maskihkiy maskwa iskwêw ôma wiya ohci ~ For Medicine Bear Woman

14 ayîki-pîsim 2004

You spoke to me that day.

You thanked me and the others for listening.

That day, I first heard your words as you spoke them.

Speak, my friend, speak. Your words are your medicine.

kikî-pîkiskwâsin anima êkospîhk.

kikî-nanâskominân ê-kî-pê-nitohtâtâhk.

nistam anima êkospîhk kâ-kî-pêhtamân kititwêwina ê-pîkiskwêyan.

pîkiskwê, nitôtêm, pîkiskwê. kititwêwina kinanâtawihikon.

Someone asked you what you have learned about justice.

You said, “There is no justice.

There’s just us and all the rest.”

awiyak kikî-kakwêcimik kîkwây ê-kiskinohamâkosiyan kwayask wiyasiwêwin ohci.

ômisi kikî-itwân “namôya kwayask wiyasiwêwin ihtakon.

kiyânaw ôma piko êkwa kotakak wiyawâw kahkiyaw.”

Tell me, I want to understand you.

I want to know about the just ones.

Like that judge who gave you the power of speech.

wîhtamawin, ê-nôhtê-nisitohtâtân.

ninôhtê-nisitawinawâwak aniki kâ-kwayaskwâtisicik.

tâpiskôc ana owiyasiwêw kâ-kî-miyisk sôhkihtâkosiwin.

I saw you on the outside.

I listened to you on the outside.

You talked to me on the outside.

You said, “I’m not a bad person inside.

The Creator doesn’t make junk.”

kikî-wâpamitin êkwa kikî-nânâhkasîhtâtin,

kikî-nitohtâtin êkwa kikî-nânâhkasîhtâtin.

kikî-pîkiskwâsin isi kâ-kî-nânâhkasîhtâtân.

ômisi kikî-itwân: “namôya ôma ê-mac-âyiwiyân.

namôya macikwanâs osîhtâw kisê-manitow.”

Someone asked you what you do with your anger now.

You said you make statements whenever you can.

When you spoke of what you made in art class,

I wondered who did bad things to you.

I wondered if that’s why you did that bad thing.

awiyak kikî-kakwêcimik tânisi êkwa ê-isi-nâkatawêyihtaman kikisiwâsiwin.

ômisi kikî-itwân: “nitâ-ay-âsîhtân kîspin kaskihtâyâni.”

ispîhk kâ-mâmiskôtaman anima tâpasinahikêwin kâ-kî-osîhtâyan,

awîna êtikwê ana kâ-kî-mâyitôtâsk nikî-ay-itêyihtên.

matwân cî anima êwak ohci kâ-kî-mâyinikêyan.

I asked you how speech and words give you power.

You said, “Words and speech are power but they’re not power

if there ain’t no one listening.”

I wondered if you felt the power of all of us listening to you.

kikî-kakwêcimitin tânisi ê-isi-miyikoyan maskawisîwin pîkiskwêwina êkwa itwêwina.

kikî-itwân, “pîkiskwêwina êkwa itwêwina maskawisîmakanwa mâka namôya maskawisîmakanwa kîspin nam awiyak nitohtâhki.”

matwân cî kikî-môsihtân nimaskawisîwinân kahkiyaw niyanân êkota

kâ-nitohtâtâhk.

Now I read your words as you wrote them.

Your great-grandfather, mistahi-maskwa, said, “Words are power.”

You say, “If no one ever speaks the words that should be spoken,

the silence destroys you.”

anohc êkwa nitayamihtân anihi kipîkiskwêwina kâ-kî-masinahaman.

kitâniskotâpân, mistahi-maskwa, ômisi kî-itwêw, “itwêwina maskawisîmakanwa.”

kititwân kiya, “kîspin nam awiyak êkâ pîkiskwêci anihi itwêwina ka-kî-pîkiskwêhk, êwako kâmwâtisiwin kika-nisiwanâcihikon.”

I listen to you on the outside.

Can you hear me listening?

kinitohtâtin kâ-kî-isi-nânâhkasîhtâtân.

ka-kî-pêhtawin cî kâ-kî-isi-nânâhkasîhtâtân?

Speak, my friend. Your truth is your power.

I want to hear your power.

pîkiskwê, nitôtêm. kitâpwêwin anima kiwîcihikowisiwin.

kiwîcihikowisiwin ninôhtê-pêhtên.

Speak, Medicine Bear Woman.

pîkiskwê, maskihkiy maskwa iskwêw.