Hotcâk Text -- The Father of the Twins Attempts to Flee

collected by Sam Blowsnake

English Translation

p. 2.98 --
Hakoréjâ
wâ´ktcane
hinîkúahira
wan`âk'árak'ewejé.
Finally, at some time ahead, after awhile
this man
his own sons
he was afraid of them.

p. 99 --
Kiásiktcehíreje.*
'Éki
haíniki
nâk'ík'ararèki,
kiázoa'û´jé.
He would run away from fright.
And
next morning
when he went to hunt,
he ran away in fright.
*the /s/ in this word is written above an original /z/.

Hâpséretci
nâkcé.
Hoxtcánâkiji,
hîtckéxtciki,
mâ´wojúra
All day long
he ran.
In the evening,
when he was very tired,
his quiver

nâija
'étca
hawaxî´[...]hitcéhiánaka*
'étca
nâjé.
a tree
at
he leaned and
there
he slept.
*the diareses mark what appears to have been the letters /k'u/ with the /u/ scribbled out. The apparent /k/ appears to have been overwritten.

p. 100 --
'Éki
Wanaghínik'a
weje,
"K'oté
Warorá,
And
[Little Ghost]
he said,
"Say
[Flesh,]

hi'â´tcraka
wâkánâk'ewénâ.*
Kiázwa'û´nâ,
wajonîraré,"
'ejé.
your father
he is afraid of us.
He ran away in fright,
when he went hunting,"
he said.
*just before this word, /rowó/ has been crossed out.

'Éki
Wanaghínik'a
wejé,
"K'oté,
hi'â´tcraka
And
[Little Ghost]
he said,
"Say,
your father

p. 101 --
k'íriktcánènâ.
Jeské
p'îâ´ki'ûktcanénâ.
'Eki
wa'û´jé.
he will come back.
Thus, so
I will do good for him.
And
[he did it.]*
*in the English line the following words have been crossed out: "I'll fix him so".

Hihinû´panaka
tc'âkétca
mârá
wakaxránaka
tc'iróketca
He went out and
outside
the ground
he marked it and
at the rear of the house

nâîja
nâjíki
'étca
hirak'ére
wakáxcé.
a tree
which stood
there
it reached
he marked it.

'Éki
hoxtcánâ´kadja
hâk'é*
k'irinîje,
wajónîra.
And
that evening
not
he did not come back,
the hunt.
*the initial /h/ is written above a crossed out /w/.

p. 102 --
Jekú
nâ´îreje.
Haínireki*
hik'î´rekatca,
tc'âkédja
nâhuítcetca
But
they went to sleep.
Next morning
when they awoke,
outside
at the foot of the tree
*the syllable /ni/ is inserted in small letter above the line by a caret.

hip'e'iánaka
mâwojúra
'étca
hawaxîk'eré*
anaka
he put his head there and
his quiver
there
it leaned
and
*an /a/ is written above an original /o/ in the first syllable.

'étca
nânâkce.*
'Éki
ruxî´kire.
"Tcakû´'û
there
he was sleeping.
And
they shook him.
"Why
*/ana/ is crossed out and /e/ written above it.

p. 103 --
hâk'é
horaík'awánaka
ranâ´nî´je?"
hikaíreje.
'Éki
not
you come inside and
you did not sleep?"
he said to him.
And

wejé,
"Mânk'anûnîke*
s'iréki
hak'irínâ,
hî´tckextcînâ.
he said,
"Because I got lost,
late
I came back,
I was very tired.
*below an original mâ´nûnî´, is written mâk'anûnî.

'Éske
jekú
'éki
hanâ´nâ´,"
'ejé.
So
anyway
here
I slept,"
he said.

'Étca
wâ´knâ´k'a
jiké
hitcaíra
hinikwahíra
There
that man
again
more
his sons

p. 3.1 --
wanâk'éweje.
Jeské
hireje.
"Hinî´kwahara
wap'ak'â´nâk
he was afraid of them.
Thus
he thought.
"My sons
powerful

wa'û´nâk'atca,
'û´nak'û´
wajá
hîkickâ´îrektcarèkatca,"*
hiréje.
[as they are it,]
[in time]
something
they are going to hurt me,"
he thought.
*the second /re/ syllable is written above an original /nî/ which has been crossed out.

Jiké
haíniki
wajóninarèki,
hâpséretc
nâkce.
Again
next morning
when he went hunting,
all day long
he ran.

Kias
wa'û´je.
Hîckéxtcîki,
hoxtcâ´nâ´ki
'étca
To run away scared
he did it.
When he became very tired,
in the evening
there

p. 2 --
nâxá
xetéra
hihákétca
mîkcé.
"Tc'onícke
fallen tree
big one
on top
he lay.
"Before

mâî´tca
hamî´krá
mârá
wakaghiránaka
hitcá
on the ground
I lay
the ground
they marked it and
there

haktcá
kíhîkikíre,"
hirejé.
"Nâxá
hihákréki
back
they made me come,"
he thought.
"Dead tree
on top

p. 3 --
hamî´k'í
je'éji
hitcâ´ktcâ´rekatcâ,"
hiréjé.
'Éki
if I lie,
and that
it might be different,"
he thought.
And

Wanaghínik'a
wejé,
"Warorá,
hi'â´tcrakà
hiskéxtcî´
Ghost
he said,
["Flesh,]
your father
really

wakanâ´k'ewenâ.
Jiké*
kíásana.
Horuákra**
k'irí
he is afraid of us.
Again
he fled.
Once more
to come back
*just before this word, hije has been crossed out.
**the /u/ has been inserted here by a caret.

p. 4 --
hakikíktcanènâ.
'Éki
hok'ít'anaka
hazóhí
nîké
I will make him.
[Then]
we talk it out and
carefully*
somewhere
*this can also mean "to take one's time".

howák'erektcénâ,"
'ejé.
'Éki
jiké
mârá
he can go back,"
he said.
And
again
the ground

wakaxiránaka
tc'i
hiwusû´tcetca*
nâxaíjâ
mîk'í,
they mark and
house
close by
a dead tree
[as it lay,]
*the text assimilates the /hiw/ at the beginning of this word with the previous word by sandhi.

'étca
hirák'ére
wakaxcé.
'Éki
hâhéki
there
to reach to that point
he marked.
And
that night

p. 5 --
nâ´îranaka
haínikatcâ
te'éwérak'i
nâxá**
hiakétca
they slept and
next morning
[unexpectedly]*
dead tree
on top
*the English interlinear line has, "this one, odd ?", the question mark being Susman's. The Hotcâk word is the familiar dewéraki.
**an initial /m/ has been crossed out and /n/ written above it.

nânâ´kce.
Jiké
ruxíkirèje.
"Tcakû´'û
hâk'é
he lay asleep.
Again
they woke him up.
"Why
not

tc'iétca
horaik'áwanaka
ranâ´níje?"
hikaíreje.*
in the house
you come inside and
you did not sleep?"
they said to him.
*/je/ has been written above /nâ/, which has been crossed out.

p. 6 --
Wejé,
"Hinî´khaxtcíwîra,*
tc'aíjâ
hakútcrá.**
Huétca
He said,
"Sons,
a deer
I shot.
In the leg
*/nâ/ has been crossed out and /ra/ written above it.
**what appear to have been the letters /je/ have been crossed out and a small /c/ (for tc) written above them.

ha'órá,
boacijra.*
T'eharaíra
harí
tuxénâ,
I hit,
I broke by shooting.
[In order to kill him]
far
I ran after,
*the letters /boa/ where written above an original initial /wa/, but were crossed out. These same letters, however, were rewritten above the cross out, but in small letters.

jegú
t'ehíra
tuc'ákcana.
'Éske
s'íhanihénâ.
but
to kill
I couldn't do it.
So
I went for a long time.

Jekú
'éki
háuâ´nâ´,"
'ejé.
'Éki
So
here
I slept,"
he said.
Then

p. 7 --
wakaíreje,
"Hiap'érezatcâ´winâ
nâ'îrak'áwike
rakiáz
nâcíratcènâ,"
they said,
"We know
because you were afraid,
you fled
you wanted,"

hikaíreje.
'Éki,
"Woreíjâ
ha'û´wa'ûatcáwînâ.
Hak'û´ratcektcanaháwinâ,
they said to him.
And,
"A work
we are doing.
We ourselves keep doing it,

tcatcâ´
ha'ûtc'epawiki,
tuctcâ´kcanahawi.
'Éki
hâk'e
until
when we finish,
we quit.
And
not

p. 8 --
nâîrak'áwininân`â.
Hâk'e
ne
wajá
nîki'û´nîhatcénâ.*
you should not be afraid of us.
Not
you
anything
we can't do it to you.
*the text has newajánîki'û´nîhatcénâ as a single expression.

Wajâ´
t'ewahatcâ´winâ.
Cicíkirèki
wa'ûhâtcáwinâ.
'Éki
Something
we killed them.
[As they were bad,]
we did it to them.
And

hazóhi
nîké
horowárak'aranâ´
nîké
howátciwitce.
easily, without trouble
[the place]
you can travel back
where
you came from.

p. 9 --
Hi[..]cúnunâ.
eórawarak'aranânâ.
'Étcaki
wâkcik
c'inâ´nâ´.
[?].
You can go back there.
Therein
man
he can live.

'Éki
te'éji
mânákre
hanâtc´
wa'û´ktcanaháwinâ.
And
but we
around the earth
all
we will do it.

Wokûzrèki
tcakû´
hâk'é
p'î´nîneki,
t'éwaháktcenáwinâ.
In creation
what
not
if it is not good,
we will kill it.

'Éske
rak'érekí,
'îrék'i
howeha'ûwinâ.
Hik'ik'úruk'ânâ.
So
if you go back,
alone
we will go around.
We will run ourselves.

p. 10 --
'Éki
wâknâ´k'aka
wejé,
"Hinî´k'haxtcî´wîra,
hiské
Then
the man
he said,
"My dear sons,
what

wacáwínâ,
hâk'é
p'îni
hánâ.
Nuwâxáwa
you said it,
not
it is not good
I did.
I hid myself

hakiáz
nâ'ira,"
'ejé.
"Hiníkhaxtcî´wina,
haip'înâ.
I ran away
I tried,"
he said.
"My dear sons,
I like it.

p. 11 --
Tc'inâk´
hok'ánakwira
hak'tcawawák'erektcanénâ.
Hakí
'étca
Village
putting in
I am going back.
To arrive back*
there
*originally, the English read, "I arrive (going) back there", but "I" and "there" have been crossed out.

ha'ûktcánera.
'Ejí
hinî´khaxtcî´wîra,
'Tcaskéxtcî´
hinî´kwahará
I will do it.*
But
my sons,
'How very
my sons
*above -era is written, ahera. The syllable /ra/ was crossed out by rewritten above it. Below the syllable /ra/ is written, "(subord.?)". Where the English free translation should be, we have "ra - (you let me do this)", and below that is written, "ha'ûktce 'éna[,] he told me to do it".

hirániheki?',
yarektcanènâ.
Ho'ûp'îkíji,
hîraíctcawicunúnâ.
Haíniki,
they are doing?',
I will think.
If you do well,
you should come down to see me.
In the morning,

p. 12 --
hazóhíxtcî
hak'érektcanénâ.
Wajá
nîkra
wák'araniké,"*
I will take time
I will go back.
Things
the small
I am taking my own,"
*after /k'ara/, an original /i/ has been crossed out. The terminal /é/ is written above a crossed out /a/.

'éje.
Nâka
'éki
haíniki
k'érektcanéki
he said.
After that
[then]
in the morning
when it was time to go

wakaíreje,
hi'â´tchírera,
"Nîctcatcéktcanâháwinâ,"
hihaírenâ.
they said to him,
their father,
"We will come and see you,"
they said to him.

p. 13 --
"Hakaíracana,
tc'irá
wakiwatcéktcanâ´háwinâ,"
"Every once in a great while,
the house
we'll come,"

hikaíranaka,
k'érejé.
they said, and
he went back.

Source:

Amelia Susman, Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, May 29 - Oct. 10, 1938) Book 2.98-103, Book 3.1-13.