Esther describes ways music changed lives from mother’s songs and encouragement to gramophones and fiddle music.

Esther describes the Michif language she speaks being heard in the womb, from parents and grandparents and when she went to school people thought she was part French.

Esther describes relocating when she married and that the language spoken was more Michif. She outlines her grandparents language varieties and some of the influences including residential school. Esther was pressed by fellow Cree people […]

Esther describes learning from her mother to do laundry, sewing, and beadwork and that stories accompanied this learning.

Esther describes pressure from her father-in-law to stop speaking Cree and to switch to English but her parents encouraged them to keep speaking Cree.

Esther’s parents taught them through stories, examples and kindness.

Esther describes starting school speaking only Cree Michif and no English and having to learn to speak the English word for syrup in order to buy syrup at the store.

Esther speaks about her observant father which made him a great storyteller and enabled his to keep his language.

Esther Auger introduces herself through a discussion of her family, a name she was given at birth, and where she was raised and how they lived.

Esther describes Cree words that sound the same – lake, gun, refrigerator, and words for musical instruments. She says the words for hammer, thrashing machine. She describes the advent of Michif words when they didn’t […]