SIX NAY SLANG

It has been brought to my attention that our wonderful readers are not all from my rez and may be unfamiliar with my vernacular. So, to honor those of our readers who do not hail from Six Nay, and in celebration of those of you living away from home I present to you my very own reservation language lesson.

The following is a break down of “Six Nay Slang” into normal Canadian English, paired with some of my personal interpretations. May it help us navigate the waters of the Two Row in peace and harmony.

Note: Six Nay Slang originates from reservation language speakers from many dialects and this language lesson only reflects one of those dialects.

RESERVATION TERMS

[tweetable]Rez- Short for reserve.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Rezzed Out – Looking haggard or messed up, not classy.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Down the Bush – On the reserve.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Back the Bush – In the forest.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Bushed – Stuck on the rez.[/tweetable]

REZ RELATIONS

[tweetable]Cousint – A non-immediate relative of any degree. Warning: DO NOT SNAG![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Snag – 1. Person you are dating 2. Securing a date with someone.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Ever Sick – Gross (i.e. Ever Sick! He snagged his cousint!)[/tweetable]

REZ CONGRATS

[tweetable]Ace One! – Good job.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Ace One Studzy! – Good job buddy![/tweetable]

REZ FOODS & THINGS

[tweetable]Scone – (pronounced skawn not skoan) 1. A biscuit, but better. 2. Indigenous person.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Right on, Scone! – Congratulations, indigenous person! also; Awesome, biscuits![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Mush – Oatmeal or any hot cereal[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Mush hole – residential school located in Brantford, Ontario; so named because the kids had to eat mush every day.[/tweetable]

REZ DISSES

[tweetable]Bwoot – (sounds like soot or foot, but not boot) Human fecal matter.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Bwoot lip – Sulking, pouting. Has nothing to do with poop.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Jih’da – (jeet-duh) Someone who bwoot lips all the time.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Gant – Something that is strange, odd or annoying. (Heck you’re gant)[/tweetable]

REZ RESPONSES

[tweetable]Holayyyyy- To express shock and awe.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Hoh! – Miniature shock and awe.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Init? – Shortened form of “Isn’t It?” used at the end of a sentence. Interchangeable with “Wouldn’t you say?”[/tweetable]. (i.e. Pretty good scone, init?) The Akwesasne/Kahnawake version is “Uh”.
[tweetable]Init though! – “Oh yes, you are right!’ used to confirm.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Oh Heck Init! – ‘Oh no it’s not!’ used to refute.[/tweetable]

REZ DOGS

[tweetable]Bush Dog – Homeless dogs that roam the rez eating bwoot and garbage.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]G’wan, Git! – A phrase usually yelled at a bush dog when it gets into your garbage.[/tweetable]

OTHER REZ SAYINGS

[tweetable]Agi! – Ouch![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Ajoo! – Brrr![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Akwi! – Stop![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Hanio! – Hurry up![/tweetable]
[tweetable]Gwiss – Pig.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Gwissin’ – Eating lots of food. Pigging out.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]No:ia! – (sounds like new year with a british accent ; nu-yah)[/tweetable] 1. Happy New Years greeting 2. trick or treating on New Year’s Day from 9am-noon.
[tweetable]Right out of ‘er. – Drunk or intoxicated.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Right oliver – Really drunk, usually expressed by an inability to walk or speak.[/tweetable]
[tweetable]Hunnert – One hundred. (i.e. He was right out of’er driving a hunnert back the bush!)[/tweetable]

REZ GEOGRAPHY