mâci-nêhiyawêwin / Beginning Cree

Solomon Ratt was born in a trapper's cabin along the banks of the Churchill River. He went to Indian Residential School in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He attended the University of Regina, graduating with two BAs and a Masters of Arts. He has been teaching the Y-dialect of Cree at First Nations University of Canada (formerly SIFC) in Regina, Saskatchewan since 1986.Holly Martin is a Swampy Cree artist, originally from Moose Lake First Nation. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Regina.

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSCHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION1. The Cree1.1 The Standard Roman Orthography1.1.A Consonants1.1.B Vowels1.1.C SRO: Chants1.1.D Dictation1.1.E Mimimal Pairs1.2 Dialogue One1.3 Introductory Information about Family1.3.A Dialogue Two1.3.B Dialogue Three1.4 Numbers, Months, Dates1.5 Chapter One ExercisesCHAPTER TWO: NOUNS2. Animacy2.1 NumberExercises2.1.A Questions and Answers2.2 DiminutivesExercises2.3 LocativesExercises2.4 Chapter Two ReviewCHAPTER THREE: PREPOSITIONS AND PRONOUNS3. Location Words3.1 PrepositionsExercises3.2 Pronouns3.2.A Demonstrative PronounsExercises with Nouns and Demonstrative Pronouns3.2.B Interrogative PronounsExercises3.2.C Personal Pronouns3.2.D Emphatic PronounsExercises3.3 Dialogue Four3.4 Chapter Three ReviewCHAPTER FOUR: ANIMATE INTRANSITIVE VERBS4. Animate Intransitive Verbs4.1 Imperatives4.1.A 2 - Second Person Singular4.1.B 2P - Second Person Plural4.1.C 21 - The Imperative Inclusive4.1.D Conjugation Chart for Imperatives4.1.E Delayed ImperativesExercises4.2 Indicative Mood4.2.A Animate Intransitive Verb Patterns4.3 The VAI Indicative Mood and Conjunct Mood4.3.A Indicative Third Person Subject4.3.B Indicative Third Person Obviative Subject4.3.C Indicative First Person Subject4.3.D Indicative Second Person SubjectExercises4.4 Chapter Four ReviewCHAPTER FIVE: INANIMATE INTRANSITIVE VERBS5. Inanimate Intransitive Verbs5.1 Weather TermsExercises5.2 Future Conditionals: VIIs Exercises5.3 Seasons5.3.A Vital Statistics I5.3.B Vital Statistics IIExercises5.3.C Vital Statistics III5.3.D Dialogue FiveExercises5.4 Likes and Dislikes5.5 Days of the WeekExercises5.6 Temporal Units5.6.A Dialogue Six5.6.B Dialogue Seven5.6.C Time Phrases5.6.D Review of Temporal UnitsExercises5.7 Review: Inanimate Intransitive Verbs5.8 Chapter Five Exercises with VAIs and VIIsCHAPTER SIX: POSSESSIVES: KINSHIP TERMS6. The Nature of Possessives in Cree6.1 Kinship Terms6.1.A Kinship Terms: Verbs and NounsExercises6.1.B Kinship Terms: Nouns6.2 Cree Kinship6.2. A Cousins and Siblings6.2.B Cree Kinship System: Seven Generations6.3 Vital Statistics6.4 Kinship Terms: Nouns and Verbs OverviewCHAPTER SEVEN: TRANSITIVE INANIMATE VERBS7. Transitive Inanimate Verbs7.1 Transitive Inanimate Verbs – Class 1 (VTI-1)Exercises7.2 Dialogue Eight7.3 Dialogue Nine7.4 Colours and ClothingExercises7.5 Chapter Seven Review(VTI-1)CHAPTER EIGHT: TRANSITIVE ANIMATE VERBS8. Transitive Animate VerbsExercises8.1 Conjugation Patterns8.2 Obviation8.3 Review – VTAExercises8.4 Inverse Forms8.5 VTA-Forms: Reflexives, Direct Forms and Inverse Forms8.6 Transitive Verb Pairs: VTA and VTI-1Exercises8.7 Chapter Eight Review – VTAVERB CHARTSCONJUGATION PATTERNS (VAI, VTI-1, VTA)VOCABULARY LISTBIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES