Francis compares the different ways to describe the same thing in the different dialects of Michif.

Don describes the whole school of Kikino learning sign language to support one child who could not speak.

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 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 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 […]

Esther describes the importance of keeping her language and not to give up – like the lessons from her grandparents.

Cecile describes the need to teach the children Michif but in the Metis settlements children mainly speak English. Cecile used to teach kindergarten in Michif and French.

Cecile went shopping with her auntie who didn’t know the words for things and made up language. Her aunt thought she did not learn from her parents but she knew the correct words not the […]