Freda Ahenakew
Freda Ahenakew was a leader and educator who fought for the retention of the Cree language.
Her death on Friday marked the end to the great life of a successful mother and academic. Her work as a Cree linguist will be felt long into the future.
Freda was born on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation in 1932. Her parents were Edward and Annie Ahenakew.
Ahtahkakoop was one of the few reserves in the province that had a "day school," where the children could attend at the elementary level. Freda attended school at the Sandy Lake Day School and stayed with her parents at home, where their first language was Cree.
This close connection to her parents, her culture and her language would prove valuable later in life.
She married Harold Greyeyes in 1951 and moved to the Muskeg Lake First Nation.
Freda made it a point to be a role model to her children. In 1968, at age 38, she decided to complete her high school education.
Each morning she got up and rode the bus to the Marcelin School along with 10 of her 12 children.
After graduation she helped the rest of her children complete high school. Later she attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating with a bachelor of education in 1979.
That in itself should have been seen as a major achievement, but Freda wasn't about to stop there. She attended the University of Manitoba, where she received a master of arts in Cree linguistics in 1984.
Her thesis was titled Cree Language Structures, and today it is used as a guide to teaching an aboriginal language through the use of literary texts. It is used widely in the classroom and is currently in its 18th printing.
Freda was a prolific writer, and her bibliography includes a number of children's books, classroom readers and written translations of stories from Cree elders.
But she was not restricted to the ivory tower. She taught in Saskatoon and the Lac La Ronge First Nation. Later she would head the Saskatchewan Indian Language Institute.
From 1989 to 1996 she was an associate professor of Native studies and head of the Native studies department. Freda then moved back to Saskatchewan, where she worked as a Cree language consultant for the Prince Albert Grand Council. She held that position until she retired in 1997.
While she was completing her studies at the U of M, she would often consult with my dad, Stan Cuthand, who was the acting head of the Native studies department. One of her pet projects was to translate nursery rhymes into Cree. She and Dad tried to translate "the cat and the fiddle," but the words came out so ridiculous at first that they didn't think it would make sense. But the poem still exists in all its splendour.
Translating the Cree language was a labour of love and it showed in her work.
Her final project and one that must continue was her written account of traditional literature. She collected the stories and autobiographies that were told to her by elders. She wrote down these stories in Cree, with an English translation.
Her stories showcased works of traditional literature such as stories about Wesakechak, the Cree trickster, as well as autobiographical accounts from elders, women in particular.
Freda Ahenakew was a leader and educator who fought for the retention of the Cree language.
Her death on Friday marked the end to the great life of a successful mother and academic. Her work as a Cree linguist will be felt long into the future.
Freda was born on the Ahtahkakoop First Nation in 1932. Her parents were Edward and Annie Ahenakew.
Ahtahkakoop was one of the few reserves in the province that had a "day school," where the children could attend at the elementary level. Freda attended school at the Sandy Lake Day School and stayed with her parents at home, where their first language was Cree.
This close connection to her parents, her culture and her language would prove valuable later in life.
She married Harold Greyeyes in 1951 and moved to the Muskeg Lake First Nation.
Freda made it a point to be a role model to her children. In 1968, at age 38, she decided to complete her high school education.
Each morning she got up and rode the bus to the Marcelin School along with 10 of her 12 children.
After graduation she helped the rest of her children complete high school. Later she attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating with a bachelor of education in 1979.
That in itself should have been seen as a major achievement, but Freda wasn't about to stop there. She attended the University of Manitoba, where she received a master of arts in Cree linguistics in 1984.
Her thesis was titled Cree Language Structures, and today it is used as a guide to teaching an aboriginal language through the use of literary texts. It is used widely in the classroom and is currently in its 18th printing.
Freda was a prolific writer, and her bibliography includes a number of children's books, classroom readers and written translations of stories from Cree elders.
But she was not restricted to the ivory tower. She taught in Saskatoon and the Lac La Ronge First Nation. Later she would head the Saskatchewan Indian Language Institute.
From 1989 to 1996 she was an associate professor of Native studies and head of the Native studies department. Freda then moved back to Saskatchewan, where she worked as a Cree language consultant for the Prince Albert Grand Council. She held that position until she retired in 1997.
While she was completing her studies at the U of M, she would often consult with my dad, Stan Cuthand, who was the acting head of the Native studies department. One of her pet projects was to translate nursery rhymes into Cree. She and Dad tried to translate "the cat and the fiddle," but the words came out so ridiculous at first that they didn't think it would make sense. But the poem still exists in all its splendour.
Translating the Cree language was a labour of love and it showed in her work.
Her final project and one that must continue was her written account of traditional literature. She collected the stories and autobiographies that were told to her by elders. She wrote down these stories in Cree, with an English translation.
Her stories showcased works of traditional literature such as stories about Wesakechak, the Cree trickster, as well as autobiographical accounts from elders, women in particular.
Freda's good works did not go unrewarded. The University of Saskatchewan awarded her an honorary doctor of laws in 1997. She also received the Order of Canada and the Saskatchewan Order of Merit. In 2001 she was the recipient of a National Aboriginal Achievement Award.
In her later years she suffered a stroke, but continued with her work.
Several years ago I was retained by the En'owkin Centre in Penticton, B.C., to video record a statement from her for a language conference planned for the centre. I drove out to Muskeg Lake and visited her at the beautiful log home that her family had built for her.
She began her speech in English, but told me that her stroke had left her deficient in the language. She gave her statement in Cree and I added English subtitles.
Freda was well liked across the country because of her knowledge and dedication to the preservation of aboriginal languages. Her prolific body of work stands out as gift to the Cree people and their language.
We compare our lives to a journey. For Freda that journey was monumental.
She went from being a child on the reserve with her parents, to a mother of 12 on a neighbouring reserve, to becoming an internationally recognized scholar.
Hers was a journey that gives us a great deal of pride.
In her later years she suffered a stroke, but continued with her work.
Several years ago I was retained by the En'owkin Centre in Penticton, B.C., to video record a statement from her for a language conference planned for the centre. I drove out to Muskeg Lake and visited her at the beautiful log home that her family had built for her.
She began her speech in English, but told me that her stroke had left her deficient in the language. She gave her statement in Cree and I added English subtitles.
Freda was well liked across the country because of her knowledge and dedication to the preservation of aboriginal languages. Her prolific body of work stands out as gift to the Cree people and their language.
We compare our lives to a journey. For Freda that journey was monumental.
She went from being a child on the reserve with her parents, to a mother of 12 on a neighbouring reserve, to becoming an internationally recognized scholar.
Hers was a journey that gives us a great deal of pride.
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