Swampy Cree language
Encyclopedia
Swampy Cree is a dialect
of the Cree
language complex. Swampy Cree is spoken in a series of communities in northern Manitoba
, central northeast of Saskatchewan along the Saskatchewan River and along the Hudson Bay
coast and adjacent inland areas to the south and west, and Ontario
along the coast of Hudson Bay and James Bay
.
A division is sometimes made between West Swampy Cree and East Swampy Cree. Communities recognized as West Swampy Cree include: Shoal Lake; The Pas
; Easterville [Chemawawin Cree Nation]; Grand Rapids Barren Lands; Churchill; Split Lake; York Factory; Fox Lake; Shamattawa
(all in Manitoba); and Fort Severn, Ontario. Communities recognized as East Swampy Cree are: Weenusk
, Ontario; Attawapiskat
, Ontario; Albany Post, Ontario; and Kashechewan
, Ontario; and Fort Albany
, Ontario. The Cree spoken at Kashechewan also shows Moose Cree
influence. It is one of the western n-dialects of Cree
. It has 10,000 speakers.
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of the Cree
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
language complex. Swampy Cree is spoken in a series of communities in northern Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, central northeast of Saskatchewan along the Saskatchewan River and along the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
coast and adjacent inland areas to the south and west, and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
along the coast of Hudson Bay and James Bay
James Bay
James Bay is a large body of water on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean. James Bay borders the provinces of Quebec and Ontario; islands within the bay are part of Nunavut...
.
A division is sometimes made between West Swampy Cree and East Swampy Cree. Communities recognized as West Swampy Cree include: Shoal Lake; The Pas
The Pas, Manitoba
The Pas is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located in Division No. 21, Manitoba in the Northern Region, some 630 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, near the border of Saskatchewan. It is sometimes still called Paskoyac by locals as the first trading post was called Fort Paskoyac...
; Easterville [Chemawawin Cree Nation]; Grand Rapids Barren Lands; Churchill; Split Lake; York Factory; Fox Lake; Shamattawa
Shamattawa, Manitoba
Shamattawa is a community in Northern Manitoba, Canada and the location of the Shamattawa First Nation. It is located on the banks of Gods River where the Echoing River joins as a right tributary....
(all in Manitoba); and Fort Severn, Ontario. Communities recognized as East Swampy Cree are: Weenusk
Weenusk First Nation
Weenusk First Nation ; unpointed: ᐧᐃᓇᐢᑯ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ) is a Cree First Nation in the Canadian province of Ontario. In September, 2007, its total registered population was 516...
, Ontario; Attawapiskat
Attawapiskat First Nation
Attawapiskat First Nation is an isolated First Nation located in Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada, at the mouth of the Attawapiskat River at James Bay...
, Ontario; Albany Post, Ontario; and Kashechewan
Kashechewan First Nation
The Kashechewan First Nation is a Cree First Nation located near James Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The community is located on the northern shore of the Albany River. Kashechewan First Nation is one of two communities that were established from Old Fort Albany in the 1950s...
, Ontario; and Fort Albany
Fort Albany, Ontario
Fort Albany First Nation is a community in within the Cochrane District of Northern Ontario, Canada. Situated on the southern shore of the Albany River, Fort Albany First Nation is only accessible by air or by winter road....
, Ontario. The Cree spoken at Kashechewan also shows Moose Cree
Moose Cree language
Moose Cree is an Algonquian language spoken in Ontario, Canada around the southern tip of James Bay.-References:*...
influence. It is one of the western n-dialects of Cree
Cree language
Cree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
. It has 10,000 speakers.
External links
- Ethnologue entry for Swampy Cree
- Native Languages: A Support Document for the Teaching of Language Patters – basic language patterns for Ojibwe (Manitoulin Ojibwe/OttawaOttawa languageOttawa is a dialect of the Ojibwe language, spoken by the Ottawa people in southern Ontario in Canada, and northern Michigan in the United States. Descendants of migrant Ottawa speakers live in Kansas and Oklahoma...
"CO" and Lac Seul Ojibwe "WO") and Cree (Swampy Cree "SC"). - Path of the Elders – Explore Treaty 9, Aboriginal Cree & First Nations history.