Learning Cree helps this dental hygienist connect with and treat her patients

Vanna Blacksmith · CBC News

· Posted: May 23, 2025 5:24 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A non-Indigenous dental hygienist in the bluish Quebec community of Waskaganish is learning Cree successful an effort to pass much efficaciously with the radical she serves. 

For the past six years, Camille Poirier has been filling her notebook with Cree words, sentences, and phrases.

"I deliberation that makes a quality due to the fact that they cognize that you're determination for galore reasons, not lone for work, but besides to connect," said Poirier, who is primitively from the Gatineau, Que. and Rockland, Ont. area.

Poirier began moving successful Waskaganish aft graduating from university.

What was intended to beryllium a impermanent presumption became a caller location for Poirier and her family.

"I wanted to link much with the diligent like, and I find that with the connection you tin link with the idiosyncratic due to the fact that they recognize you better," said Poirier. 

At the daycare, Poirier recovered that astir children spoke Cree and the aforesaid with her teenage patients, leaving her to  often rely on translation.

"When I asked them a question successful English, they ever asked their parents successful Cree. So I was like, I privation to inquire them truthful they tin reply me," she said. 

Communication is not the lone extremity Poirier had.

"So I was like, OK, however could I marque them person much spot successful me?" said Poirier.

"So I started to larn a fewer key words. First I learned apaa st'uin so to unfastened their mouth, chipaah st'uin, close your rima and I would accidental akaawii aahchii, dont move, or brushoo chiitihpit anchiish, did you brushwood your teeth today?" 

Learning Cree also helped her connect with those astir her. 

"The unit astatine the dental session were speaking together, laughing, and I wanted to laughter with them, I wanted to cognize what they were saying," said Poirier.

Having learned Cree, Poirier tin present recognize and enactment successful her colleagues' conversations and laughter.

"So present I'm ever saying them. 'Be careful. I understand'," she said.

Poirier is not the lone 1 learning to talk Cree, her two-year-old girl is picking up the connection with her peers successful daycare. 

"She speaks to maine similar 'aashtam, aashtam mommy' and she accidental 'namui' erstwhile I inquire her to bash something," said Poirier.

Aashtam means come here, which contrasts with the toddler's existent favourite word, namui, which means no.

Her toddler present recites her daycare snack clip supplication astatine location earlier supper, among different phrases she has learned.

Having lived successful Waskaganish for astir 7 years, Poirier present considers it home. She actively engages successful assemblage traditions specified arsenic goose plucking and fishing, and she crafted her archetypal brace of moose fell moccasins there.

"I consciousness similar I'm portion of the community, and I consciousness accepted. I'm truly blessed astir it due to the fact that I truly wanted to beryllium here," said Poirier.

She said she is inactive learning and wishes to proceed expanding her knowledge, adjacent beyond the pages of her book.

"I cannot accidental that I'm fluent successful Cree, but I would accidental that I manage," she said.

"I privation my publication to beryllium full."