I updated this post because many people pointed out that I wrote the Cree word for “happy birthday” wrong, I wrote: “mitho tipiskansi” instead of “mitho tipiska,” like so many others did. So to accommodate my many supporters, I changed it up. Thank you all for your support.
Up here in Northern Saskatchewan, we say “ī-tipiskahk” when someone has a birthday. It is from the word “tipsiskaw” – night, so it is my 49th annual night, so to speak.
mitho tipiska – Happy Birthday
anohc ōma nitipiskamowin – Today is my birthday.
ī-tipiskahk – she/he is celebrating a birthday, or it’s his or her birthday
ī-tipiskaman – it is my birthday
Resources I used:
- Online Cree Dictionary ⇒
- itwêwasina ⇒
- I got the idea from the Cree Literacy Network and from the Facebook posts of Retired Cree Teacher – Solomon Ratt
Birthday cake Image by Pexels from Pixabay
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
