ᒥᔻᔨᐦᑖᑯᓐ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓐ ᐲᓯᒽ!

ᒥᒋᓯᐅᐲᓯᒻ ᐋᐅᒄ ᐋ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᔨᒥᓈᓂᐅᒡ ᐲᓯᒻ-ᐊᓂᑎᒡ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒧᒋᒫᔨᐦᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐋ ᐄᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᔨᐦᒄ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᓄᑯᐦᑖᔨᐦᒄ ᐋ ᒥᒥᐦᑖᑯᓯᔨᐦᒄ ᒋᑎ
ᐃᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓂᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒋᔅᑖᔩᐦᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᐊᓐ ᒋᐱᒫᑎᓯᐎᓂᐤ᙮ ᐊᑯᑎᐦ ᐋᔮᔨᐦᒄ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒋᐦᑳᔮᐱᐦᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒪᒥᐦᒋᒧᔨᐦᒄ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᐃᔑ ᐱᑯᐦᑖᔨᐦᒄ
ᐅ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᐋᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᔨᐦᒄ ᐋ ᒥᔅᑯᐦᑖᔨᐦᐃᑦ ᐋ ᐋᒥᔅᑰᐦᑖᔨᐦᒄ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐋ ᒥᒫᐦᒋᑯᓂᒥᐦᒄ ᒋᑎᐊᔨᒥᐎᓂᐤ᙮

ᒥᐦᒑᑐ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᑎᔅᑳᓈᓯᒡ ᐅᑎᐦ ᒥᓯᐦᑖᓯᒥᒡ ᐊᔅᒌᐦᒡ, ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᐃᔑ ᓂᒋᔅᑳᐦᒡ ᐊᑯᑎᐦ ᑳ ᐅᐦᒋᐱᔨᒡ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᐎᓂᐦᑖᒡ ᐅᑎ ᐊᔨᒥᐎᓂᐙᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐅᑎ
ᐄᐦᑎᐎᓂᐙᐤ ᐅᐱᒫᑎᓯᐎᓂᐙᐦᒡ᙮ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒫᐅᒡ ᑳ ᓂᑎᐙᔨᐦᑎᐦᒡ ᒋᑎ ᐃᔨᔨᒥᓂᐎᒡ ᒫᒧᑳᐱᐎᓂᔨᐤ, ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᐅᐦᒋ ᒋᒋᐱᔨᐦᑖᑭᓂᐅᒡ ᓄᒋᒥᐎᔨᐅᒡ
ᐎᓂᐹᑰᒡ ᐋᒫᒨᐱᒡ ᑳ ᒥᓯᓂᐦᐆᓱᓈᓂᐎᒡ ᐊᓐ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᐃ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᑎᒫᐲᓯᒽ ᑯᐯᒃ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐎᓐ (JBNQA) ᒫᒨ ᑳ ᑏᔨᑯᔨᐦᒃ ᐋᑳ ᒥᓐ ᐅᐦᒋ ᐃᓯᓈᑰᐦᒡ ᐆ
ᓂᐦᑖᐦ᙮ ᐊᑯᑎᐦ ᑳ ᐅᐦᒡ ᐆᐙᑎᔅᑖᒡ ᓲᒋᑳᐱᐎᓐᐦ᙮

ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᐅᐦᒋ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᐃ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᑎᒫᐲᓯᒽ ᑯᐯᒃ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐎᓐ, ᒥᓐ ᑳ ᒋᐙᐤ ᐅᑎᓂᒥᐦᒄ ᒋᑭᔅᒋᐦᐅᐎᓂᐤ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒧᐦᑯᒡ ᒋᑎᐙᓯᒥᓂᐎᒡ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ
ᐋᓐ ᐋ ᒌ ᐆᐙᑎᔅᑖᔨᐦᒄ᙮ ᐊᓂᑎᐦ ᑳ ᐅᐦᒋ ᒋᐦᒋᐱᔨᐦᑖᑭᓂᐎᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᒑᐎᓐ ᐊᑯᑎ ᑳ ᐃᔅᒋᔂᒥᑭᐦᒡ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒪᑐᐊᐙᔑᔕᒡ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᓲᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓂᔨᐤ ᐋ ᐋᐱᒋᐦᑖᒡ, ᐋ ᑎᑖᑭᓂᐎᔨᒡ ᐊᓂᔮᔨᐤ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᒑᓯᐅᒡ ᒑ ᐊᑎ ᐄᔮᐲᒋᐦᑖᒡ, ᐊᓂᒌ ᑭᔮᐦ ᑳᓂᐙᔨᐦᑎᐦᒡ ᒋᔅᒑᔨᐦᑎᒧᐎᓂᔨᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓂᒌ ᒫᔪᒋᔅᒑᔨᐦᑎᐦᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓂᔨᐤ᙮

ᔕᔥ ᒑᑳᑦ 50 ᑎᐦᑐ ᐱᐳᓐᐦ ᑳ ᐃᔅᐱᔅ ᑎᑯᐦᒡ ᐊᓐ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᐃ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᑎᒫᐲᓯᒽ ᑯᐯᒃ ᓂᔅᑯᒧᐎᓐ, ᔕᔥ ᒋᐦᑎᑖᓈᓂᐤ ᐋ ᒥᔅᑯᐙᒡ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᒑᐎᓐᐦ
ᐱᑯᓂᒑᐦ ᐊᓐ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᔨᒧᐎᓐ ᑭᓂᐙᐱᒫᑭᓐ, ᐊᓂᔅᒑᐅᑭᒥᒄ ᐄᔨᔨᐅᐊᔨᐦᑐᐎᓐ ᐙᔅᑳᐦᐄᑭᓐ ᑭᔮᐦ ᐊᓐ ᒋᒥᔅ ᐯᐃ ᐃᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔮᒧᐙᔮᐲᐦ᙮ ᐋᐅᒄ ᑳ ᐃᑎᒋᔅᒀᓂᐎᒡ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓐᐦ ᐋ ᐎᓂᐦᑎᐦᒡ ᐊᔑᑯᒻ ᓂᔓ ᑎᐅᔅᑖᐤ ᐅᑎᐦ ᐊᔅᒌᐦ ᐊᔅᐱᑎᔅᑭᒥᑳᒡ, ᐋᐅᒄ ᒫᒃ ᐙᐦᒡ ᐃᔑᓈᑯᐦᒡ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᒫᒨᑳᐱᐎᔨᐦᒄ, ᒑ
ᑭᓂᐙᔨᐦᑎᒥᐦᒄ ᐊᓐ ᒋᑎᑖᑎᓯᐎᓂᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒑ ᐋᐱᒋᐦᑖᔨᐦᒄ ᐊᓐ ᓇᔥᒡ ᑳ ᓲᐦᑭᐦᒡ ᒋᑎ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒧᐎᓂᐤ – ᓂᒧᐃ ᒥᒄ ᒋᔮᓂᐤ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒑ ᒋᔅᒋᑑᐦᑯᒡ ᐊᓂᒌ
ᓂᔅᑖᒥᐦᒡ ᒑ ᐱᒫᑎᓯᔨᒡ᙮

ᒧᔥ ᑳᒋᒡ ᐃᔅᐱᔅ ᒥᔻᐱᑎᓯᔨᒄ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒥᔻᔨᐦᑎᐦᑖᐤ ᐋ ᐄᔨᔨᐤ ᐊᔨᒥᓈᓂᐎᒡ ᐲᓯᒻ! ᑭᒫᐦ ᐃᔑᓈᑯᐦᒡ ᒥᓐ 50 ᑎᐦᑐ ᐱᐳᓐᐦ ᐆ ᒑ ᒌᐦ ᐃᔅᐱᔅ ᑭᔥᒋᐦᐎᔨᒄ
ᐅᑖᐦ ᐃᔑ ᓂᔥᑖᒥᐦᒡ ᑭᔮᐦ ᓈᑖᐦ ᐊᐎᔅᑖᐦ᙮

March is Cree Language Month – a time for us to celebrate being Cree and show pride in our language and honour
our heritage. It is an opportunity to recognize and praise the great accomplishments of our Nation in strengthening,
revitalizing and preserving our language.

Like many other Indigenous Nations across the world, colonization threatened our way of life and put our language
and cultural practices at risk. At a time when our people needed unity the most, the establishment of the Grand Council
of the Crees and the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) brought us together like
never before. It restored our self-determination.

Through the JBNQA, we reclaimed our right to teach our own children using a curriculum created by us. The formation
of the Cree School Board meant students could learn in Cree, using tools crafted by our own Cree teachers, knowledge
keepers and Cree Language Specialists.

In nearly 50 years of the JBNQA, we have built strong cultural programs such as the Cree Language Commission, the
Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute and the James Bay Cree Communications Society. It is estimated that an
Indigenous language is lost every two weeks in the world, therefore we must remain united, foster our culture and
maintain our strong Cree Language–not just for ourselves but for generations to come.

Keep up the great work, and Happy Cree Language Month! May we have another 50 years of success and beyond.