Hotcâk Text -- The Completion Song Origin

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake


English Translation


p. 135 --
Mâxi
wâgerégi
tcoré
[h]adjanâ´gwire,
édja
[Sky]
[up above]
blue
that we see,
[there]


p. 136 --
wak'aî´tcuna
sgaxdjîjâ*,
c'ak
wanâdjodjaî´sgera
nâdj wodjâgíji,
[Wood Spirit]
[a very white one,]
[ancestor]
[the poor one]
he pitied,
*the interlinear text indicates the termination in the indefinite article -jâ, which is omitted in the other two copies.


"Wâkcigé,
nâdjonidjánâ.
Wajâgû´zera*
hâbirukónaxede**
hîgû´sanâ.
"Human,
I bless you.
[The Creator]
in charge of much life
he created me.
*just before this word, mâ'úna ("Earthmaker") has been crossed out.
**this is the interlinear version. The copied versions have, hâb hirk'óna xede.


Hâ´bera
nâdjirónidjánâ,
higûk'íni
s'ira
ghákcanâ,
[Light and Life]
I bless you,
inasmuch as
long
you have cried,


iwust'érak'inâ.
Wâkcigé
Hâp
djanerécge
dudjanánâ.
to thirst yourself to death.
[Human,]
[Light and Life]
even
I bless you.


Wâkcígera,
hagaréjâ*
hijâ´
hâbirok'aragúinanâga
égi
The people
sometimes
[one]
one they wished life for, and
then
*for hagaréjâ.


honihánina
hic'ûgícge,
wâkcígo'î
hirorágû
wacegíji,
my [breath]
if you use even,
[life]
you used for it
if you desire,


jesgékdjanenâ,"
éje,
aírera.
"Honihára
e
[thus it will be,"]
[he said,]
[they say.]
["The breath]
[it]


tcât'î´
wahekdjáwira.
Wíruhintc
hi'unánihekdjanègi,"
éje,
[it is visible]
[we will sing.]
Life-engendering greetings*
they will forever use it,"
[he said,]
*from the English translation in the Road of Life and Death.


aírenâ.
E
tcât'î´
hiyahikdjáwira.
(Hiraisûdjera)
[they say.]
[It]
[it is visible]
[let us go.]
(Completion Song)


Source:

The original interlinear MS is found in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago III, #1: 103-104; a handwritten phonetic text is found at Winnebago II, #1: 128-129; its typed version is at Winnebago II, #5: 135-136. A loose English translation is found at Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 136-137.