Crane and His Brothers
Hōcąk-English Interlinear Syllabic Text
(1) They say that Crane was gong about there. While he was going about there, he saw his younger brother. They say that he said, "Heye! Kora, my dear younger brother, here you are going around," he is likely to have said. "Koté, my younger brother, (2) I think that henceforth we should live together." "This winter, alright, so it is, it's decided." "Hišją́ge, so we will do it." When it was so, they afterwards lived there together. (3) And they have said that the younger brother was truly a successful hunter, it is said.
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| Andrea Westmoreland | |
| Sandhill Crane |
When they were living there, thus travelers came to them, (4) it is said. "Heye! Korá, this one, Crane, is living here," they said to him. "Yes, here I am living. (5) My younger brother kills often, and I am eating well here," he said to them. And they said, "Koté, then, Crane, where shall we live? Now you have not told us, (6) so we can't build lodges now." "Koté, just live anywhere over there, there is land to be told of," he said to them. So again they said to him, "Koté, Crane, then bring us some fire," they said to him. (7) Therefore, he took some to them, they say. And again they said to him, "Inasmuch as your younger brother is such a good hunter, then what is it that he seeks to kill?" they said to him. He replied, "What would he kill? (8) He is killing only raccoons. Some I would also boil, and some again I have set up to dry," he said to them. And those who were there said, "Bring about two from there, if you go there, and also boil them. (9) And again also the others as well, bring them along," they said among themselves. It is said that this is what they did. They came to take food away from them, they say.
(10) At one time, in the evening, the younger brother came home. When he got home, when he returned with something killed, hurriedly Crane went after water. As he was going after water, they saw him. Again they said to him, "Heye! Korá, (11) what is Crane going for again, perhaps it is he. Then he replied to them, "My younger brother has brought home a kill, and I am going to boil it, so I am after water for myself is why I'm doing this. He also brought some raccoons that he killed (12) that I have laid away covered inside by the door, and then I've come again." "Go over there and take it away from them," they said to themselves, it is said. So they went there, and took away the meat from them.
(13) When Crane got back, they themselves had already done it, taking this meat from them, it is said. So they say that they did without their evening meal. They say that again in the morning, that younger brother had started out to go hunting for something. (14) It is said, they they did without their morning meal. What fun it is that this always happens. Again in the evening, that younger brother brought home game, they say. Therefore, Crane again took his pail, and was going along in a noisy way, it is said. (15) Again they asked him about it. So they told him, they say. "Yes, my younger brother has brought game home, and so I'm going to boil, and what I'm doing is going after water," he said to them, they say. Therefore, they came again to take it away from them, but now he was worn out, it is said. (16) The reason is that they had not been eating for a long time. They had always come to take their food away from them.
In time, finally that younger brother said, "It's time, older brother. I think that we should run way to somewhere else," he said. (17) When it was [suggested], Crane liked it. Therefore, in the morning, that younger brother went to look for a place to live, it is said. In the evening he came home. He brought back a little raccoon. Consequently, Crane again went after water. (18) While the others never went anywhere. Therefore, they were always watching them, it is said. Therefore, when he was going after water again, they saw him. They say that they asked him again. He told them. (19) So they came to take it away from them, it is said. When he got back from getting water, this little raccoon was gone.
And that younger brother said, "My older brother, if we live here, we will die of starvation. I have found a fine place to live. (20) I think that we ought to move there," he said. Inasmuch as it was so, the older brother answered, "Yes," it is said. So the younger brother planned out how it will be, they say. When the day came, then when they were to escape, (21) that way they themselves would go. The younger brother said, "My older brother, over this way is a grove. That woodland was beautiful and clear. It was a fine dwelling place. My brother, let me be the first to go, and then you can start behind me. (22) Carry only the pails," he said, and, "do it in such a way as to hide our tracks, so that they won't find us," the younger brother said.
So Crane's younger brother went home. Later on, he also packed his pails, (23) and started to make his tracks untraceable, as he had instructed him. So there where they lived there was a hill opposite them, and there he repeatedly went over, he would again come back into view, they say. While acting that way, they saw him. (24) They say that again they asked him. He told them, "Yes," it is said. "Whenever my younger brother kills, you are taking them away from us. Consequently, he said that we should go elsewhere. He told me to make a trail hard to track, therefore I am hiding my trail, thus I am doing." (25) While he was going back and forth all over the hill there, he was talking, they say. It is said that when he was still going back and forth there, evening came.
Then in the evening, then when they were to go, then he left, they say. (26) The story is that while doing thus, this one, his younger brother, reached it. He readied a little lodge, and prepared a meal, and while his brother was waiting, his older brother came there. There, then, it was the first time that they had eaten. (27) They had not eaten for a long time. When they were done eating, they once again reached them, those who had been abusing them. So they had run away. "Hiye! Crane, so here you are living, I think." (28) "Yes, here we are living," he said to them. "And now Crane, you can point out to us where we are going to live." (29) "Kote, the land has plenty of room, you do not have to let go of wherever you want to live," he said to them. They hailed him, "Crane, bring us some fire!" they said to him. (30) So he brought them some. There they lived.
Again in the morning, Crane's brother went hunting. However, in the evening, he had made a kill. He had killed a small raccoon and brought it home. (31) Crane went after some water for himself. He was going to boil for himself. "Crane, why are you going about?" they asked him. "I am going to boil for myself. You have taken them from us. He had killed three of them. (32) One we have left lying in sight, one we have left lying covered inside next to the door, and the third one we have hidden in back of the lodge inside," he said. "Let us go there and take them away from him," they said to one another. [(33) And they came and took all three of them away from them.
So in the morning, the younger brother went out again to hunt. They followed him. Again he had killed a little raccoon. They said among themselves, "Let us beat him and take it away from him," it is said. So they clubbed him, and seized his kill. The younger brother returned home. His older brother said,] (34) "You have come home?" Unexpectedly, his brother had almost been killed. That beloved little one had gotten himself covered in blood. He got angry, and said, "They've gone too far! Truly, because we took pity on them, I have not punished them for anything. (35) "How they will realize it!" he said.
He went over there. He arrived there. He ran in, and there one of them was sitting. He clubbed him to death. Three of them he treated in this fashion. One of them went out through the opening above. (36) That was the only one that he did not kill. He lit upon a tree, and an owl began to hoot. "O, o, o!" it hooted, it was uttering. "You mean, ugly thing!" he said. "Kindly, out of pity, [I treated you, but] you behaved badly. If I tried to kill you, I could do it. (37) I wonder what would human beings would call ho’o’oke (hoot owls) then? I have not killed you. Wherever you see a person, you will be fleeing vigorously. You will live in want. (38) The only time that you will eat is when you kill a mouse," he said to him.
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| David Hemmings | Louis Agassiz Fuertes | |
| The Barred (Hoot) Owl (Strix varia) with a Mouse | Eastern Screech Owls (Megascops asio) |
Then he came back there to his younger brother. "Hąhą́, my dear younger brother, I could have done this before, but you were afraid. (39) Long ago, I couldn't have done this to them. And I have not done right, I have done wrong. I have killed my younger brothers, and never in the future will we live together again. As so, you will be wherever you want. (40) It is not good. The Creator did not create us for this, to be together," said that Crane. His younger brother Screech Owl was small. Therefore, they went in different directions from there. (41) In the beginning, they had lodges. It is only through the actions of Crane that they alone have survived, it is said.
Thus far, it is done.1
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| Louis Agassiz Fuertes | |
| Various Peją́ra |
Commentary. "Crane" — in Hōcąk, the word for crane is peją́. However, this word denotes not just cranes, but all large wading birds, including herons and egrets as well. How natural this concept is can be seen in the inset at the right where the non-Hōcąk artist, Louis Fuentes, groups together precisely this set of birds in his painting.
"travelers" — as revealed later in the story, these visitors are Barred Owls. Concerning their migrations, Robbins says,
Little is known of movement of Barred Owls from area to another. Two individuals banded in southern Wisconsin have been recovered in Illinois: one moved 40 miles in 6 months, and one traveled 200 miles in 4 years.2
"raccoons" — as we discover as the tale unfolds, Crane's younger brother is a Screech Owl (Megascops asio), and the demanding visitors are Hoot Owls, also known as "Barred Owls" (Strix varia). Raccoons are on the menu for both species.
The answer to the question “Do owls eat raccoons?” is a resounding yes. Several species of owls have been observed preying on raccoons in the wild, including great horned owls and barred owls. These birds of prey are apex predators and are capable of taking down prey much larger than themselves. The diet of an owl is heavily influenced by its geographic location and available prey. In areas where raccoons are abundant, they may become a regular part of an owl’s diet.
Great Horned Owls are the most common owl species known to prey on raccoons. However, Barred Owls, Barn Owls, and Eastern Screech-Owls are also known to eat them.3
Screech Owls are very small, so they are only able to hunt down immature raccoons, or as expressed here, wake nįgᵋra, "little raccoons."
"his brother had almost been killed" — it is interesting to note that the visitors, later identified as Barred Owls, do from time to time, attack Screech Owls, the kind of owl with whom the younger brother is identified. "They [Barred Owls] will also hunt a variety of bird species and have even been known to kill and eat screech owls."4 So violence tendered by Barred Owl to their brother the Screech Owl is well documented. That Barred Owls would suggest themselves to a mythographer as highly aggressive owls is not surprising given that "... juvenile barred owls are known to occasionally dive-bomb and attack humans, particularly those with long hair in a bun or ponytail. Although attacks are typically more surprising than painful, barred owls do have very sharp talons and beaks, which have been known to draw blood on some occasions."5
"the opening above" — this is the smoke hole, an opening at the top of the lodge shielded by a hood. It is designed to evacuate the smoke from the fire situated at the center of the lodge.
"ho’o’oke" — in English, this is known as the Barred Owl (Strix varia). The -ke in this word indicates a kind, type, or species. Here, then, we have the "ho’o’o species." The apostrophe (’) indicates a glottal stop (as in "uh’oh" or "uh-oh"), making the /o/ in each of its occurrences distinctly voiced. So the initial part of the word is an imitation of the slightly longer quadripartite call of the Barred Owl. This recalls the alternate name of the Barred Owl — the Hoot Owl, which is also imitative, although less precisely so than it is in Hōcąk. Here is a set of calls made by this owl:
English speaking people in America describe this owl's cry as sounding like, "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?" However, this is imitated better by Hōcąk ho’o’oke, ho’o’oke! This makes the Hōcąk word truly onomatopoeic.
"you will be fleeing" — the Barred Owl is very aversive to humans: "Farther north, in addition to wooded bottomlands owl frequents dense strands of maple-beech hardwoods far removed from human disturbance. Occasionally a stray bird comes into a residential neighborhood, perhaps attracted by a garden rabbit, but it soon retreats to more secluded terrain."7 This is in marked contrast to the Barred Owl's opponent in this story, the Screech Owl.
These birds prefer large, old deciduous trees near the outskirts of residential areas. ... The observers who have the best success in locating these mysterious little featherballs are those who play tape-recorded calls in wooded residential neighborhoods, city parks. or college campuses during early evening or early morning hours. ... Kenosha had 21 Screech-Owls in 1973. Madison's count rose to 23 in 1982 and soared to 75 in 1984, 81 in 1985, and 106 in 1987 as the numbers of counters increased.8
"my younger brothers" — Crane now presents the Barred Owls as his brothers. They once lived together in the same habitat, but after this incident, nevermore. Quite unexpectedly, the Barred Owls rather strangely have something in common with the Peją́ra wading birds. It is rather comical to image these owls as wading birds, yet, "They may perch over water and drop down to catch fish, or even wade in shallow water in pursuit of fish and crayfish. Though they do most of their hunting right after sunset and during the night, sometimes they feed during the day."9 So on occasion, they wade into the water like a Crane to take a crayfish or even a small fish. There are other relationships between Peją́ra and owls: the Chief of the White Cranes is the grandson of a hįca owl. This kind of owl is probably the Great Horned Owl. Wears White Feather on His Head is the Chief of the White Cranes, and is identified with the brightest star in the firmament, Sirius. Peją́ra are birds of light, and the opposite of the owls, who are nocturnal. The Nightspirits, who sow darkness across the sky at sunset, are the natural allies of the owls. The Peją́ra are said to have pocked the faces of the Nightspirits with their sword-like bills, creating the stars with which these birds are identified. These birds of light frustrate the objective of the Nightspirits to darken the sky. So it is little wonder that the Peją́ra are both kindred and oppositional to the owls.
"Screech Owl was small" — the word translated as "Screech Owl" is Hį̄hą́hą. Both Miner and Hōcąk Hoit’e Ra (perhaps following Miner), translated this as "Short-Eared Owl" (Asio flammeus). However, in this story, the Short-Eared Owl cannot be what was intended, as it is described as "a medium sized owl," whereas the Screech Owl is nįgižą, "a small one." Is the name imitative? Here is the "whinny" call of the Eastern Screech Owl from Wisconsin:
Eastern Screech Owl "Whinny" Hoots10
Whether this can be expressed by hį̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄į̄ hą-hą, I leave to the judgment of the reader. However, it is most definitely not imitative of the call of the Short-Eared Owl, which is a more typical hoo-hoo-hoo.
Comparative Material. ...
Links: Crane, Owl, Bird Spirits, The Redhorn Panel of Picture Cave. An American Star Map.
Stories: featuring cranes as characters: How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Spirit of Gambling, Bladder and His Brothers (v. 1), Wears White Feather on His Head, The Blessing of a Bear Clansman, The Story of the Medicine Rite; in which owls are mentioned: Owl Goes Hunting, The Spirit of Gambling, Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, The Glory of the Morning, The Chief of the Heroka, Partridge's Older Brother, Waruǧábᵉra, Wears White Feather on His Head, Keramaniš’aka's Blessing, Old Man and Wears White Feather, The Annihilation of the Hocągara I, The Green Man; about Bird Spirits: The King Bird, Bird Origin Myth, Bird Clan Origin Myth, Wears White Feather on His Head, Old Man and Wears White Feather, The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, The Thunderbird, Owl Goes Hunting, The Boy Who Became a Robin, Partridge's Older Brother, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, The Foolish Hunter, Ocean Duck, Earthmaker Sends Rušewe to the Twins, The Quail Hunter, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Hocąk Arrival Myth, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Trickster and the Geese, Holy One and His Brother (kaǧi, woodpeckers, hawks), Porcupine and His Brothers (Ocean Sucker), Turtle's Warparty (Thunderbirds, eagles, kaǧi, pelicans, sparrows), Kaǧiga and Lone Man (kaǧi), The Old Man and the Giants (kaǧi, bluebirds), The Bungling Host (snipe, woodpecker), The Red Feather, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Waruǧábᵉra, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Black and White Moons, The Markings on the Moon, The Creation Council, Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, Earthmaker Blesses Wagíšega (Wešgíšega), The Man Who Would Dream of Mą’ųna (chicken hawk), Hare Acquires His Arrows, Keramaniš’aka's Blessing (black hawk, owl), Heną́ga and Star Girl (black hawk), The Stench-Earth Medicine Origin Myth (black hawk, kaǧi), Worúxega (eagle), The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men (eagle), The Gift of Shooting (eagle), Hocąk Clans Origin Myth, Hawk Clan Origin Myth, The Hocąk Migration Myth, Blue Jay, The Baldness of the Buzzard, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster (buzzards), The Shaggy Man (kaǧi), The Healing Blessing (kaǧi), The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth (kaǧi), Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Įcorúšika and His Brothers (Loon), Great Walker's Medicine (loon), Roaster (woodsplitter), The Spirit of Gambling, The Big Stone (a partridge), Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, The Story of the Medicine Rite (loons, cranes, turkeys), The Fleetfooted Man, The Journey to Spiritland (v. 4) — see also Thunderbirds.
Themes: brothers meet by chance and decide to lodge together: Trickster Gets Pregnant, Turtle's Warparty, Porcupine and His Brothers; a Bird Spirit escapes his pursuers through the smoke hole of his lodge: The Markings on the Moon; someone kills his own kinsman: The Chief of the Heroka (wife), The Red Man (wife), Worúxega (wife), The Man Whose Wife was Captured (v. 2) (wife), Bluehorn's Nephews (mother), The Green Man (mother), Waruǧábᵉra (mother), Partridge's Older Brother (sister), The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother (sister), The Were-Grizzly (sister), White Wolf (brother), The Diving Contest (brother), The Twins Get into Hot Water (grandfather), The Chief Who Shot His Own Daughter (daughter), The Birth of the Twins (daughter-in-law), The Woman's Scalp Medicine Bundle (daughter-in-law), Snowshoe Strings (father-in-law); the fruit of the hunt is stolen: Porcupine and His Brothers, The Spotted Grizzly Man, Old Man and Wears White Feather, White Wolf, The Brown Squirrel; a spirit avenges the ill treatment meted out to his younger brother: Porcupine and His Brothers; a schism develops between one clique of brothers and the oldest and youngest pair: Įcohorucika and His Brothers; someone tries to throw an adversary off his track by making countless tracks leading everywhere: The Green Man, Hare Kills Wildcat (v. 2).
Notes
1 Paul Radin, "The Crane," Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) Notebook #48.(syllabic text with interlinear translation); Winnebago IV, #8e: 1-5 (typewritten English translations, two versions, 5 pages each).
2 Samuel D. Robbins, Wisconsin Birdlife: Population & Distribution Past & Present (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1991) 343b.
3 Vince S., Learn Bird Watching > "Do Owls Eat Raccoons? The Surprising Truth!", viewed 1 April 2024.
4 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission > Barred Owl.
5 Science World > Charlotte Swanson, "Top 5 Birds Most Likely to Attack You This Spring," May 2, 2021.
6 Original recording: xeno-canto > Niels Krabbe, "XC433223 - Barred Owl - Strix varia.mp3". Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0. This file has had its background hiss and other extraneous noises removed in Audacity.
7 Robbins, Wisconsin Birdlife, 343a.
8 Robbins, Wisconsin Birdlife, 336b, 337a-b.
9 Cornell Lab, All About Birds > Barred Owl > Food. Electronic Text, viewed: 6 April 2024.
10 Original recording: xeno-canto > Niels Krabbe, "XC690687 · Eastern Screech Owl · Megascops asio". Recorded by Wisconagus, 2020-10-24, in Glendale, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0. This file is a short excerpt with its background noise removed in Audacity.
