OLD Dictations (East dialect)
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Nikaui (My mother)
Nikaui
My mother
Eukuannu umenu nikaui Tenesh utipatshimun nete ka aitiht ueshkat nutshimit.
This story is that of my mother, Tenesh, about what they [the Innu] did in the past in the inland region.
E auassiut, eshkᵘ kushpipan ashit uikanisha.
When she was young, she still used to go inland with her parents.
Meshikaht nete tshe uitshiht, Tenesh iamekateu ukauia, ui tshituteu.
When they get to where they are going to set up camp, Tenesh says goodbye to her mother, she wants to leave.
Ushima uitsheuku pepamutet minashkuat, natamikᵘ anite ui aituteuat.
Her younger sister goes with her when she walks in the woods, they want to go all over the place.
Nanatuapameuat aueshisha.
They look for animals.
Kassinu etashiht natauat, ishkueuat ashit.
Everyone goes hunting, women too.
Tshekᵘ ma eshpish taht, matenitamuat nete pemuteht ekue uapamaht auenua, mishta-shetshishuat.
Suddenly, while they are there, they sense something while walking and they see someone; they are very scared.
– Nanipauat nete atikuat! Iteu ushima.
"There are caribou standing over there!" She says to her younger sister.
Ekue kashuht, kushteuat tshetshi uapamikuht.
And then they hide, they are afraid that they [the caribou] will see them.
Minekash tshitapameuat, mishta-minunueuat mak ui kushtashinueuat, tanite mishta-mishanua ussishikua ne aueshish.
They [the girls] watch them [the caribou] for a long time, they find them very beautiful and they are afraid of them, because this animal has big eyes.
Tshika minuenitaminua kutaka innua uitamuataui.
The other Innu will be happy when they [the girls] tell them.
Ekue tshiueht kanapua, natshi-uitamuat tshekuannu ka uapatahk.
Of course they go back, they will go and say what they saw.
Miam ui tshitutenua utauia, ui kuapitshenua.
Her father was getting ready to leave, he wanted to go get some water.
Uatamuakanit etaniti nenua atikua, nasht uni-tshissitutamᵘ nipinu ka ui natak ekue utshipitak passikannu ne tshishennu, shaputue shekashkupatuau.
When he is told that there are caribou, he completely forgets the water that he wanted to fetch and the old man quickly seizes a gun and enters directly into the forest with it.
– Enuet ma peikᵘ mukᵘ miniti Tshishe-Manitu itenitamᵘ.
"If the Creator at least gave me just one," he thinks!
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Tipatshimun (A story)
Tipatshimun
A story
Ueshkat innuat inniuipanat nutshimit.
In the past the Innu lived inland, in the interior.
Uinuau umenu tipatshimakannuat.
They are the ones this story is about.
Eshakumitshishikua, napeu natshi-natau.
Every day a man goes out to hunt.
Iamekateu utshishkuema ekue tshitutet.
He says goodbye to his wife and leaves.
Napess etati, e auassiut, uitsheueu utauia, tshituteu kie uin.
When a boy is present and he is young, he leaves with his father, he goes hunting too.
Peikuau ma anite, innuat shiuenuat, apu nipaiaht aueshisha.
Another time, when the Innu were suffering from starvation, they were not able to kill animals.
Uenit ma tshetshishepaushinit minu-tshishikanu, nika tshituten itenitamᵘ, tanite nasht apu shapishit.
When he wakes up in the morning, the weather is very nice, "I'm going to head out," he thinks, even if he has no strength/energy.
Takunamᵘ passikannu kanapua, pakushenitamᵘ tshetshi mishkak tshekuannu nete papamuteti.
He brings a gun with him of course, he hopes he will find something when he goes walking out there.
Shash patetat-tatutshishikua eshpish eka mitshishut, natamikᵘ ishinamᵘ, apu matenitak uiau, akushu ussishikua kie shash apu tshikanak.
It's been over five days since he's eaten, he's seeing strange things, he can't feel his body anymore, his eyes hurt and he can't see things very well.
Shetshishu nenu tshetshi tshek pamitatshimut.
He's afraid that he will have to crawl on the ground.
Nenua ukussa tshitapameu, eshkᵘ minu-aiatshinua, tshitimatshenimeu.
He looks at his son who is still moving well, he [the father] feels sorry for him.
Nanipauat nete pessish shipit, ashuapameuat aueshisha.
They stand near the river, they're waiting for the animals.
Eukuannu tshe ui ushkuit, shetshishu shash uieshimiku nenu eka matshishut.
This is the moment he will have to make a big effort; he is afraid, he is deceived by his hunger [lit.: by the fact that he has not eaten].
Natuenitamueu Tshishe-Manitua tshetshi uitshikut kie tshetshi minikut shutshishiunnu.
He asks the Creator for help, he asks him/her to give him strength.
Uapameu tshek atikua, mishta-minuenitamᵘ.
Suddenly he sees some caribou, he is very happy.
– Eukuan mashten tshe ui passitsheian itenitamᵘ ashit pitatsheu upassikan.
"This is the last shot I'm going to take," he thinks as he loads his gun.
Tapue ma, peikuau passitsheu ekue nipaiat.
Then he shoots just once and kills it.
Ukussa tshitapameu, minuenitamᵘ tshe inniuht eshkᵘ minekash.
He looks at his son, he is happy, they will live a long time yet.
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Aishkat tshe ishinakuak (The future)
Aishkat tshe ishinakuak
The future [lit.: What will happen in the future]
Nanitam kushpipanat nutaui.
My father and his family often went into the woods.
Mate, nimushum inniu nutshimit miam utauia kie umushuma.
For example, my grandfather was born in the interior [inland] region like his father and grandfather.
Mishta-minuatamukupanat etataui utassiuat tanite minuashu meshkanau mak mitshena shakaikana kie kapatakana.
They must have enjoyed being in their territory because the trail is beautiful and there are many lakes and portages.
Mitshetinua aueshisha, natamikᵘ eishinakushiniti: musha, atikua, amishkua.
There are many animals, there are several different kinds: moose, caribou, beavers.
Anutshish eukuan eshkᵘ eshinakuak, uenapissish ute nashipeuat uinipekut, menushkaminiti tshekat napinniti,
It's still like that now, they come back to the coast for a time, when the greenery appears before summer arrives,
e uinnuniti aueshisha ui nipaieuat, « tshimakateu aueshish nutshimit » iteuat.
they want to kill animals with more fat on them, "the inland animals are thin" they say.
Nutaui nanatuapatamᵘ ait upakassiun uin, ute etat uinipekut, ui mitshu tshiashku-uaua kie ui mueu tshiashkussa, utshashumekua mak atshikua.
My father will seek food elsewhere, being here on the coast, he wants to eat seagull eggs and he wants to eat young seagulls, salmon and seals.
Tshi nipaiati, tshe naikak uikuaiatshikunu mak tshe pitatshet piminu ekᵘ tshe mitshit pimiatshikunu.
When he has killed one, he'll clean its stomach and add some fat to it, and then he will eat seal blubber.
Mukᵘ aishkat, apu tshika ut tshissinuapamikut innu utauassima, aianishkat tshe petuteniti.
But later, the Innu will not be imitated by his children, those who will come after him.
Pitshenik tshika shetshishuat tshetshi unitaht utinnu-aitunuau.
They will begin to fear losing their Innu culture.
– Pitshau anite uetuteiakᵘ, ipan nimushum.
"We've come a very long way," my grandfather used to say.
Tanite mitshetuau animiu, mitshetuau peikussu.
Because he has known misery many times, he has been alone many times.
– Ka Tipenitak an tshika uitshikunan, ipan nana nukum.
"The Creator will be the one to help us," my late grandmother used to say.
Eukuan itenitakushipan nukum, tshetshishepaushiniti eiamituashut, mishta-minu-tshishikanu mani.
That's what my grandmother was like, she used to pray in the morning, often, the weather was very nice.
Mamitunenitamᵘ ka aitiht nete ueshkat, pemishkataui ushkuai-utinu,
He thinks about what they used to do long ago, when they paddled in a bark canoe,
nipinu minuakamishinipan, minuenitakuannipan utinniunuau.
the water was calm, their life was pleasant.
– Eka nita uni-tshissituta, nitikuti, takuan anite nitipenitamun nutshimit, eka ui metuatshe.
"Never forget," he used to tell me, "I have my domain inland, do not play [gamble, take risks] with it."
Ekue itak: « Tshe nakatamuin tshitshissenitamun, nika shaputuepan nin tshitatusseun. » Minutamᵘ nenu etak.
And I said to him: "Leave me your knowledge, I will continue your work." He is pleased to hear what I tell him.
