Minnie & Kay's Cree Library: Introduction
Tahnsi! Welcome to our free digital library for Rocky Boy Cree materials! Minnie & Kay’s Cree Library is an online resource hub for free educational Cree language materials from the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, Montana. The creators of the website and materials are Chippewa Cree elder, Minnie Big Knife, and her granddaughter, Kaylene Big Knife. This project began with the generous support of Spirit Aligned Leadership fellowship, a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating the lives, voices, and dreams of Indigenous elder women who heal, strengthen, and restore the balance of Indigenous communities. With Minnie’s Cree language knowledge and Kaylene’s graphic design skillset, the duo collaborated closely with the Rocky Boy community to craft culturally appropriate, relevant, and deeply impactful Cree language resources.
As many Cree speakers and learners may attest, the Cree language is a vast family of alphabets, pronunciations, grammar, and all the wonderful elements that make up a community’s language(s). These variations of the Cree language may also be referred to as “dialects,” and the Rocky Boy Cree language is classified as a Plains Cree dialect or also known as the “y-dialect.” However, Rocky Boy families have passed down different ways to say words and phrases in Cree, and we’ve been told there are multiple dialects (somewhere between 3-4!) found in Rocky Boy alone! Working with multiple Rocky Boy community members and resources, Minnie & Kay’s Cree Library recognizes, respects, and cherishes the variety of ways to speak Cree.
For learners and fluent speakers alike, there is no single “right” or “wrong” way to learn or teach—only meaningful ways of keeping the Rocky Boy Cree language alive. We’re all on this learning journey together! As Chief Rocky Boy and Chief Little Bear envisioned, true learning comes best by supporting one another, rather than by debating correctness. By honoring every voice and every variation, we ensure the Rocky Boy Cree language continues to grow and flourish for generations to come. Together, we carry as much of the Cree language as we can into the future—like our ancestors.
The heart of this library is purely to share, and on behalf of the Big Knife family, we gift these Cree learning resources to Rocky Boy and the surrounding communities. All materials are free to download and use for personal and educational purposes.
Enjoy and visit often, as the library will update with new materials!
Free Rocky Boy Cree Language Resources
Contact Us
Get in touch if you have any questions! We welcome any ideas for future Cree language material development, including collaborative projects!
Use this form or directly email us at: hello@minnieandkay.com
