Chipewyan Dictionary Published By
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Dÿne Dédliné Yatié Æerehtå’íscho Denínu Kuç Yatié Chipewyan Dictionary Published by South Slave Divisional Education Council 202 McDougal Road, PO Box 510, Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada X0E 0P0 Copyright © South Slave Divisional Education Council 2012 Printed in Canada. National Library of Canada Publication Data ISBN 978-0-9878616-0-3 Project Coordinator: Brent Kaulback Linguist: Betty Harnum Advisor: Dr. Eung-Do Cook Elders Committee: Lawrence Fabien Denise McKay Tommy Unka Freddie King Christine Fabien Henry Calmut Harvey Mandeville Mary Jane Beaulieu Layout and Design: Brent Kaulback Sound Editor: Tristan Kaulback Photo Credits: Jayne Murray (cover photo, 18, 24, 43, 56, 62, 80, 109, 175, 180, 247, 254, 265, 277, 329, 330) Ian Patterson (235, 256, 353) Brent Kaulback (129, 158, 181, 188, 229) Gov’t of NWT (187) NWT Archives (93 (N-1979-003: 0538) 109 (G-1995-001: 8088) 115 (G-1995-001: 0772) 172 (G-1979-001: 0148) 225 (N-1979-003: 0065) 270 (N-1979-004: 0022) 271 (G-1995-001: 5497) All other photos were provided by Shutterstock Royalty Free Subscription Stock Photography or through other royalty free internet sites. The South Slave Divisional Education Council gratefully acknowledges the support received for this publication from the Yamózha Kúé Society (Dene Cultural Institute) and the Official Languages Office of the Government of the Northwest Territories. Government of the Northwest Territories Dene Culture Institute Municipal and Community Affairs Yamózha Kúé Society Diri Æerehtå’ís T’âba Hasí (Who this book is for) Dedication to those who speak their language every day and willingly share it with others so that all may enjoy the gift of language... ...and to the many Dene elders who passed on during the writing of this dictionary. With each passing there is one less light to guide us on this pathway towards language recovery. May their memory provide inspiration on the journey ahead. Dene Culture Institute Yamózha Kúé Society Contents PREFACE ...............................................................................................................7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .....................................................................................9 THE CHIPEWYAN ALPHABET ......................................................................11 THE CHIPEWYAN DICTIONARY 1. ALPHABETICAL DICTIONARY ........................................................14 2. TOPICAL DICTIONARY THE BASICS ...........................................................................................145 Important Words ................................................................................146 Commands .........................................................................................154 Colours ...............................................................................................158 Numbers.............................................................................................160 Time & Seasons .................................................................................164 Calendar & Special Days ...................................................................167 Measurement & Shape .......................................................................169 Money ................................................................................................171 PEOPLE .................................................................................................175 Nationalities & Groups ......................................................................176 Family & Relationships .....................................................................179 Occupations .......................................................................................185 Feelings & Emotions .........................................................................190 The Human Body ..............................................................................195 Health & Wellness .............................................................................203 Sickness & Medicine .........................................................................209 IN THE HOME .............................................................................219 Our Home .................................................................................220 Furnishings & Utensils .............................................................223 In the Kitchen ...........................................................................226 Food & Cooking .......................................................................229 Toiletries & Cosmetics .............................................................239 Clothing ....................................................................................241 IN THE COMMUNITY ................................................................247 Buildings ..................................................................................248 The School ...............................................................................252 The Church...............................................................................260 IN THE BUSH ..............................................................................265 Hunting & Trapping .................................................................266 Fishing ......................................................................................270 Tools .........................................................................................273 TRAVEL ........................................................................................277 Community Names ..................................................................278 Place Names .............................................................................280 Transportation ..........................................................................283 Location & Direction ...............................................................289 THE ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................295 Land & Water ..........................................................................296 Ice & Snow ..............................................................................300 Trees & Plants ..........................................................................303 Land Animals ..........................................................................307 Birds .........................................................................................313 Fish & Marine Life ..................................................................316 Insects ......................................................................................318 Weather ....................................................................................321 Sky & Space ............................................................................325 Fire ...........................................................................................326 RECREATION ..............................................................................329 Music .......................................................................................330 Sewing .....................................................................................332 Games ......................................................................................335 CHIPEWYAN GRAMMAR ...........................................................339 Descriptive Words ...................................................................340 Verbs ........................................................................................344 Making Sentences ....................................................................362 Bunídhir Preface It has been said that language is identity as language is the conduit through which a person can truly understand and connect with their culture - past and present. Language helps define what is important in the world, the relationships that exist in that world and the values one places on them. Any student of the Dÿne Sûåiné (Chipewyan) language will quickly come to understand that the language is based on relationships – a connect- edness with one’s environment which is the main tenet of Dene culture. To use Dÿne Sûåiné in a fluent form requires one to actively observe and interact with their environment – a fact that has contributed to the survival of the Dene people since time immemorial. The Dÿne Sûåiné language helps define this aspect of culture through its very construction. The language is largely verb-based and the meaning of an entire sentence can be conveyed through a single word merely by adding prefixes to one verb stem. Each prefix or qualifier specifies a new dimension in the relationship between an action being taken and the context within which that action is taking place. The connection between the speaker, their actions and the environment is a unique feature of Dÿne Sûåiné and other Dene languages. It speaks to a world view whereby relationships are important – relationships between self, others, the land and one’s spirituality. In times of economic and environmental uncertainty, we must ensure that this world view finds its voice and that voice is best heard through the language of the Dene people. This dictionary was born with the desire by a community to find its voice and in doing so, find its identity. Several years ago some elders and community members of Fort Resolution, a small Dene community nestled on the southern shores of Great Slave Lake, Northwest