with Elizabeth Panamick
Oonh, gegeti! Mii gego wa bezhi… mii go gnimaa bezhgogwenh aw oodi gaa-, oodi gaa-…maanpii gaa-yaad. Mii go bezh… Maanda gete-miiknish wyaannomog, oodi Jiibyaatik bdakshing, niisaaki zhiwi — wi gete-miikan. Mii zhiwi. Nihii go zhiwi temgad, mookse nbiish maa. Wiigwaamens dash oodi gii-te, nihii, oodi nikeyaa. Wiigwaamens wi… N-giikendan go wi. Gaa’sh wii niinii ngii-gkenmaa-siig zhiwi gii-daawaad iidig gonda sa. Evelyn: gaa-dbaajmajig. Enh; mii dash maaba — dibi’sh naa gewii maaba gaa-oo-dzhi-nokiigwenh nishnaabe. Aa’sh maaba kwe zhiwi yaa; jiibaakwe wii-bi-dgoshing wa – gnimaa’sh go naa 5:00, 6:00 — ngoji go zhiwi — naano-dbagneg, ngodwaaso-dbagneg. Maanda naabid zhiwi shkwaandeming — nsaaksin wi shkwaandem — mii zhiwi gii-waabmaad nmadbinid niwi mshibzhiin. “Nmadbi zhiwi. Biidaasmadbi’sh maaba mshibzhii,” kida. “Bekaa go nmadbi, ninaabi,” kida. “Enwek sa naa ngii-gwetaani-zeg’ig,” kida sa. “Manj go naa gaa-bi-zhayaane. Weweni go n-waabmaa,” kida. “N-jiibaakwe gewe bekish,” kida. “Mii’sh gewe maaba gii-bi-dgoshing gewii maaba,” kida sa. “Bangiishenh’sh go gii-bi-bsikwaan niwi,” kida. Mii go kina biiwayan maa kaading, miiknooding, gaa-zhi-gokenid, gii-bi-bsikwaad bangii niwi,” kida. “Mii sa gii-bi-biindged,” kida. “Mii go gewii maaba gii-ni-maajaad mshibzhii,” kida, “gii-ni-zaagjiitam,” kida. “Manj dash – aapji’sh go naa n-zegi-zhayaa,” kida. “N-zeg’ig. ‘Aaniish e-zhwebziyin?’ ” wdi-goon giiyenh. “Gaa na kii-waabmaa-sii zhiwi gaa-nmadbid shkwaandeming?” di-naan’sh giiyenh. “Kaa,” wdi-goon giiyenh. “Mshibzhii zhiwi gii-nmadbi,” di-goon…di-naan’sh giiyenh. “Gaa nii ngii-waabmaa-sii,” di-naan’sh. “Nishke g-miiknood e-zhnaagog,” di-naan. Gii-waabmaawaan’sh go niwi biiwayan zhiwi kaading binid wa, you know. Mii sa gii-naabwaad oodi gojiing. Gaa’shii gnagenh wiyan gii-waabmaa-siiwaan zhiwi gojiing. Mii go aw gaa-yaad zhiwi, mshibzhii.
Oh, yes! {remembering} That’s another one… That might be the same one that was there, there…that was here. That’s the sa… This old road that curves, there where the cross stands, down the hill there. that old road. That’s where. There’s a whachmacall there, water bubbles up there. And there was a small house there, um, over that way. A little house… I know that [place]. But I didn’t that they lived there, these people [the family whose experiences are being related]. Evelyn: Those you talked about. Yes; and so this guy — I don’t know where this guy had gone to work. Well, this lady’s there; she’s cooking for when he’ll get home – maybe 5:00, 6:00 around that time there — 5 or 6 o’clock. When she looks out the door there this way — that door’s open — she sees that lion sitting there. “He’s sitting there. And this lion’s sitting there facing me,” she says. “It’s just sitting quietly, looking around,” she says. “Did he ever scare me,” she says. I can’t describe the feeling that came over me. I can see it clearly,” she says. “And I’m cooking at the same time,” she says. “And this guy, this guy got home [that same time],” she says. “He brushed against it (the lion) a little bit [coming in],” she says. Fur got stuck all over his leg there, on his pants, when he brushed a bit against it,” she says. “So he came in,” she says. “And at the same time, this lion left,” she says, “he…he went outside,” she says. “I can’t describe – so I’m just feeling so scared,” she says. “It’s scaring me. ‘What’s wrong with you?’ ” he says to her. So she says to him, “Didn’t you see who was sitting by the door?” “No,” he says to her. “There was a lion sitting there,” he says to her…she says to him. “I didn’t see him,” he tells her. “Look at how your pants looks,” she tells him. And they did see the fur on that guy’s [pant] leg, you know. So they looked outside there. But they didn’t see anyone at all outside there. That’s who was there, a lion.
© 2017 M’Chigeeng First Nation