kâ-pî-isi-kiskisiyân / The Way I Remember

Solomon Ratt was born on the banks of the Churchill River just north of the community of Stanley Mission. His parents were hunters and fishers who lived off the land, spending their winters on the trapline and summers fishing in La Ronge. Solomon spent the first six winters of his life with his parents, who didn’t speak English. They knew the ways of the land, including the traditional stories passed down through generations, which they told to Solomon and his siblings.

• Part 1î-âpasâpahtamân / Looking Back1.   î-ati-powâtamân / On the Threshold of a Dream2.   î-maskamiht ocawâsisîwin / Stolen Childhood3.   kâkikî nika-kiskisin / Lest I Forget4.   atôspîwinâkwan-papakiwayâni-kîsikâw / Orange Shirt Day5.   kîspin îkâ î-kî-ocawâsimisiyân / If Not for My Children6.   kakîpâtisak / Fools!î-mwayî-nitawi-ayamihcikîyân / Life before School1.   nicâhkosîwikamikos / My Little Hospital2.   salamô ikwâni poko Ratt / Just Solomon3.   acoskîwinisa / Chores4.   wîcisâni-kahkwîthihtowin / Sibling Rivalry5.   wîsahkîcâhk twîhow wanihikîskanâhk / Santa Visits the Trapline6.   tâpokîthihtamowin / Faith7.   ohpahowipîsim / Flying Up Moonnistam wîsakîthihtahowin / Painful Firsts1.   mâmitonîthihta ôma!/ Think on This!2.   kiskinwahamâtowitâpânâsk / School Bus3.   nikî-tâtopitikawin / I Was Torn4.   nimasinahamawâw nikâwiy / Letter to Mama5.   môniyâw pîsimoyâpiya / Man-made Rainbows6.   î-kîwîhtahikawiyân / Home for the Summer7.   iskwâyâc tipiskâw î-mwayî-ohpahoyâhk / Last Night of Summer8.   kicohcikanis / Transistor Radiokâ-ati-oskinîkîsiyân / Middle Years at School1.   î-maskamikawiyân nipâhkîkinaskisina / Stolen Moccasins2.   “Dog Biscuits”3.   î-kîmôci-ayamihcikîyân / Undercover Reading4.   î-kîmôtâpiyân / “Jeepers Creepers”5.   mistatimotôn / Horse Lips6.   kâ-makosîkîsikâk / Christmas at School7.   kinîkânîskawâwak kitithinîmak / “A Credit to Your Race”8.   pakwanita-itwîwin / Backhanded Complimentnîkihk kâ-nîpihk / Summers at Home1.   ka-ispitisicik isîhcikîwin / Protocol: Age-Appropriate Conduct2.   nakwâtisowin ikwa mâtinamâkîwin / Sharing and Generosity3.   kisîwâtisiwin / Kindness4.   kistîthihtamowin / Respect5.   1969 askîwin kâ-kî-akihtîk / 1969î-ayahcitiniwiyâhk nitaskînâhk / Strangers in Our Homeland1.   Canada, Oh Canada, 150 askîwina / Canada, Oh Canada, 150 years2.   môtha nîtha Indian / I’m Not an Indian3.   âhkîtâp ithiniwak, cikâstîpathihcikan ithiniwak / “Reel Injuns”4.   kâ-papâmi-atâwîyan ispî kâ-wîskwastîwinâkosiyan / Shopping While Brown5.   âniskô-kiskinwahamâkîwin / Passing on Teachings6.   âhkami-nîhithowîtân / Let’s Keep on Speaking Creetâpwîwin nîkân î-mwayî-mînosihtamâhk mitho-wîcîhtowin / Truth before Reconciliation1.   tâpwîwin / Truth2.   kithâskiwin / Lies3.   namôtha âhkîtâp Indian / Not a Pretendian4.   kipihtowîwin / The Sound of Silence5.   î-misiwanâcihtâyahk kipîkiskwîwininaw / Linguicide6.   tâniwî sâkihiwîwin? / Where Is the Love?î-kîwîhtotahitoyahk / Reclaiming Ourselves1.   askiy kitohtâpamihikonaw / Earth Nourishes Us2.   âniskôhtowin / Interconnectedness3.   ninanâskomon / I Give Thanks4.   kâ-ohtâwîmâwi-kîsikâk / For Father’s Day5.   nahîwin / Proficiency6.   kiskîthihtamowin / Knowledge7.   kiskîyihtamowin ohci / About Knowledge: Basil H. Johnston8.   nitohta! / Listen!  Part 2  nîhithaw kiskinwahamâkîwin: nistam mâmitonîthihcikîwin / Cree Education: First Thoughts1.   tânisi mâna kâ-kî-isi-kiskinwahamahcik awâsisak kayâs? / How Then Were Children Taught Long Ago?2.   kîkwây kiwîhtamâkonaw âcathôhkana? cihcipiscikwân / What Do Our Stories Tell Us? The Rolling Head10.  cihcipiscikwân / The Rolling Head11.  wîsahkîcâhk tapasîw / The Flight of Wisahkecahk12.  wîsahkîcâhk ikwa wîmisôsoy / Wisahkecahk and wîmisôsoy13.  thiskipîw / The Flood14.  opasakwâpisimowak / The Shut-Eye Dancers15.  mâskikâtîw mahkîsîs / The Fox Has a Crippled Leg16.  wîsahkîcâhk ikwa okoskohowîsak / Wisahkecahk and the Startlers17.  wîsahkîcâhk ikwa kâ-masinâsocik waskwayak / Wisahkecahk and the Marking of Birch Trees18.  wîsahkîcâhk ikwa picikîskisîsa / Wisahkecahk and the Chickadees19.  wîsahkîcâhk omikiy mîciw / Wisahkecahk Eats His Scab20.  wîsahkîcâhk pimihamow / Wisahkecahk Migrates South21.  wîsahkîcâhk ikwa wîhtikow / Wisahkecahk and wîhtikowNotes to the Texts

"Sol is an international treasure the whole world should enjoy." —Buffy Sainte-Marie"The Way I Remember is inarguably the most important book yet to be published for the preservation of the Cree language and an understanding of the importance of the oral tradition to Cree culture and education." —Jesse Archibald-Barber, First Nations University of Canada"As he looks back over his life journey reclaiming, breathing new and old life back into our beautiful language, Solomon credits the late Reverend Edward Ahenekew for helping me "to put the pieces together." kista meena dear Solomon, ekosi aytotumawiyak. This is an important book because you have also put pieces together for us so that we can have a good journey. Kinahnaskomtin." —Maria Campbell, author of Halfbreed"A gift to future generations...Full of humour and resilience in equal measure, these Cree/English stories offer us a glimpse into a world as it was, and future that could be" —Chelsea Vowel, author of Indigenous Writes"The Way I Remember is an open introduction to Cree culture." —The Miramichi Reader