Hotcâk Text -- The Fatal House

The Fatal House

narrated by Philip Longtail (Sîtcseretcka), Buffalo Clan
interlinear translation by James Owen Dorsey

Reproduced with the kind permission of the
National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

In this redaction much of Dorsey's orthography has been altered to conform with his later standards which were inherited by Paul Radin. The following changes have been made:

l	vowel + superscripted n	q	c with subscripted x	k with subscripted x
r	vowel with circumflex	x	j	g

p with subscripted x	s with subscripted x	t with subscripted x	tc with each letter having a subscripted x
b	z	d	dj

Notes by the editor (Richard Dieterle) are indicated by "--RD." Question marks in parentheses, sic (?), are those of Dorsey, all others mark uncertain readings.

IV.1 --

Édja	nâ	kíkûnúñk	-i	tcí	-jâ	nañk	s'á	ckúni.	Wañk-núniñg	-ijáñgi
There	wood	to cut into large poles with an ax	by means of	house	one	sat	always	perhaps.	Old man	one

-ra	édja	tci-náñk	s'á	ckúni.	Hâp-gá	waré	ra	û´	dje	s'á	ckúni
the	there	he dwelt	always	perhaps.	Every day	work	the	he did	standing	always	perhaps

Wañk-núniñg	djegá	djé	-warúdi	-ra	nûpiwí	nihí	ckúni.	Egí	hagoréjâ
Old Man	the std.	ox, cow	there who pull	the	two	he owned	perhaps.	And	at one (past) time

Wañk-núniñg	-rá	we	ckúni:	nâ	-kíkûnuñk	-i	tcí	-jâ	kikû´	ktcâné	e
Old man	-the	he said	perhaps:	wood	to cut into large poles with an ax	out of it	house	one	he made it for himself	will	he said

ckúni.	Egí	wañk-núniñg	-rá	waré	djiré	ckúni.	Hâp-gá	û	djé	s'á
perhaps.	And	old man	the	to work	he began	perhaps.	Every day	he did	standing	always

ckúni.	Egí	hágoréjâ	nâ	-rá	hirúctcâ	-wáhi	ckúni.	Égi	hágoréjâ
perhaps.	And	at one (past) time	wood	the	ready	-he caused them to be	perhaps.	And	at one (past) time

tcé	-ra	waí-cke	ckúni.	Jegû´	-he	ánañgá	nâ´	harúdi	ré	ckúni.	Hâp-
oxen	-the	he put a yoke on them	perhaps.	So	-he did	after	wood	to pull along	he went	perhaps.	Day-

gá	jegû´gû	dejeské-hi	djé	s'á	ckúni.	Égi	hagoréjâ	nâ	-rá	hinâ´
every	so (in that manner)	he did just this way	standing	always	perhaps.	And	at one (past) time	wood	the	he made so

IV.2 --

hi	ckúni.	Egí	gadjáñga	tci	kikû´	tciré	ckúni.	Gadjáñga	wañk-nû´-
r?ough	perhaps.	And	at length	house	he made it for himself	he began	perhaps.	By that time	a man very

xtcî-níñk	ckúni.	Hiñké	hitcáwî	tcû	ní	ckúni.	E	warútc	kik'û´
old man	perhaps.	Not	his wife	he had one	not	perhaps.	He	food	he made for himself

s'á	ckúni.	Égi	hágoréjâ	tcí	-ra	k'û	tcebí	ckúni.	Egí	hagá	hâp´
always	perhaps.	And	at one (past) time	house	the	made	he finished it	perhaps.	And	one time	day

régi	tci-édja	hakirí	miñg	-anañgá	wawéwi	wañk	ckúni,	tcowédja	wawewí
time	at the house	he had come home	he was lying down	-when	he was thinking	he lay	perhaps,	in front (= of the ?future)	he was thinking

wañk	ckúni.	Égi	hiraréxtcîníñk-gadjâ´	nâ	-kikû´nuñk	--hitcí	-ra
he lay	perhaps.	And	in a very little while	wood	-out of large poles	house made of	the

tcutcuá	ckúni.	Égi	wañk-núniñg	-rá	nawâ´	tciré	ckúni.	Égi	ractcâ´
made ?weak and ?ready to ?break and fall	perhaps.	And	old man	the	to sing	he began	perhaps.	And	he stopped singing

gadjâ´	Mâ-û´	-ra	kikarátc	ckúni.	Égi	hiraréxtcîníñgadjâ´	nâ	-kikû´núñk
when	Earthmaker	-the	he prayed to him	perhaps.	And	in a very little while	wood	out of large poles

IV.3 --

-hitci	-rá	xanârá	tciré	ckúni.	Égi	wañk-núniñg	-rá	hai-séwe
house made of	the	to fall ----, with all the logs together	it began	perhaps.	And	old man	the	he was covered up

ckúni.	Dée	hoc'édjâ	heré	na.
perhaps.	This	end	it is (identical with)	.

English Translation

Source:

Phillip Longtail , "The Fatal House," text with interlinear translation by James Owen Dorsey, 4800 Dorsey Papers: Winnebago 3.3.2 (Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution, National Anthropological Archives, October and November, 1893) IV.1-3.