PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE I05 



No one can dispute the ambiguity of the following: " The chief spoke to the 

 thief in his house." Such indefiniteness has no place in Cree. If the chief's house 

 is meant the sentence is, " Okemow ke weche pekiskwilmilo okimotiwa weki'k"; if the 

 thief's house is meant, the last word has the relative (relating to another) ending 

 "yi'k" added, making " wekeyi'k." 



Suppose that a man wishes to take a horse home. The form of verb he employs 

 indicates whose horse. If his own horse he says, "Ne ka kewa'tahow," "I will take 

 him home." If another's, "Ne ka kewa'tithimowa," " I will take his (horse) home." 



SYNTHESIS. 



A few examples will give some idea of the constructive peculiarity of this 

 language. 



The root " wa " signifies " light " or " white colour." By a system, the Cree has 

 added to this root endings that are significant and unique : " Wapeo," " he sees " ; 

 " wapewin," "sight"; " wapamun," "mirror"; " wapa'tum," " he sees it"; wapa- 

 mao," " he sees him "; " wapehao," " he causes him to see." 



Again, upon the root " pim," "coursing" or "going," is built another set of 

 words: " Pimo'tao," "he walks"; " pimo'tawin," " walking," i.e., the noun ; "pimo'- 

 tahao," " he causes him to walk," or go ; " pime'yow," " he flies "; "pimiskow," " he 

 paddles "; " pimasiw," " he sails or goes with the wind "; " pimipa'tow," " he runs "; 

 "pimipa'towin," "running"; " pimipayiw," "he passes running ";" pimipayiwin," 

 the noun " running " in passing by. 



II. THE NOUN. 



There is a disposition on the part of some to underestimate the importance of 

 the noun in Cree. It is difficult to see the reason of this when it is considered 

 that the language abounds in names of all kinds conceivable, and possesses the 

 genius or ability of naming everything that civilization presents as new. It is true 

 that many nouns are formed from verbs by prefixes and modified endings, but this 

 fact is no argument (as will be seen) that the noun is not a prominent part of speech 

 or that it does not naturally occur in the language. 



1. Names are given " directly" to objects — kesik, sky; atim, dog; asinee, stone; 

 nip5, water; niipao, man; kona, snow; pim6, oil, grease; mustus, a cattle beast; muswa, 

 moose; muskwa, bear; minahik, pine; aske, earth, a country; pO'ko, ashes; m5'ko, 

 blood. In the last two words the " rough breathing " of the Greek is used, to secure 

 the h sound in English, after S in each word. The force of the breathing is exactly 

 the same as that in the name Lochaber, a district of Inverness. 



2. Names are given " indirectly" — that is, they are suggested or derived : 



(a) Of these the verb originates many nouns by the prefix o, as kistekao, he 

 farms ; okistekao, farmer : ayamehow, he prays ; otiiyamehow, one who prays, a 

 Christian. The t is here inserted between two vowels for easy utterance, or euphony. 

 Mgyosoo, she (mas. or fem.) beautiful ; omOyosoo, the beauty. KSyaskSw, he lies; 

 okeyaskew, a liar. 



(b) The verb originates other nouns by an affix, or by both prefix and affix, 

 to the third person, singular, present tense. Nikumoo, he sings ; nikumoowin, 

 singing. Chekiekao, he chops ; chekrekilwin, chopping. Tipahumakao, he pays ; 

 tipahumiikawin, payment. Nipa'tiikao, he committs murder (mas. or fern.); onipa- 

 'takask, a murderer. Ayumeha'kasoo, he pretends to pray ; otayumSha'kasusk, a 

 hypocrite. The last three examples show that nouns may be formed by a prefix and 

 the affix sk to a modified ending. 



