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.