Hotcâk Text -- Journey to Spiritland, Version 5

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake


The following are Greek letters used as morpheme abbreviations in Radin's original text. The Culture of the Winnebago: As Described by Themselves can be used as a kind of Rosetta Stone for interpreting their values:

alpha
beta
gamma
rho
tau
upsilon-dot
égi
édja
giji
ánâga
gíji
-nîk

[6]
[9]
·|
|
-
X
-xdjî
-jâ
-kdjané
-nâ, -ra
-nâ, -na, -ra
wâkcig


In the interlinear text where the translation is missing, it has been supplied whenever possible from the English text of The Road of Life and Death (see Source below) and from The Culture of the Winnebago: As Described by Themselves. Where a missing translation has been supplied from other sources, it is enclosed in brackets, [ ].


Key --
First Row
"raw" text from Paul Radin, Notebook Winnebago III, #1: 165-166.
Second Row
revised text based on the revised MS text of Winnebago II, #1: 185, and the typed version of Winnebago II, #5: 203-204.
Third Row
English translation based on the interlinear text of Winnebago III, #1: 165-166, and the published translations of The Road of Life and Death (RLD).


English Translation


Winnebago III, #1: 165 = Winnebago II, #5: 203 = Winnebago II, #1: 185.18
[X]oîna
rudjúrocguré
jedjaíñ[6]
p'a
rahîbí[·|][-]
Wâkcigo'îna
rudjúrocguré
jedjaî´xdjî
pa
rahîbíkdjanenâ.
Life
to fall to pieces*
[that far]
[far]
you'll get to.
*at the top of the page with a line connecting it to this word, Radin adds, "to die of old age".


Mañk'áni Nágu[-]
hirokíkonográ
wacúrutcaípdjane[·|]
sániñgoicáro[-]
Mâk'áni Nágura
hirokíkonográ
wacúrutcaípdjanekdjanenâ.
Sánîgoicárora
The Medicine Road
the staff
you'll get hold of.
On the right side


wókonacgé hu[-]
nâp
uorusépdjî
[beta´]
dje[·|´][-]
wókanácge hurá
nâp
worusépdjî
édja
djekdjanéra.
the frog's leg*
handling
blackened
[there]
you will stand.
*Radin's original entry in the translation line is "[frog's leg]" with the brackets. Above this is written the word "tree", and below it is written "name of plant".


[alpha]
sániñgoiratcg[beta´]
nâ´huñg[-]
waxcúdj[-]
hára
Égi
sániñgoiratcgédja
nâ´huñgera
waxcúdjera
hára
[And]
on the left
the chief-tree
the red cedar
the bark


ruconí[6]
[beta]dje[·|´][|]*
nâp'uórusep
[alpha]
jeé
ruconíxdjî
edjadjekdjanénâ,
nâp'uórusep.
Égi
jeé
smoothened
[it will be standing there,]
[blackened by handling.]
[And]
[this]
*this entire sentence, Égi sániñgoiratcgédja nâ´huñgera waxcúdjera hára ruconíxdjî edjadjekdjanénâ, is omitted from both Winnebago II, #5: 203 and Winnebago II, #1: 185.19. In the latter two copies, the next sentence begins, nâp' wórusep. However, the sentence is translated in RLD 171.


wacurutcápgi,
wakonacge
hura
hâ´bi[-]
rut'ekdjî
wacurutcápgi,
wakonacge
hura
hâ´bira
rut'ekdjî*
[when you take hold of it,]
[frog]
[the leg]
life
imprinted
*Winnebago II, #1: 185.20 and Winnebago II, #5: 203, have hâbirut'ékdjî and hâbirut'ék'djî respectively.


Winnebago II, #5: 204 --
c'agihiwahíwi[-]
hirokíkenok
waníne[gamma´],
hâbirut'ékdjî[-]
[beta][-]k[gamma´]
c'agiwahíwira
hirokíkanâk
waninegiji.
Hâbirut'ékdjîna
edjanâ´kiji,
[our ancestors]
staff
theirs.
Imprinted with life
[as it sits there],


wacurutcaíkdjanéga
ere[|]
hirónigúine[-]
c'agwáraga
wacurutcaíkdjanéga,*
erenâ.
Hironigúinera
c'agwáraga,
[when you take hold of it,]
it is.
That they wished for you
your ancestors,
*the revised texts dropped the /cu/ ("you"), resulting in the mistranslation, "they helped to imprint the tree with light and life was they seized it ..." (RLD 171).


hatcíndja
c'agiahíwi[-]
wocgô´
p'î´hi[-]
'uañgeré[upsilon´]
hatcî´dja
c'agiwahíwira
wocgâ´
p'îhíra.
Wâgerégi
[where]
[our ancestors]
[rite]
[that it was done well.]
Up above


mâ'úna
homi[÷]e[÷]í
k'uñhâ
[beta]
Mâ'úna
hominâ´genâki
k'ûhâ´
edja
Earthmaker
where he dwells,
below
[there]
earth


nígé[÷]k[gamma´]
jee
[beta]
hagi'u[÷][2]
dj[rho]
nígenâkíji,
jee
edja
hagi'unâ´kce.
Djánâga
[after they sat someplace,]
[these]
[there]
they are.
All


Winnebago III, #1: 166 --
wocgô´
p'îhíra
hicgé
[beta]
hirónikaragúine[|]
wocgâ´
p'îhíra.
Hicgé
édja
hirónikaraguínera
[rite]
[that it was done well.]
[Also]
[there]
[?]


hîgaíre[-]
ehé
hagagasé[9]
nigé
hirohége[upsilon-dot]
hîgaírera
"Ehé,
hagagaséjâ,
nigé
hirohégenîk
[that they say to us,]
"O my,
[will it ever be such,]
[part]
less than was expected*
*Radin has in the translation line, "[a little less]". Connected to it from the top right of the page by a line is, "hirohégeniñk = always means less than what was expected".


haigé
hiraírege
waigi'u-inenáguni.
haigé,"
hiraírege
waigi'úinenáguni.*
I might do,"
they thought,
it is why they did it for me.
*the revised texts have waig'úinàguni.


Source:

For the original handwritten interlinear text, see Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago III, #1: 165-166; for a handwritten phonetic text, see Winnebago II, #1: 185. A typed phonetic text is found at Winnebago II, #5:203-204. A loose English translation is also given in Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 171.