The Ice Hole

interlinear text by Thomas A. Seboek

English Translation

This text comes from an Ediphone (wax) cylinder recorded sometime well prior to 1945. In that year it was forwarded to Indiana University to be transcribed. A native Hotcâk speaker, Stella Stacy of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, listened to the text three times, then repeated it from memory. The text was slightly redacted by Alvin Stacy, who described it as "archaic" and "awkward." [1]

Expressions appearing in brackets, [ ], are supplied by the editor (Richard Dieterle).

p. 168 --

Higû´hayninegì hap'énîk wa'û´âhírejè. Hirarextcîgàdjâ wirá
In the morning early they got there. In a little while [the] sun

haghép hujé. 'Égi Pû´zakexétenâkà homâkíni
comes up [to start] coming. And Big Sand visit

hahí wa'û´hirejé. Hitcawîra wejé, "Hénâ
over there they did it. His wife said, "There

nínîgrà hahí hacgugi. 'Egi rex'íjap
little water over there get it. And water bucket

hijâ´ heregíhanianâgà jegûrejè. Manî´regìheregí nûghrágiháp
one he went down with it he did. In winter time chop hole in the ice

hiránâgà niâgû´nâkì. Nûx hoyhábra wajonâzîje.
he did it where they get water. Ice where hole is piled up around edge.

'Édja nâzábre hiánâgà. Nûx hoyháp
There slip he did it. Ice in the hole

'édja howireje. Rohâ´ 'édja mâtcíwa'û´nâkí.
there he went in. Lot there camping.

Hirorugwédja nûxhoyhàp hitcanejâ 'édja hahiághepce.
Some distance from it ice hole another one there he came out there.

'Edja hiské niâgwa hiregádjâ hadjáyreje.
There some went after water [when] they did it they saw him.

"Pejé'e djaninéje?" higáyregi. Weje, "Pû´zagexètega
"Who he belongs to?" they called it.* He said, "Big Sand

*this can also be translated as "they said."

heníhanà." 'Egi 'edja kérehahírejè. Jegû´
my brother." And there they took him over. [So]

wâ´gnâkà hâké xabníje.* Jegû'epa** hâtáginâtc
that man not say nothing. From then on he fasted

*xap, "to speak, be companionable"; ní, "not"; -je, sentence terminator.
**Sebeok concludes the previous sentence with this word, when it should probably initiate this sentence.

djirejé. Tcegédja wirarotcâ´djegà warû´tcs'áje.* Hahíjigé
he did it. When all was new** at noon time [he used to] eat. All day long

*Sebeok has S'aje as the initial word of the next sentence, translated as "day goes on"; however, it is also a suffix meaning "he used to ..., he would ..." and probably goes with the last word of this sentence (warutc).
**more idiomatically translated as "first," "the first time."

hâhâhehis'áje. Hahi'ûdja'û 'îhâp nâjé. Jegû'ûdjes'àje.
night comes. Fasting overnight [he spent the] night slept. He [would] keep on doing it.

Hoycip* Pû´zakexetenâkà hakarakiju 'unihejè.
All the time Big Sand he was with him keep doing it.

*Sebeok has this as the last word of the previous sentence, but spatio-temporal words usually begin a sentence and verbs usually end them, although there are exceptions.

English Translation

Source:

Thomas A. Sebeok, "Two Winnebago Texts," International Journal of American Linguistics, 13 (1947): 167-170; Text I -- Vision Quest, 168.