Solomon Ratt Appointed to the Order of Canada

Solomon Ratt, a retired Associate Professor of Indigenous Languages at the First Nations University of Canada, was appointed to the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon. Solomon was honoured on June 27, 2024, for his tireless dedication to the preservation and revitalization of the Cree language through teaching, teaching methods, and literacy materials.

Solomon was an Assistant Professor of Cree language and literature at the FNUniv for over 30 years. Through his work, he’s inspired thousands of students and community members across the country.

His work has been essential to keeping the Cree language alive in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

Solomon is from the community of Stanley Mission in northern Saskatchewan. He was born in 1954 in a trapper’s cabin along the banks of the Churchill River. Cree is Solomon’s first language. He grew up learning all the traditional stories in Cree. Despite the challenges he faced, including being sent to the Indian Residential School in Prince Albert as a child, he managed to keep his Cree fluency into adulthood.

Solomon has written and published many textbooks for teaching the Cree language and several books on Cree stories. He’s also prominent on social media, where he is a main contributor to the Cree Literacy Network website and Facebook groups, such as Cree Word of the Day.

Congratulations Solomon! This recognition is well-deserving for all you’ve done and continue to do to preserve and revitalize the Cree language.

Order of Canada 2024 Appointees

Bio courtesy of https://www.pikiskwewin.ca/solomon-ratt