Where the Myaamia First Came From

Gabriel Godfroy

At first the Myaamia came out of the water. The place they emerged is called ‘Coming Out Place.’ The first ones emerged from the water. “Grab ahold of tree limbs”, they told each other. And they came out. Then they formed a town there. From there they went away. They left the town. After a while one returned. When he came back he saw the other people at Coming Out Place. To our surprise, their language was just like our language. They gave them a name. ‘Old Moccasins’ he called those people. I don’t know where they were from. Nobody knew where they went. This is how my mothers told me, my mother Seekaahkweeta, and her older sister Waapankihkwa. All the old Indian men believed it. They call the river ‘Coming Out River’ at the place where they came out from. Because of this people are named ‘Seekaahkweeta’, ‘Seekaahkonanka’, and ‘Seekaahkohkwa’.

Mihtami myaamiaki nipinkonci saakaciweeciki. Eehonci saakaciweewaaci ‘saakiiweeyonki’ iitamenki. Nipinkonci neeweeyohsaaciki moohkiiciki. “Peemitanaahkwahki sakaahkweelo”, iilitiiciki. Neehi saakaciweeciki, noonki niiyaahi eeminooteeciki. niiyaanci maaciihkaaciki. minooteeni neekatankiki. kapootwe nkoti aapweeyaata. aapwe pyaata kwitakaki mihtohseeniaki neewaaciki saakiiweeyonki. Naahpa-hsa naapi iilaataweeciki iilataaweeyaanki. neehi-hsa weentaawaaci. ‘matehkohkisenaakana’ iilaaciki iina mihtohseeniaki. moohci ninkihkeelimaahsoo weencinaakosiwaaci, moohci aweeyaki kihkeelimaawaata eehi ayaawaaci. Ooniini ninkiiki iisimiwaaci, ninkya seekaahkweeta amihsali waapankihkwa. ceeki mihtohseeniaki kiyosaaki eelaamihtankiki. siipiiwi ‘saakiiweesiipiiwi’ weentankiki, eehonci saakaciweewaaci. Iiniini wiiyoonkonci niisi weentinciki ‘seekaahkweeta’, ‘seekaahkonanka’, ‘seekaahkohkwa’.