Niikaaneba – My Late Brother

Miinwaa ngoding maaba bezhig nwiikaaneba… Niibaadbik go maanda, dibi iidig gaa-paa-nan’kiigwenh oodi nookming, jibwaa-bmi-niibwid go naa. Mii’sh go maa jiibyaatgoong, bi-niisaakiiye zhiwi — mii go wi gete-miikan – “Haa nga-ni-giiwe,” nendam giiyenh.  Nshike giiyenh go bmose shkwaa-aabtaa-dbikak.

“Nga-ni-giiwe,” nendam giiyenh. Mii gegoo gii-waamdang zhiwi ni’ii dkaagmi-ziibiinhs teg. Mii zhiwi gegoo gii-waamdang miiknaang tenig waa-ni-zhaad.  “Wenesh gego iidig wi?” nendam’sh giiyenh go eta. Bmose nengaaj giiyenh go bmose.

“Besho gaa-ni-yaayaanh, ngii-nsidwinwaa,” kida.

“Mshibzhii wa zhengshing zhiwi miiknaang,” kida.

“Gii-bskaabbatoowaanh eyaapiichbizyaanh,” kida.  “Aapji go naa n-zegis,” kida, “Gsha ngii-paabenmik-sii,” kida, “gii-ni-de-gidaakiiyeptoowaanh neyaab,” kida.  “Gaa go gnigenh… Ngii-bskaabii neyaap oodi gaa-bi-njibaayaanh, mii gewe go oodi gii-nbaayaanh gego,” kida.

“Baamaa kizheb miinwaa ngii-bi-mdaabii.  Gaawii gnigenh gegoo, gegoo ngii-naabsii kizheb,” kida gewii wa n-wiikane.  Gii-waabmaan go gewii niwi. Geget go yaawag go giwi; waamjigaazwag go.  Aanind go waabmaawaan bemaadzijig niwi.

And another time, one of my late brothers, this was at night-time – I don’t know where he was visiting up there in the “country”.  This was before he was married.  And right there by the cross, he’s coming down the hill there that very road, the old road – “I guess I’ll go home,” he thought. He’s coming down, he’s walking alone after midnight.

“I’ll go home,” he thought.  And he saw something there where the spring is.  He saw something there on the road in his path.  So he just thinks to himself, “I wonder what that is?”  He’s walking slowly… he’s walking.

“As I got close, I recognized him,” he says.

“That’s a lion lying there on the road,” he says.

“I ran back as fast as I could,” he says.  “I’m really scared,” he says.

“Wouldn’t you know, it (the lion) didn’t bother me,” he says, “I was able to run back up the hill,” he says.

“I didn’t dare…I went back to where I came from, and that’s where I slept right there,” he says.  “I didn’t come back down into town again until morning.  I didn’t see anything the next morning,” says my brother.  He saw him too.  They really exist; they are seen.  Some people do see them.

© 2017 M’Chigeeng First Nation