575: The missionary on Loch Winnipeg 575: An Soisgeulaiche air Loch Winnipeg

B1 - Intermediate - The Little LetterB1 - Eadar-mheadhanach - An Litir Bheag

Litir shìmplidh sheachdaineach do luchd-ionnsachaidh le clàr-fuaime, tar-sgrìobhadh is eadar-theangachadh. A simple weekly letter to Gaelic learners with audio, transcription and translation.

Tha an litir bheag ag obrachadh leis an fhaclair. Tagh an taba ‘teacsa Gàidhlig’ agus tagh facal sam bith san teacsa agus fosglaidh am faclair ann an taba ùr agus bidh mìneachadh den fhacal ann. The little letter is integrated with the dictionary. Select the tab ‘Gaelic text’ and choose any word and the dictionary will open and you will see the English explanation of the Gaelic word.

Audio is playing in pop-over.

Gaelic & English Text Teacsa Gàidhlig & Beurla

An Soisgeulaiche air Loch Winnipeg

Gaelic Gàidhlig

Mìcheal Newton – ‘Seanchaidh na Coille The Memory-Keeper of the Forest’ – cruinneachadh le litreachas Chanada ann an Gàidhlig. Tha eachdraidh aige mu dheidhinn miseanairidh Clèireach air Loch Winnipeg. Chan eil mi cinnteach a bheil e fìor gus nach eil. Ach tha e a’ riochdachadh mar a bha an creideamh ùr a’ toirt buaidh air na dùthchasaich.

Bha fear de theachdairean an t-Soisgeil a’ siubhal air Loch Winnipeg. Bha Innseanaich ga aiseag ann an canù. Bha e ann an cabhaig. Dh’iarr e air na h-Innseanaich a dhol dìreach bho rubha gu rubha. Bha sin cunnartach. Cha robh aca ach eathar a bha air a dèanamh de bhèilleag.

Dh’èirich stoirm. Dh’amais iad air eilean beag. Bha còignear Innseanach ann mu-thràth. Cha robh grèim bìdh aca. Thug an soisgeulaiche biadh dhaibh – an aon uiread do gach duine. Bha ochdnar anns an eilean.

Lean an stoirm. Air a’ cheathramh latha, cha robh biadh air fhàgail. Bha fear de na h-Innseanaich math air iasgach. Lùb e prìne air chumadh dubhain. Fhuair e pìos de ròp agus bìdeag de dh’aodach dearg mar bhiadh. Leis an uidheam-iasgaich sin, thug e iasg gu tìr.

Thug na daoine an treas cuid dhen iasg don t-soisgeulaiche. ‘Chan e sin an dòigh as fheàrr air a roinn,’ ars esan. Thug e sgian a-mach. Gheàrr e an t-iasg na ochd mìrean dhen aon mheudachd. ‘Bidh an aon uiread againn uile,’ ars esan.

An làrna-mhàireach, dh’fhàs an t-sìde na b’ fheàrr. Dh’fhalbh an dà bhuidhinn.

Mìosan an dèidh sin, nochd còignear Innseanach anns a’ bhaile bheag far an robh an soisgeulaiche a’ fuireach. Bha iad ag iarraidh dachaigh a thogail ann. Cha robh an soisgeulaiche gan aithneachadh. ‘Carson a tha sibh ag iarraidh sin?’ thuirt e.

‘Is sinne na fir air an do roinn sibh an t-iasg air Loch Winnipeg,’ arsa fear dhiubh. ‘Nuair a chunnaic sinn mar a rinn sibh, dh’aithnich sinn gur e duine math a bha annaibh. Tha sinn ag iarraidh gun ionnsaich sibh dhuinn an dòigh ùr.’ Bha iad a’ ciallachadh le sin – an creideamh Crìosdail. Beannachd leibh.

The missionary on Loch Winnipeg

English Beurla

I was telling you about Michael Newton’s book - ‘ Seanchaidh na Coille The Memory-Keeper of the Forest’ – a collection of Canadian literature in Gaelic. He has a narrative about a Presbyterian missionary on Lake Winnipeg. I’m not sure if it’s true (or not). But it represents how the new religion was affecting the native people.

One of the messengers of the Gospel was travelling on Lake Winnipeg. Indians were transporting him in a canoe. He was in a hurry. He asked the Indians to go directly from headland to headland. That was dangerous. They only had a boat that was made of birch-bark.

A storm arose. They aimed for a small island. There were already five Indians there. They had no food. The missionary gave them food – the same amount to each person. There were eight people on the island.

The storm continued. On the fourth day, there was no food left. One of the Indians was good at fishing. He bent a pin into the shape of a hook. He got a piece of rope and bit of red clothing as bait. With that fishing tackle, he landed a fish.

The people gave a third of the fish to the missionary. ‘That’s not the best way to divide it,’ he said. He took out a knife. He cut the fish into eight equal pieces. ‘We’ll all have the same amount,’ he said.

The next day, the weather improved. The two groups left.

Months after that, five Indians appeared in the village where the missionary was living. They were wanting to build a home there. The missionary didn’t recognise them. ‘Why do you want that?’ he said.

‘We are the men for whom you divided the fish on Lake Winnipeg,’ said one of them. ‘When we saw what you did, we recognised that you were a good man. We want you to teach us the new way.’ They were meaning by that – the Christian religion. Goodbye.

Gaelic TextTeacsa Gàidhlig