A Regina book gathers Cree and Saulteaux knowledge of birds

A new book puts Plains Cree and Saulteaux knowledge of Saskatchewan birds in one place, in the languages that named them. CBC News reported the launch on October 29, 2026. The title is ka-papamihacik/Ka-papamihsēwāt, "Those Who Fly Around: Plains Cree and Saulteaux Birds." It took five years. Contributors include elders from Cote, Fishing Lake, Ahtahkakoop, and the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council.

Bill Strongarm, from Keeseekoose First Nation, is a co-author and a leader with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. He told CBC that feathers are used in dancing and ceremony, and that stories were leaving with people on their final journey. He said the birds also tell people when snow or rain is coming. Andrew Miller, an associate professor of Indigenous studies at the First Nations University of Canada in Regina and another co-author, said the project grew out of elders' stories of birds, place names, and history. He learned that the northern flicker is called a digger in Saulteaux because it forages for ants and grubs, not because it flicks things.

The late Barry Ahenakew's knowledge of Cree history is in the book. His son, Mahekan Ahenakew, took on the editorial changes after his father died a year ago. He said seeing his spouse and daughters at the launch clarified why the place names and the histories matter for nêhiyawak, Nakawē, and Ojibway people. The text moves among Cree, Saulteaux, and English. CBC's report is about that book and that launch. It does not claim a count of new language speakers.