Foreign Language Study Native American Languages
Their Example Showed Me the Way / kwayask ê-kî-pê-kiskinowâpahtihicik
A Cree Woman's Life Shaped by Two Cultures
- Publisher
- The University of Alberta Press
- Initial publish date
- Dec 1997
- Category
- Native American Languages
- Recommended Age
- 15
- Recommended Grade
- 10
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780888642912
- Publish Date
- Dec 1997
- List Price
- $27.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Emma Minde's portraits of the family into which she was given in marriage more than sixty years ago are instructive and touching. She offers rare insight into a life history guided by two powerful forces: the traditional world of the Plains Cree and the influence of the Catholic missions.
About the authors
Emma Minde, a Cree woman, was born in 1907 and raised in Saddle Lake, Alberta. Upon her marriage, she moved to Hobbema (now Maskwacis). She recorded her autobiography in 1988.
Freda Ahenakew (1932-2011), founding Director of the Saskatchewan Indian Languages Institute, earned her M.A. in Cree linguistics at the University of Manitoba. Ahenakew received an honorary LLD from the University of Saskatchewan (1997) and was named to the World Indigenous Education Task Force; she also received the Citizen of the Year Award from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indians (1992), the Order of Canada (1998), and a National Aboriginal Achievement Award (2001).
H.C. Wolfart is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of Manitoba.
Awards
- Alberta Book Publishing Awards - Alberta Scholarly Title of the Year
Editorial Reviews
"Emma Minde's reminiscences offer valuable insights into the social history of one of Alberta's largest and most significant reserve communities. Hers is the kind of story that is easily left out of the historical record, but when preserved, illuminates history as a lived experience." Michael Payne, CBRA
"...recognize(s) the vitality of interest in the roots of Alberta's literary tradition and search for new forms of expression." R. Gordon Moyles, CBRA
Librarian Reviews
Their Example Showed Me the Way: A Cree Woman’s Life Shaped by Two Cultures
Minde was born in 1907 at Saddle Lake, Alberta. At twenty her father chose her husband, and she was taken from her home to join him and his family. Emma recalls the hardships and joys of living off the land, and reiterates the importance of family integrity and of planning ahead for the future. Emma’s amusing stories provide a look at one of Alberta’s most significant reserve communities and offers insight into a life guided by two powerful forces: the traditional way of life of the Plains Cree and the influence of the Catholic missions. The stories are presented in Cree with a translation into English. A Cree-English glossary and English Index make this work is an important Cree language resource.Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. Canadian Aboriginal Books for Schools. 2008-2009.