Lenape

A Walk in the Forest

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This week, our Lenape teacher is started a new Lenape class with dozens of new students. My fellow students will be are now teaching assistants. The language is slowing regaining ground.

This story is a bit ambitious for the level of Lenape my class is at. Negatives are complicated, so we’ve used takuu to negate a sentence. Its a bit like saying “I not eat dinner”, so its not traditional Lenape, but it gets the meaning across. As always, the words are derived from the Lenape Talking Dictionary.

From the Crum woods, clockwise: Sipuwa (river), Xanikw (squirrel), Chulens (bird), Hitkuk (tree), Mixhako (moss)

Chinke mbemeska tekenink kixki sipunk.Not long ago I went for a walk in the forest near the river.
Neyo xanikw. Meshake ok michi onaxkwimhet.I saw a squirrel. He was sitting on the ground and eating an oak acorn.
Mpentaok na chulensak asuwak hitkukink.I heard the birds singing in the trees.
Nkikena ansikemes menepekunk.I touched a maple tree at the lake.
Nemelamen ne mixhako xinkohsenink.I smelled the moss on the big rock.
Nemenen thepi ok nulamalsi. Weli kishku.I drank the cold water and I was well. It was a beautiful day.
Hiluses takuu mwilao ne onaxkwimhet xanikwa.An old man did not give the oak acorn to the squirrel.
Skixkwe takuu ne wentamaok na chulensaka asuwakana.A young woman did not teach the birds songs.
Kekewinu takuu hakihe ne ansikemes.A middle age man did not plant the maple tree.
Chipsit kalixhamen takuu ne mixhako xinkohsenink.A stranger did not sew the moss onto the big rock.
Na sipuwa pukshemen kixki takuu temakanetet.The river cuts a way near no path.
Ne tekene shiki ok weniku enta awenik takuu wichemawao.The forest is pretty and it grows tall when people do not help it.

Categories: Lenape