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WoLakota Project & Teachings of Our Elders

What’s in a Name? with Jesse Cree

Explore What’s in a Name? with Jesse Cree with available transcripts, learning questions and source alignments in the South Dakota and North Dakota Elder archive.

Interview · North Dakota · Jesse Cree · NDNAEU 7

Themes: Language & revitalization, Kinship & family, Identity & belonging, Culture & continuity, Intergenerational learning

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Learn About questions

Why do some people feel that “names” are important? What is the significance of the names in the Cree culture? In Catholic faith?

Learn From questions

What does my name signify for me? Did I ever wish that I had a different name? Why? Do I have any nicknames that I prefer to be called? How would I feel if someone told me I had to change my name? In what ways would that affect my identity?

Transcripts

What’s in a Name? with Jesse Cree NDNAEU 7

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All right my name is Jessie Cree that’s my that would be my if you want to call it English name it that name was given to us not because we’re curry in D ins or it was given to us because we the Catholic priests and the Catholic people couldn’t pronounce our name and Indian so they gave my grandfather a name and they gave my first name and the last name so they called him Charlie Cree that would be senior so then after that we began and that’s how I became Jesse Cree but those are our English names and with that name we had to have that name to be baptized by the Catholic Church so but anyway the last we we go by Cree names and Chippewa names it all depends who was named before like both of my grandfather’s were named after being like little boy or young man in the Indian language so one was named had a Cree name and one had a chip on him but they were both brothers so it didn’t really matter if you had a Chippewa premium but he bought Blood Brothers but anyway Jesse creates my name that I would be called because of the Catholic religion you

Resource text

NDNAEU Alignment:

Source materials

Supplied transcript documents. Text and transcription uncertainties are preserved as supplied.