᐧᐃᔨᐧᐄᐱᔨᔨᒡ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐋᐦ ᒌᐦᐦ ᔒᐦᑭᒋᑦ᙮
	muyaam aah wiyiwiipiyiyich aniyaa aah chiihh shiihkichit.
	It is like it went out her chills.
11	ᐋᔪᐧᐃᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐋᐦ ᐲᒋᔖᐱᔨᔨᒡ ᑳ ᓂᑐᐦᑯᐦᐄᑯᑦ᙮
	aayuwikw maak aniyaa aah piichishaapiyiyich kaa nituhkuhiikut.
	It was it being humid (humidity) that cured her.

Animate Nouns

	proximate			obviative
singular	ᐊᐧᐋᓐ	awaan	#1	ᐅᑎᐙᔑᔒᒻᐦ	utiwaashishiimh	# 3
	ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐤ	iskwaau	#2, 7
plural		–			–

Inanimate Nouns

	proximate			obviative
singular		–		ᓂᐱᔨᐤ	nipiyiu	# 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: This text has been adapted to the Northern dialect by Alice Duff, using the standard orthography. See the Spelling Manual in the resource section.