Kevin Brousseau’s interest in linguistics was sparked as a child when he browsed a list of Proto-Indo-European roots in a dictionary. A member of the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi in northern Quebec, Kevin went on to develop dictionaries of his own in the Cree language, including the Dictionary of Moose Cree. As a 35-year-old, he switched paths and went to medical school and now practices family medicine in Oujé-Bougoumou.

In this episode, Kevin talks about his journey growing up not speaking Cree but hearing it, studying linguistics, and surviving a brain tumour while going to medical school. Later, he talks about how dialects evolve, how Cree is different from English, and a suggestion on what communities can do to preserve the language.

Also, Lenny shares the excitement of niska pîsîm (goose moon, aka April) and the impending arriving of Canada geese to the James Bay coast. He talks about doing conjugation exercises on Learn Moose Cree online learning platform and how his syllabics have improved.

About our guest: Kevin Brousseau is a lexicographer of Cree known for his dictionaries of Moose Cree and East Cree. He also maintains a lexical database on the Abitibi dialect of Anishinabe with plans to publish a dictionary. In the past he has undertaken linguistic fieldwork in other Cree dialects such as Eastern Swampy Cree, Atikamekw, and Western Innu. Aside from lexicography, his interests include dialectology and historical linguistics. He is a Wāswānipīwiyiniw (Waswanipi Cree) and lives in Oujé-Bougoumou, a small Cree community where he practices full-time as a family doctor.

Lexical Roots of Old Cree – An Etymological Dictionary. University of Ottawa Press, or Amazon and Indigo. Or go to www.oldcree.com

Moose Cree dictionary: www.moosecree.ca or contact geraldine.govender@moosecree.com

Blog: https://creelanguage.wordpress.com

Apisheesh is supported by the Indigenous Screen Office

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If you grew up or lived on the James Bay area for the past 40 years, then you’ve heard the voice of Jules Spence on the radio. And if you’ve been to a community gathering in the region that featured live music, chances are you’ve also heard his guitar playing as he belts out classic rock tunes.

Originally from Fort Albany First Nation, Jules is a broadcaster with Wawatay Radio based in Timmins, providing daily programs in Cree to the James Bay communities and Timmins area. And he is currently the lead guitarist and singer of the rock band, the Swamp Rockers.

Jules also played lead guitar in the beloved James Bay classic song, “Pretty Girl” by the late John Larry Rodrique. In this episode, Jules talks about that performance and the legacy of John Rodrique. He also talks about growing up in Fort Albany, becoming a musician (including playing the bongos), and how he started his broadcasting career.

Meanwhile, Lenny discusses his experience with Learn Moose Cree, the online learning platform launched by Moose Cree First Nation in partnership with Learning Foundry, as mentioned in the last episode with Geraldine Govender. He also talks about his appearance on Wawatay Radio with Jules, where he prepared a statement in Cree. He compares the translation he developed on his own to the one provided by his mom.

Wawatay Native Communications Society: https://wawataynews.ca

Wawatay Radio Network available at 106.7 FM in the James Bay and Timmins region, or 89.9 FM in northwestern Ontario. Can also be found on radio apps like Simple Radio.

Learn Moose Cree soft launch post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1csS5TmK4F/

“Pretty Girl” by John Larry Rodrique. Used with permission. Live performance video: https://youtu.be/D25cNn8Efns?si=jpzC7rzMHig78nqZ

Apisheesh is supported by the Indigenous Screen Office

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2014, Moose Cree First Nation launched the first edition of the Dictionary of Moose Cree which featured 6,000 Cree to English entries in the community’s unique L-dialect. The dictionary now has more than 34,000 Cree entries after the fourth edition was launched in December. The dictionary’s development is led by Geraldine Govender, director of language and culture for Moose Cree First Nation.

In this episode, Geraldine discussed how the dictionary came to be despite limited resources. She also talks about growing up Moose Factory and attending school down south, bringing ceremonial and cultural traditions back to her community, and upcoming language revitalization projects, including an online learning platform to be launched next month.

Also, host Lenny Carpenter shares Cree words related to the Great Moon (February) and Valentine’s Day, discusses watching his niece’s children play in the Mushkegowuk Cup hockey tournament, and how grief and mourning have interrupted his learning progress.

This episode marks the halfway point of this podcast project and we’re looking for your input. Send us any ideas for segments, features and possible guests for the next six episodes! And leave feedback and reviews on how we can improve the podcast. You can send us a message on our website, social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram (@apisheeshpodcast) or email: apisheesh@gmail.com

About our guest: Geraldine Govender is a member of Moose Cree First Nation and resides in Moose Factory, Ontario. Over the span of 45 years, she has held several senior management positions in regional social and health organizations. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Native Studies from Trent University, Geraldine moved back to Moose Factory in 1980. She was instrumental in generating an interest in and revival of the Cree culture and traditional spirituality among young adults and youths and has helped to bring ceremonies to Moose Factory and workshops that recognize the role of our elders and the cultural knowledge that they hold. Geraldine is currently the Director of Language & Cultural Programs at Moose Cree First Nation. Working with elders and linguists, she has led the team in publishing four editions of the Moose Cree Dictionary, a Moose Cree Grammar, a storybook as well as eight children’s readers and the development of three language apps.

Moose Cree online dictionary and community language project info: https://moosecree.ca/dictionary/

The dictionary is free for all Moose Cree members and available for purchase for non-members. Request form available at https://moosecree.ca/request-form/

Apisheesh is supported by the Indigenous Screen Office

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.