ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ
kakêpâtisiw
The Cree word for "dumb" is ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ (kakêpâtisiw).
The term is used as an adjective to describe someone as stupid.
Meaning: stupid (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
kakêpâtisiw
Did you know?
- In some Cree contexts, the concept of 'stupidity' is tied more to a person's failure to follow social protocols than to their actual cognitive ability.
- The written form of ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ uses a syllabary. Unlike the English alphabet, each character represents a combination of a consonant and a vowel.
- The structure of the word ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ follows the Cree polysynthetic pattern, where a single long word can carry the weight of an entire English phrase. This makes the word feel more like a complex description than a simple adjective.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a bad decision.
- Aᓂᐤᐤᐤᐤ ᓂᐴᐤ ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ ᒫᑲᐤᐤ.nîyâ nîsô kapiwatisi mâka.I think that was dumb.
- Bᐄ, ᓂᐤᐤᐤᐤ ᓂᐴᐤ ᐜᐜᐜ.ê, nîyâ nîsô.Yes, I think so too.
- Aᐜᐜᐜ ᑲᑫᐹᑎᓯᐤ ᒫᑲᐤᐤ ᒋᐄᐤᐤᐤ.kapiwatisi mâka kîyâ.It was a dumb choice.
- Bᐜᐜᐜ ᐜᐜᐜ ᐜᐜᐜ.êyâ.Exactly.
