A singular collection of stories published in Tsuut'ina, a critically endangered language

With fewer than 20 speakers, Tsuut’ina is a critically endangered language. Isúh Áníi / As Grandmother Said brings together nine traditional narratives and historical accounts in the Tsuut’ina language, originally narrated by Elders Dátł’ìshí Ts’ìká Bessie Meguinis (1883–1987) and Ninàghá Tsìtł’á Willie Little Bear (1912–1989). At once an act of language preservation and a learning resource, each story is retold in Tsuut’ina by Dit’óní Didlíshí Dr. Bruce Starlight and is presented with English translations and a Tsuut’ina-to-English glossary.

The narratives included in this collection cover considerable ground, ranging from the creation of the world in the caring hands of Xàlítsa-tsii and his animal helpers, to accounts of separation, migration, and cross-cultural contact that mark major turning points in Tsuut’ina history, and to important cultural and ceremonial items and practices that the Tsuut’ina Nation maintains to this day.

These stories will be of lasting value to Tsuut’ina language learners and teachers, and will share the legacy of Elders Bessie Meguinis and Willie Little Bear with generations of Tsuut’ina to come.

Christopher Cox is a linguist in the First Nations Programs and Partnerships unit of Yukon Education providing support for Indigenous language education and revitalization in Yukon. He is also involved in language documentation and revitalization efforts with speakers of Tsuut'ina, a Dene language of southern Alberta, and of Plautdietsch, the traditional language of the Dutch-Russian Mennonites.

Christopher Cox's profile page

Dit’óní Didlishí Bruce Starlight is a respected Language and Knowledge Keeper of the Tsuut’ina Nation. Since 1972, he has been involved in Tsuut’ina language education, research and reclamation initiatives at Tsuut’ina Nation, and is a recognized leader in the documentation, promotion, and revitalization of Dene languages.

Dit’óní Didlishí Bruce Starlight's profile page