Hotcâk Text -- Hare Steals the Fish

narrated by Jacob Russell

translated by Richard L. Dieterle


The MS is a phonetic text with all diacritical marks in place, written in a very clear hand, probably by Oliver LaMère, who is listed as the (prospective) translator. The text is untranslated. It is double-spaced in order allow the insertion of an interlinear translation. There are six such lines to a page, and the text takes up only about a half page of space. Each page is numbered by twos, suggesting that the missing page was intended to be devoted to an English translation.

Brackets '[ ]' indicate uncertain translations.


English Translation


p. 27 --

Hâhâ´
hisuñgédjî,
Wacdjíñge
nec'áñkdjone.
"Hâhâ´,
Well
younger brother,
Hare
[you should be attentive].
"Well,



kuniká
hidégeniwahàra
huiníniñkwahàra
wajâ´
wagigúñzikdjanènâ.
grandmother
my uncles
my aunts
someone
will come to their aid.


Égi
kuniká
mâ´na
piâ´'uñkdjanènâ."
Égi
And
grandmother
arrows
I will be going for."
And


édja
haininégi
niñgé
howárecgùni.
Hinuñgera
there
in the morning
place
he went for it.
Women


honihéjâ
dokánañga
édja
mináñkcanâ.
"Nikadé!
a gang
big and
there
it sat.
"Say!


p. 29 --

tcanikérecge
egináñkcanâ
hiñgiságikdjawìnâ."
Giságirecgùni.
fawn
[it is nearby]
let us kill it."
They killed it.


"Niká!
hîsgíñgire.
Égi
hîwapî´jukdjàwinâ.
Niká!
[An expression of surprise]
[we are heavy].
And
let us fix it.
Niká!


jesgékdje."
Édja
wapîjurecgúni
gadjâ.
let us make it so."
There
they fixed it
.


Wak'î´nañkcgùni,
"Ho,
de-orárogicgùni.
Hitcûcgéniñkàxdjî,
[They were saying to one another],
"Ho,
this [is lean meat].
Our dear nephew,


hatcî´ndja
wacúruse
kuniká,
hiwañgéwahàra,
wamáñginùnâ.*
whenever
[he is the one to carry]
grandmother,
my sister-in-law,
he steals something.

*cf. maginunâ, "to steal".


Kuniká
wanañgí
horuxórodjèra*
huñkáraik'ùne."
Grandmother
she has said
the scaled fish
you give them back to me."

*given what is said below, this must mean ho, "fish," ruxóro, "peeled (scaled)."


p. 31 --

Hókawaxúkcguni.
Miñgoñkcgúni.
Kunika
He put on something.
He sat down.
Grandmother


ráxotcaboìpcire.
Miñgoñkcgúni. 
Howajácguni.
Hinuñgenóñka
ashes [she strew about].
He sat down.
He was sick.
These women


hadjírecgùni.
Hidokénîcànañgre
hitcûcgéraga
they came.
From which old women
the nephew
big


gagi
ajúwira
wamaíñginûwigùni.
Hihawínâ,
"Wanâ´!
[once ?]
[the thick ones]
[he seems to have stolen.]
They said,
[an expression of surprise]


hitcûcgénihàra
howajákcanâ.
Niká!
dóra
hisgécanâ
our nephew
he is sick.
Niká!
big ones
some


hok'uñkdjáwinâ."
Hanâtc´
hisgécanâ
hók'ûnecgùni.
Rohâ´
let us give it to him."
Everyone
some
they gave it to him.
Many


p. 33 --

dóra
hanidjínañgwicgùni.
Karaírecgùni.
Ho,
karaíregi,
big ones
they grabbed.
They started back.
Ho,
when they went home,


kikáwa'ûcgúni.
Jegû
hiránañga
warúdjera
he arose.
Thus
they did, and
the food


tcû´hirecgùni.
Kúnika
pîhagádjâ.
Hainegi
jigé
they took.
Grandmother
[thought it was good].
In the morning
again


djíkerecgùni
hotcintcíniñgra.
Rohâ´
édja
uañkcgúni.
he started out
the boy.
Much
there
[he was doing].


Howapághinañkcgùni.
Kúnika
hakdjá
kerecgúni.
He speared fish.
Grandmother
back to
he went back.


Tciédja
gicgúni.
Hokaraík'ûcgùni.
Hidjá
howárecgùni.
To the lodge
he returned.
He gave it back to her.
There
he went back.


p. 35 --

Hidjáhigi
róhâ
wapóghirecgùni.
"Kodé,
hîsgiñgerenâ.
When he got there
many
they were speared.
"Kodé,
I am heavy.


Égi
híwapijukdjàwinâ,"
é,
jegû
hadji-ákarairecgùni.
Well,
I shall store them away,"
he said,
so
he started back.


Wakínañkcgùni
hóra.
Tci-édja
gicgúni.
"Kuniká,
He strung them together
the fish.
To the lodge
he returned.
"Grandmother,


ho
hániañkirinâ."
"Waná-â
hidégeniñkwàraga
fish
I have brought back with me."
"[An expression of surprise]
your little uncles


wamânagiconogùni."
"Dokéniñk
wac'ác'unàñgere
t'ewahánâ.
[have been stolen]."
"The old woman
that is speaking
I am going to kill.


p. 37 --

Kuniká,
hosgéwahénâ,
hidégeniñgwahàra
wamáñginùnâ.
Kuniká,
Grandmother,
it is not so,
that my little uncles
have been stolen.
Grandmother,


édja
hahuhaírenâ,
wanáñghi."
"Hórughoròdjera
húñkaraik'ùne
there
they are coming,
ghosts."
"The scaled fish
you gave back to me


hokaraík'ûcgùni."
Hokawaghukcgùni.
Miñkcgúni.
Kúnika
raxótc
give it back to them."
[He strung the fish on a line.]
He sat down.
Grandmother
ashes


haboipcíre.
Raxódja
habópcicgùni
howajákce.
[she strew about ?].
Ashes
[she strew about]
for his sickness.


Migañkcgúni.
"Hidokéniñkcánañgre,
hitcûcgéraga
ho
He lay down.
"The old woman who is sitting,
your grandson
fish


p. 39 --

gagí
hakcúwira
wamaíñginûwicgùni."
"Waná-â,
once
[lying upon their stomachs]
[he stole]."
"Waná-â,


hitcûcgéniñkhàra
howajákcanâ."
"Kodé,
hisgéwe.
Kodé,
my little grandson
he is sick."
"Kodé,
[it is so].
Kodé,


hisgécanâ.
Hok'uñkdjàwinâ,
hodjá
hisgécanâ."
Hok'ûnecgùni.
it is true.
Let us give them to him,
since
it is true."
She gave them to him.


Hakaraírecgùni.
Kikáwa'ûcgùni.
"Kunika
méjegû
hirànañga
The two went back.
He got up.
"Grandmother
[right now]
they did it and


warútc
kînécana
gadjâ."
"Hitcûcgéniñkàxdjî,
hañkagá
food
they made
."
"My dear little grandson,
not


p. 41 --

hinûbóhôna
wamánuniâ`dje."
"Kúnika
híwarudjènâ.
the second time, the next time
it will not be stolen."
"Grandmother
I am going to eat.


Yarége*
wa'únâ."
"Jesga
núnige
hitcûcgé
I think
it is done."
"But
but
grandson

*the letter /y/ has been crossed out and the letter /i/ written above it. An initial /y/ is more usual than an initial /i/.


hañké
pînínâ
wanânúnâ."
"Hañké
hinûbóhôna
not
it is good
to steal something."
"Not
a second time


'uniâ´dje.
Kuniká
hisgé
wacénâ
Hicdjañgé,
will I do it.
Grandmother
truly
you have spoken.
Now then,


jénuñga
wamânúnañkdjènâ."
an end to
to going to be stealing."


English Translation


Source:

Jacob Russell, Stories from the Trickster and Hare Cycles, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Winnebago III, #14, Freeman #3893 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) 27-41. Phonetic text only.