ᐊᓯᓂᕀ
asiniy
The Cree word for rock is ᐊᓯᓂᕀ (asiniy).
This term refers to a large stone or a boulder.
Meaning: large stone or boulder (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is asiniy.
Did you know?
- Cree uses a complex system of animacy, and while a rock is typically inanimate, some sacred stones may be treated as animate in sentence structure.
- Because Cree is an agglutinative language, a single word based on ᐊᓯᓂᕀ can express an entire sentence, such as 'he is looking for a rock'.
- In traditional Cree storytelling, rocks are often treated as sentient beings with their own histories, rather than inanimate objects.
Example conversation
Two people are walking by a river.
- Aᑭᐄᐣ ᐊᓯᓂᕀ ᓇᐅᐄᐣ.ki-iin asiniz nanoo-in.Look at that rock.
- Bᐄ, ᒥᔭᐣ ᐊᓯᓂᕀ ᐅᐑ.ii, miyan asiniz uwi.Yes, this rock is heavy.
- Aᒫᑲ ᐊᓯᓂᕀ ᐄᐣᐄᐣ.maaka asiniz ai-iin.Let's move the rock.
- Bᐄ, ᒫᑲ ᓇᐄᐣ.ii, maaka naii-n.Yes, let's do it.
