As an Elder once said, "Learn one Cree word a day for 100 days, and emerge a different person." In 100 Days of Cree , Neal McLeod offers us a portal into another way of understanding the universe--and our place within it--while demonstrating why this funny, vibrant, and sometimes salacious language is "the sexiest of them all" (according to Tomson Highway). Based on a series of Facebook posts, the 100 short chapters or "days" in the book present a chain of related words, some dealing with the traditional--the buffalo hunt, the seasons--and others cheekily capturing the detritus of modern life--from Internet slang to Johnny Cash songs to Viagra. The result is both an introduction to the most widely spoken Indigenous language in Canada and the opportunity to see the world, and ourselves, in another way. " Cree is Canada's most widely spoken Indigenous language, with over 100,000 Cree speakers from coast to coast. And a new book from University of Regina Press, 100 Days of Cree, is looking to bring the vitality of modern-day Cree into full focus. The book is the brainchild of Neal McLeod, a poet and educator based in Saskatchewan. McLeod took a crowdsourcing approach to the project, connecting with other Cree speakers on Facebook with the aim of both gathering classical Cree vocabulary and creating words related to modern-day life. The result: entries that run the gamut from the seasons and the buffalo hunt to Star Wars adages (tâpwê mamâhtâwisiw awa means "The Force is strong with this one"). To McLeod, honouring the history of the Cree language was imperative. "Some of us no longer have grandparents - mosômak and kôhkomak - who can guide us in the process of learning language and stories," he writes in the book's introduction. "We need the stories and philosophy to drive and fuel our understanding of the language. It is by a collective effort that we can bring the power of the echo of the voices of the Old Ones, and the old stories, into the contemporary age." At the same time, the gathered terms in the book look to the future generations of Cree speakers: "Terms were developed for things such as internet use and computers, demonstrating the great flexibility and adaptability of the language. It is hoped these gathered terms will offer something to the new, large, emerging generation of Cree speakers, in whose minds and bodies the future of the language now rests." Oh, and in case you're wondering: "I Walk the Line" is kwayask ê-pimohtêyân. " ― New Cree vocabulary book includes Star Wars, Johnny Cash references " The University of Regina Press, located in Saskatchewan in western Canada, is a relatively new publisher: it was launched in spring 2013, out of the ashes of the decades-old Canadian Plains Research Center Press, the university’s former publisher. But the press has already established itself as an important force for Canada’s aboriginal cultures, aiming to bring new life to endangered languages. June 2 marks one year since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its initial report, which offered 94 calls to action to repair the country’s relationship with aboriginal people, referring to this part of Canada’s past as “cultural genocide.” For instance, the report includes stories of children who were beaten for speaking their native languages in government- and church-run residential schools. To help address this history of oppression, this June URP will release a book titled 100 Days of Cree by Neal McLeod, a professor at Trent University and a poet. The nonfiction book is divided into 100 themes and offers Cree words and English explanations for everything from traditional subjects such as powwows and medicine to modern subjects such as Facebook and Star Wars. It also includes a guide to pronunciation written by Arok Wolvengrey, a linguist and the author of a Cree-English dictionary. “When we think about indigenous languages, there’s a part of us that thinks they’re dying languages, ” URP publisher Bruce Walsh said. “And then this manuscript comes in that demonstrates a living, vital language.” McLeod said that he and Wolvengrey worked to keep a balance between traditional usage and modern adaptations. “To revitalize our languages, we have to do two things: we have to document the classical terminology, because within that terminology are all of our metaphors and idioms; but we also have to think of how to put old words together, to coin words, to describe the contemporary world.” According to Walsh, in addition to publishing scholarly books, he aims to publish “cool, fun, playful, and accessible” books that appeal to young people. That’s why URP plans to also publish a word-a-day Cree book later this year, as well as a mobile app on the language in spring 2017. Cree has more native speakers in Canada than any other aboriginal language―about 83,000, according to 2011 census data―and there are dozens of other native languages at a greater