Speech of Chief Poundmaker (pîhtokahânapiwiyin)

I only want to speak once. Everything that is bad that has been laid against me this summer, there is nothing of it true. This summer what I have worked at is the Queen, the country that belongs to the Queen that has been surveyed; that I have been working at this summer. This summer, when my relations, my brother countrymen and white people, when they met each other, and until such time as they fled, when I saw all this going on, I took all their arms from them and went and gave along with these.

I did everything to stop bloodshed. If I had not done so, there would have been plenty of blood spilled this summer, but now as I have done that much good, whatever sentence you may pass on me, why of course, pass it. Do with me whatever the sentence may be.

I said I was only going to say a little. So I have said all that I had to say, only I am glad that I stopped where there would have been a great deal of blood spilled, and now that I have done so, I am glad for that. I will have to suffer for their sakes, that I have saved the lives of so many. So I shake hands, gentlemen, with the whole of you.

–Speech of Chief Poundmaker (pîhtokahânapiwiyin) after his sentencing at his trial, 18 August 1885. Translated on that date from Cree into English.

pēyakwāw poko ninohtē-pīkiskwān. kahkiyaw kīkway kā-atāmēyimikawiyān ē-māyātik anohc kā-nīpihk, namakīkway ēkota tāpwēwin. anohc kā-nīpihk nitatoskātēn kihci-okimāskwēw askiy kā-tipiyihtak kākī-tipāpayihikātēk; ēwako ē-atoskātāmān anohc kā-nīpihk. anohc kā-nīpihk ispīhk kā-nakiskātocik niwahkomākanak nīci-askiyewaysiyinīhākanak ēkwa moniyāsak ēkwa iskohk kā-tapasēcik, nimasaskonāwak opāskisikaniwāwa ēkwa ni-nitawi-mīkin asici ōhi.

īsi-kaskihtāyān ni-kakwē-nakānēn mihko ka-sīkihtik. kīspin ēkāya ēkosi kītōtamān, mistahi mihko kā-pahkīhtin, māka āta ēkosi ē-isi-miyo-itōtamān, pokwēsīsi wī-itasiwāsiyēk sōskwāc itasiwāsik. poko animīko ē-wī-itōtawiyēk.

ē-kī-itwēyān apisis poko ē-wī-hayitwēyān. anima kā-nohtē-itwēyān nititwān āsay. nitakahkiyēhtēn ē-nakinamān ita mihko kakī-misi-sīkihtik, ēkosi ē-itotamān, nitakahkiyēhtēn. nika-kitimahikawin wiyawāw ohci māka mistahi nipaspīhāwak mistahi ayisiyiniwak. ēkosi kahkiyaw kitatamiskātināwāw.

pihtikwēhānapiwiyin opīkiskwēwin mayaw ē-kīsi-asiwātiht August 18, 1885.