Cree Language Survival Phrases Resource

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Let’s Speak Cree, Survival Phrases

The following audio recordings were made between Christi Belcourt and Elder Judy Hilbert of Lac Ste. Anne (LSA) Metis Community in Edmonton between 2023 and 2025. They are recordings to support the text of the booklet “Let’s Speak Cree: Survival Phrases”. The original booklet was co-written with Randy Morin, Belinda kakiyosêw Daniels and Christi Belcourt. An original set of recordings were made by Randy Morin and can be found at: nehiyawak.org

Christi’s grandparents Matilda L’Hirondelle Belcourt and Emile Belcourt were fluent Cree (nêhiyawêwin) speakers who were born and raised in the Metis community of Lac Ste. Anne (LSA), Alberta. The whole community was Cree speaking at one time. Unfortunately, English has since supplanted it. Christi is a dedicated Cree language learner. In her journey as a language learner she has also tried to give back to Indigenous language revitalization efforts in a variety of ways including personal donations, crowd-sourced fundraising efforts to support language camps and learners, donating her fees from her art sales, including her Ontario Arts Council award and fees from collaborations with Valentino, Cheekbone Beauty and Ella Handbags, hosting webinars and creating and supporting resource development such as this book. Christi believes in the strength of collaborative efforts, building community and giving generously to community based initiatives.

Feel free to download and share these MP3s and the booklet to your devices for individual and classroom uses.

  • Cree Survival Phrases Booklet (Downloadable PDF)
  • Lesson Audio Files (to download audio .mp3 files rollover three red dots on the right of each track for the download icon)

 

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Thank you to Elder Judy Hilbert for her time and effort towards making the Cree sounds come alive from Lac Ste Anne for learners.

Thank you also to co-authors Randy Morin and Belinda Daniels. And to Nehiyawak.org, SIRL.ca, the University of Alberta, the Gabriel Dumont Institute, Suzanne Belcourt and Burke Media for assisting in printing the publication.