Reading and Writing Bush Cree: sakâw nîhiyawîwin ayamihcikîwin ikwa masinahikîwin

The Mini Guide for Northern Y Dialect

Connie Twin, Tanya Fontaine, Tanya Larissa Fontaine

• Publisher: Brush Education
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781550599862
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Education Theory & Practice
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

A Vital Resource to Preserve, Teach, and Live the Bush Cree Language

Reading and Writing Bush Cree is a heartfelt, practical, and approachable guide for fluent speakers and Cree language educators who want to learn to read and write sakâw nîhiyawîwin—Bush Cree, or the Northern Y dialect. Written by Connie Twin, a first-language speaker from Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta, and Tanya Fontaine, a dedicated Cree language learner and educator, this book bridges oral fluency with written literacy to support language preservation and revitalization.

Through personal stories and cultural insight, the authors guide readers into the structure of Cree grammar and the use of Standard Roman Orthography (SRO). With clear examples of both fluent and full written forms, this book also sheds light on how Cree sounds are represented in writing and highlights important differences between Northern and Southern Y dialects.

This is more than a how-to book—it's a call to keep sakâw nîhiyawîwin alive for future generations.

Features

• A first-language speaker's perspective on learning to read and write Cree
• Focus on sakâw nîhiyawîwin (Bush Cree / Northern Y dialect)
• A step-by-step introduction to Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) and syllabics
• Need-to-know basics of Cree reading, writing, grammar, and Y dialect variation

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• nakayâskamohtahiwîwin — Introduction
• I nîhiyawasinahikîwina — Writing systems
• II itihtâkwahkwâw sakâw nîhiyawipîkiskwîwina — The sounds of sakâw nîhiyawîwin
• III awîniki — Pronouns
• IV kîkwaya — Nouns
• V itôtamowina — Verbs
• VI tânisi kîsimasinahamik — Simple sentence structure
• atamiskâkîwin — Acknowledgements
• itwîwasinahikan — Glossary
• pâhpîcosîs nîhiyawîwina — Vocabulary differences in Northern and Southern Y dialects
• pîkiskwîwina — Useful phrases
• masinahikîwak — About the authors