Ill TEACH YOU CREE - POEM PROJECT

By Ryan, Angela, Tia and Jovan

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I'll Teach you cree

With the tip of my spring tongue, ayîki (frog) your mouth will be the web catching apihkêsis words, (spider) a crawling-out ceremony that cannot be translated. hâw, pîkiskwê! (Now, speak!) I’ll teach you Cree, nêhiyawêwin (the Cree language) that is the taste of pimiy êkwa saskarômina (fat and saskatoon berries) Your mouth will be the branches I am picking clean, a summer heat ceremony that cannot be translated. hâw, pîkiskwê! (Now, speak!) I’ll teach you Cree in the winter, pipon winter when the dogs curl against our backs. Your mouth will be pawâcakinâsis-pîsim (the frost exploding moon) that cannot be translated. It will be a ceremony. hâw, pîkiskwê! (Now, speak!) I’ll teach you Cree ê-kohk mistahi ê-sâkihitan. (because I love you a lot) It will be in the fall, this ceremony. You will have the mouth of a beaver, thick and luminescent. I will make my camp there ê-kohk mistahi ê-sâkihitan. (because I love you a lot) This cannot be translated. hâw, pîkiskwê! (Now, speak!)

A reading of the poem I'll teach you cree

Poem

This Poem is about loving and celebrating your culture no matter how disconnected you are from your roots.

Ayiki -eye-ee-g-i Frog Apihkêsis - au-b-i-hk-a-sis Spider hâw, pîkiskwê - h-ow p-ee-k-i-ss-qu-a Now speak Nêhiyawêwin - n-a-h-ee-aw-a-w-eh-n The language cree pinoy êkwa saskarômina -p-eh-n-oy ee-qu-a-ss-a-ss-k-a--o-m-eh-n-a Fat and berries Pipon- p-eh-p-u-n winter pawâcakinâsis-pîsim -p-ow-ah-ch-a-g-eh-n-a-s-i-s-p-ee-s-eh-m The frost exploding moon ê-kohk mistahi ê-sâkihitan -ee-k-uh-h-k-m-eh-s-t-a-h-eh-ee-s-a-g-eh-h-eh-tan Because i love you alot

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Meanings

• George Scofield grew up in the foster care system and was moved from multiple different places by the time he was an adult such as foster homes, a psychiatric treatment center at 15 and the streets of Vancouver at 20.
• Gregory Scofield is a Métis poet and playwright of Cree, Jewish, and European descent
• He is openly gay
• He is a previous winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the Canadian Authors Association Air Canada Award for the most promising writer of 1996.

Fun Facts

Lets learn

Poetic Devices

Ode

Ode- A poem that formally addresses a person, place, thing, or idea; odes often praise or celebrate their subjects. The poem ‘I’ll teach you cree’ is about celebrating Cree and it tells the reader that they should not be afraid of their language and that he will teach them how to embrace it.

The use of words and details that appeal to a reader’s physical senses (sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell). The author uses sensory language quite often in the poem for example when he exclaims, “your mouth will be the web catching apihkêsis words” He uses this language to convey to the reader that once you learn about the spring ceremony, you will be eager to immediately learn and participate in the other Cree ceremonies.

Sensory Language

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Analogy- he uses multiple analogies throughout the poem in order to emphasize his point. Such as, “Your mouth will be pawâcakinâsis-pîsim (the frost exploding moon)” Scofield uses an analogy to explain the feeling of how it feels talking the language after a while.

Analogy

Rythm

The organization of sound patterns. The way the lines are written they flow in a way where the sounds are very integrated. The way the paragraphs are divided by one line as well is very impactful to the way its spoken.

Repetition-A phrase or line that repeats regularly in the poem: There are many lines in which Scofield uses repetition such as,”I’ll teach you Cree”,”that cannot be translated”,”hâw, pîkiskwê!” The repetition of ”hâw, pîkiskwê!” is commanding the reader to use the language and speak it in order to learn to love it and their roots.

Repetition

Questions

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- The beauty, sacredness, and tradition get lost in translation. Some words cannot be translated across languages because there is not a word for it in that language - The author conveys that in order to truly understand and experience Cree culture, you have to experience their ceremonies and traditions in person, because the charisma, joy and excitement of the traditions are present

The poem mixes Cree words and their translations with descriptions of ceremonies “that cannot be translated.” What do you think gets lost in the translation from one language to another?

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In the poem "I'll teach you Cree", Scofield uses repetition because he constantly repeats the lines "Now, Speak! I'll teach you, Cree". These lines affect the poem because it is said every time the poem starts a new paragraph about each season. This shows that the lines mean I will teach you my culture.

How does the poet use repetition in this poem? What’s the effect?

How does the speaker use natural imagery to celebrate his love?

The speaker uses natural imagery throughout the poem to celebrate his love for Cree culture and effectively share it with the audience. For example, the poem states, “That is the taste of pinoy êkwa saskarômina - fat and saskatoon berries.” The author uses taste imagery to describe the summer heat ceremony that occurs over the summer. Moreover, he describes the food that he loves to enjoy and as a result celebrates his love with the reader.

Scofield invokes sensual imagery in the poem consistently. For example the author explains, “that is the taste of pimiy êkwa saskarômina (fat and saskatoon berries) Your mouth will be the branches I am picking clean”. He uses sensual imagery to describe a sensual act while using an analogy of fat and berries. This also insinuates that while he is teaching the reader Cree he is also in a sense ridding the reader of the past in hopes of creating new memories where they indulge in their language more. He Wants them to celebrate their history not squander it.

In what ways does the poet invoke sensual imagery in the poem?

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If I were to recite this poem, I would put a short pause between the words in Cree and their translations. This is to quickly connect the Cree word to the English translation so the listener can learn the words. Next, I would say the words in Cree passionately and enthusiastically, and then say the English words in a regular tone. This is to place emphasis on how some things can be extraordinary in Cree, yet when translated, the beauty can be lost.

If you were going to recite this poem, what kind of pause would you place between the words in Cree and their translations? Would you use another tone of voice for them?

Connection to Indian Horse

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Gregory Scofield's poem I Teach You Cree connects to Richard Wagamese novel Indian Horse in terms of cultural relevance. Scofield is attempting to portray the pain that being disconnected from your culture may cause, as well as assisting the reader in reconnecting with it. For instance, Saul from Indian Horse was separated from his culture after being stripped of it in residential schools, and near the end of the novel, Saul is attempting to reconnect with his culture and struggles. He accomplishes this by returning to God's Lake and experiencing hallucinations about his family, which, as we can see, greatly helped him. Saul was taken away from his family when he was young, and while he was old enough to understand the language and culture, it vanished as he grew older.

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Connection to Indian Horse

A nun shaving off the hair of an indigenous child

A picture of a residential school

Photos of residential schools

Connection to the real world

-The poem is trying to teach us to learn about other people culture and tradition -In the poem it states, "Now, Speak! I'll teach you Cree" -Indicating to learning -From my perspective, there are weddings I have been to where they were marrying outside their race.

Connection to the real world

The Quiz (finally)

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Kahoot

Now its time for the kahoot!

Kahoot

Works Cited Devices, Literary. "Definition and examples of Literary Terms." Retrieved January 6 (2018): 2018. Cree pronunciation and Spelling Guide. Cree Pronunciation Guide, Alphabet and Phonology. (2006, October 20). Retrieved October 25, 2021, from http://www.native-languages.org/cree_guide.htm.

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