Solomon Ratt, right, stands with Saskatchewan Lt-Gov. Russell Mirasty. (Submitted photo/Brighten Creative Group)

By Derek Cornet

milestone

Respected Cree professor receives Saskatchewan’s highest honour

Nov 23, 2021 | 5:19 PM

Lac La Ronge Indian Band member Solomon Ratt has been invested into the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, the province’s highest honour.

He officially received the award during a special ceremony Nov. 17 with family, friends and colleagues from the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv) in attendance. Ratt was chosen for the outstanding contributions he’s made for the promotion and preservation of the Cree language in Saskatchewan and across the country.

“I was very happy that I was chosen, that I was nominated,” he said. “What is more meaningful to me is I was nominated by former students of mine and colleagues, and that made a world of difference for me because I was nominated by people that I’ve worked with throughout the years.”

In a released issued by the province, Ratt is called universally admired and respected by his students and fellow staff as a mentor and role model. It notes his work has been of vital importance to the preservation of Indigenous languages and has led to a deeper understanding of the province’s history and culture.

Ratt began teaching at FNUniv, which was called Saskatchewan Indian Federated College at the time, in 1984. He became full-time in 1986 and he’s currently an associate professor for intermediate and senior level Cree classes.

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In those early years, Ratt worked with Dr. Jean Okimāsis on the development of resource materials as there wasn’t much available at the time. They also created new classes together to meet the needs of students.

“It’s not just language classes we teach, we also teach literature classes in Cree, how to write stories in Cree,” Ratt said. “We also do Cree linguistics looking at the language as it’s structure and is used in the community.”

When students come into Cree classes, Ratt explained most don’t know much about the language but are interested in learning. He blames the lack of knowledge of Cree due to the impacts of residential schools and the lack of Cree classes in modern elementary and high schools. Ratt’s first language is Cree and it was in residential school where he learned to speak English.

“We were still coming out of the residential school era and a lot of people who spoke the language hesitated to speak the language,” he said about when he began teaching in the mid-1980s. “They didn’t want to speak Cree because of the fear of getting punished because they were in the residential schools. We had a lot of Cree speakers who were shy to talk the language, which is different today. Those people who speak the language, proudly speak the language.”

Outside of FNUniv, Ratt educates the public using his Cree Language Videos Facebook page, as well as contributing to the Cree Literacy Network, which provides learning materials at no cost. In 2019, Solomon was a co-recipient of the Code of Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit and Metis Young Adult Literature for his work on translation for the book Inconvenient Skin / Nayêhtâwan Wasakay.

In the future, Ratt would like to see the Cree language used in more social settings. He said there are many events where Cree speakers are dominate and the language could be used at hockey games, gatherings, bingos, dances and more.

“That needs to be done in our communities,” Ratt said. “We have to use our language proudly when we gather together.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno