I remember seeing my grandmother get up every morning, sing a hymn, and do her morning prayer in Cree. I couldn’t understand, even though I understood Oji-Cree and could even read. I think it would make her proud to know that I am doing this work today.
Yvonne Winter is a translator from Kingfisher Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario. She grew up on the beautiful, remote reserve, watching her grandmother’s faith in action. It deeply influenced her own faith journey, and the memory of it still motivates her now, decades later. She wants to make this faith more widely understood in her community by helping to translate the Bible into her language, Anihshininiimowin.*
Even though English is often spoken in Kingfisher Lake and other First Nations communities, community members say that there is something uniquely powerful about their own language. It connects with them in a way that English cannot. When the Word speaks Anihshininiimowin, it touches hearts and leads to deeper understanding. This is true for both older and younger generations, and it resonates with Yvonne’s experience.
I didn’t understand when [the Bible] was in English. But then I understood it when it was in my language. There are other people my age who speak the language who need to be fed.
Through the process of community checking—inviting community members to give feedback on the accuracy and clarity of translated Scripture—Yvonne is building awareness and buy-in from her community for the Anihshininiimowin translation. It’s part of helping her people encounter her grandmother’s faith for themselves.
*Anihshininiimowin is now the preferred term for the language, although Oji-Cree is still widely used.