The video lesson goes online on Monday 21 September 2026. Filmed with Theresa O'Watch of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation. The seven expressions and the printable PDFs are ready to use today, in English and in French.
Captions in English · the printed materials do not depend on the video
Say them out loud. That is the whole lesson.
| Nakoda | Say it like | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ába wašté | / Umm-baah Wah-shtay / | Hello! |
| Dokén yá ų hé | / Doh-ken Yah-oo Hay / | How are you? |
| Dayą́ wá ų́ | / Duh-yah Wah-oo / | I'm fine |
| Né duwé hé | / Neh Do-wehh Hay / | What's your name? |
| Né miyé | / Neh Me-yeah / | My name is ___ |
| Pinámaya | / Pee-nom-my-ya / | Thank you |
| Ąké Wacímnagikte | / Ah-kay Wah-chim-nah-gink-tah / | Goodbye |
The hook is part of the letter. The small open hook under ą, ų and Ą is called an ogonek. It marks a nasal vowel. A word written without its hook is a different word.
This is a language course, not a social studies unit.
Its curriculum home is the Ministry of Education's First Nations and Métis Language Framework, which sets nine steps defined by language level, not by grade level. This lesson is Step 1, which means it can be taught in Kindergarten and in Grade 11 on the same afternoon.
The framework's four goals are Strategies (ST), Language Concepts (LC), Applications (AP) and Culture (CU). Of its three compulsory contexts, Land, Identity and Worldview, this lesson sits in Identity: Who am I?
It also carries Treaty Education, required K–12 across four strands. The closest fit is TPP34: Explore how the use of different languages in treaty making presented challenges and how those challenges impact people today. The proposed Step 1 outcomes and the grade-by-grade Treaty Education links are set out in full in the Teacher Guide.
Nakoda is a Siouan language of the Saskatchewan and Alberta plains.