Algâkeesi – Early summer

Algâkeesi

Tiervâ! Vyesimáánu lii viehâ ahevis äigi Säämist. Ij lah innig tälvi, mut kiäsán-uv láá vala maŋgâ oho. Ferttee vyerdiđ, et muottuuh já jieŋah suddeh, ovdil ko piäsá vyeijiđ tuolmâmpyeráin! Aainâs-uv kiđđuv lii hitruu keččâđ, maht stuorrâ lodeh kirdeh maasâd mäddin – njuuvčah, čuánnjááh já čuáđgih. Mun laaviim eelliđ naaburijnân, puáris Partas äijiháin, juuvâ kulen tutkâmin, moh luudijd láá jo maccâm tavas. Jáá, lijkkuuh-uv tun mainâsáid? Partas äijih läävee ain mainâstiđ munjin já mun oopâm ain ennuv uđđâ sämikielâ saanijd. Eidu moonnâm oholoopâ muoi eelijm juuvâ kulen já sun mainâstij munjin puáris mainâs kuoškkärigáást. Kuoškkärigâš lii siemin ruškis-vielgis loddááš, mon muoi oinijm juuvâ riddoost ko láim väzzimin pálgá mield. Mun halijdim moonnâđ aldeláá, mut Partas äijih eeđâi, et mun koolgâm ain pissoođ pálgá alne, amas pártáskiđ. Čääci kolgá uáli korrâ sáttoin jieŋâi vyelni. Sun eeđâi, et jis mun koočâm jieŋâi vuálá čáácán, te tot tuálvuččij muu já mun kolmuuččim já hevvâniččim. Lâi hitruu keččâđ kuoškkärigáá Partas äijiháin. Kuoškkärigâš čokkái kaskoo juuvâ keeđgi alne já njuškij čáácán. Talle tot kaačâi pirrâpirrâ juuvâ ponneest já vuordij, et virde puávtáččij toos maidnii maid puurrâđ, nuuvtko kaccuu tâi mááđu tâi čäcitiivre. Partas äijih puáris mainâsist kuoškkärigâš lâi kale uáli läški. Ko sun lâi kooldâid vuojâtmin, te sun tiiptij ustevis pešnirihháá porgâđ puoh pargoid. Loopâst sun monâttij pargoos já tondiet mij ep uáini kuoškkärigáid juuvâ alne keesi ääigi, tuše pešnirihháid. Čohčuv kuoškkärigááh puátih maasâd, ko pešnirihhááh láá varrim máádás.
Kuoškkärigâš lii uáli čeppi vuoijâđ. Mun jiem peessâm vuoijâmškoovlân tijmá ko mun lijjim illávaje. Motomin iärráseh kivsedeh muu, ko mun jiem määti vala vuoijâđ. Enni kale eeđâi, et mun kolgâččim oppâđ, tondiet ko mottoom peeivi tot táiđu sáttá kááijuđ muu. Lii vissásávt hitruu leđe kuoškkärigâš, ko tot máttá vuoijâđ nuuvt pyereest ige taarbâš perustiđ čääsist teikkâ kolmâsist. Mainâsist kuoškkärigâš lâi uáli läški. Muu mielâst tot káččá iäljárávt ponneest pivdemin olssis purrâmâš. Jispa tot lii oppâm liävsuidis?
Tuu ustev Saammâl

 

Early summer

Tiervâ! May is a bit boring in Lapland. It isn’t winter any more but summer is still weeks away. I have to wait for the snow and ice to melt before I can ride my bike! What is fun about our ‘spring’ is to watch the big birds fly back from the south, the swans, the geese and the goldeneye. My neighbour, old Mr Partanen takes me out on adventures to see which birds have arrived on the river. Oh, do you like stories? Mr Partanen tells me stories all the time and I always learn lots of new Saami words. Just last weekend we went to the river and he told me an old story about the dipper. Dipper is a little brown and white bird that we saw down by the river when we were walking on the path. I wanted to go closer but Mr Partanen told me that I must always stay on the path because it would be dangerous otherwise. The water moves very quickly under the ice. He said if I fell through and into the water I would freeze and be carried away by the rapids and drown. Watching the dipper with Mr Partanen was great. The dipper sits on a rock in the river and jumps into the water, then it runs around on the bottom of the river waiting for the stream to bring it something to eat like a shrimp or a worm or a water bug. In the old story the dipper was very lazy though. He let his friend wagtail do all the work while they were working as loggers. He lost his job in the end and that is why we cannot see any dippers on the river in the summer time, only wagtails. In the autumn the dipper comes back when the wagtail has left for the south.
The dipper is a really good swimmer. I missed swimming school last year because I was ill. Sometimes others tease me because I haven`t learned to swim yet. Mum said though that I need to learn because it might save my life one day. It must be great to be a dipper. To be able to swim so well and not have to worry about the water or the cold. In the story the dipper was very lazy. I think he works very hard for his dinner. Maybe he learned his lesson?
Your friend Sammeli