nipê wânîn: askîy iyinîsiwin acâhkowin

Abstract

This creative thesis is written in nêhiyawêwin (Cree) and English. It explores the skill of storytelling in Cree culture and examines how that can be done through poetry. The collection of poems is a story about the experiences and beliefs of an Indigenous woman, mother, student, teacher, daughter. This thesis is broken into three thematic sections: “acâhk” (spirit), “niya” (me), and “askiy” (land). Each section contains a series of poems that delves into the teachings shared by elders, parents, and grandparents. Three themes are braided into each poem – relationality, nêhiyaw worldview, and personal experience.