Jean Okimāsis

Cree linguist

Dr. Jean Okimāsis
Pronunciation	(/ˈdʒiːn oʊˈɡɪˌmɑːsɪs/)
Born	Jean Lillian Littlechief 1938 (age 85–86) White Bear First Nations
Alma mater	University of Regina
Spouse	Arok Wolvengrey

Dr. Jean L. Okimāsis (born Jean Lillian Littlechief)^[1] is a Cree linguist who has worked on teaching and documenting the Plains Cree language.

Career

In 1982, Okimāsis started work on Cree language programs at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated college (now the First Nations University of Canada). She published a textbook, workbook, and teaching grammar of the Cree language called Cree, Language of the Plains,^[1] which is publicly available under a Creative commons license.^[2]

Okimāsis has been instrumental in developing and promoting the use of the standard Roman orthography for writing the Cree language.^[3] In 2008, she cowrote How to Spell it in Cree (The Standard Roman Orthography) with Arok Wolvengrey.

Recognition

Okimāsis received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2000, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina in 2005.^[4]

In 2019, a park was named after Okimāsis in Regina.^[4]^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Our Honourary Founders". Cree Literacy Network. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
^ "Cree: Language of the Plains / nēhiyawēwin: paskwāwi-pīkiskwēwin". University of Regina.
^ ^a ^b Ogg, Arden (31 March 2019). "Regina opens Jean Okimâsis Park". Cree Literacy Network. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
^ ^a ^b "Regina planning commission wants to name a park after Jean Okimasis". CBC News. August 2, 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2020.

Bibliography

Okimāsis, Jean L. (2004). Cree: Language of the Plains/nēhiyawēwin: paskwāwi-pīkiskwēwin. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center. ISBN 0-88977-155-3.
Okimāsis, Jean; Wolvengrey, Arok (2009). How to Spell it in Cree (The Standard Roman Orthography) (PDF). Regina: miywāsin ink. ISBN 978-0-9784935-0-9.