Hocąk Text — A Miraculously Cured Man Finds His Way to the Prophet

by Stella (Blowsnake) Stacey, a.k.a. Mountain Wolf Woman
transcribed and translated by Sheila Shigley

Stella Stacy (Mountain Wolf Woman)

English Translation

Given that Stella is difficult to understand, the following translation is tentative, and may be modified over time.

 

00:32                  
Že’é wą́k pára kųnų́gnąąką, že’é, gisák hireánąga, mą́hı̨́iyapópox hireánąga, nı̨́éja
And  so man noses those chopped, these to kill* they did, and to stab repeatedly they did, and in the water

* gisák has connotations of a blow to the head.

 

 

  00:44           00:49  
hot'ų́náiren'. Že'e nı̨́éja hocárará nąka hi'éja† hiráixàk'ų. Wažı̨́ža wą̀kižą
they threw him. So there in the water ?* that one thereat while it poured over him. Someone a man‡

* a hapoxlegomenon. For what this word might mean, see the Commentary to the translation.
† xe'eja ? 
‡ not necessarily a human being, as wąk may mean, "male, man, human, supernatural being."

 

    00:52   00:53         00:55.6  
eja, "Heeeeeei! Jágú nį'ų̀že? Jágú'ų̀ éja hišgáinı̨́šge [?] šąnąk? "Jágú š'ų́naoš'ų́rá
there, "Heeeeeei! What it is the matter with you? Why [there] fooling around - you are? "Whyever you're doing

 

 

        1:01      
jagu wárákikųnųnį." hižą́įk èže. "Gają éja, ną́ną́k'ų, raxı̨́gire
what [you're dong,] you've forgotten." the one he said. "And then, when you were asleep,* they woke you up,

* or, "when he was asleep".

 

  01:06         1:11
žeesgíkisgéiže." Giži, "Ahóhó, wažą́ ’óho [’ųho?] gigiránįše."† Ēsgíreže.‡
that's what it seems."* [And then,] "Ahóhó, [something] ’óho you have to give." This is what he planned to do.

* uncertain reading.
† uncertain reading.
‡ ēsge híreže? 

 

    1:14.5     01:17     01:19
Ésgé èže. É hokikít'e wánąkše. "Jágú'ų ké pı̨́nákik'ųnį? Éja
This is what he said. There to talk together they did. "Why not you have not healed yourself up? [There]

 

 

  01:21   01:23        
hožéesgášąnąkže?"* Žá† higéže. Giži ḗsge žéesge hìže. Pı̨́kík'ų̀že.
are you going to remain within that way?" To rub clean he told him. [And] so that he did. He healed himself up.

* < ho-žéesge-hášąnąk-že, from ho-, the inessive applicative suffix: "in, into"; žéesge, "that way"; hášąnąk, "you remain"; and -ze, a suffix expressing hearsay.
† ža means, "to make plain, clear; to rub clean" (Marino).

 

01:26                
"Rórégų̀* haną́c mą́nukųnųkųnųk hireánąga, šíbréšge, hegų, nı̨́xára ešge mą́páražìže.†
"His body all to be slashed to pieces it was, and fallen down, and his stomach [thus] it had been ripped open.

* < róra égų̀.
† < mą́páraš hìže.

 

01:33.8            
Egų nı̨́éjàk* žegų, šíbrá wašáraráigų, hahi nı̨́éja [gožu’o]gųnįgi,
And lying in the water there [thus] his intestines the fat of,† and there in the water [...] he became,

* < nı̨́-éja-àk.
† Miner defines wašará as "supplementary fat between intestines, used for wrapping roast." This should be the omentum.

 

01:39                 01:46
hóǧuą́įcga jíreànąga, hóǧuą́įcga éja, egų,* egų wašį́ rújᵉną̄kše, gáigų. 'Gi’egų†
trying to cough he started, and trying to cough there, and, and fat he consumed, in that way. And so

* éja egų is elided as éjegų.
† < égi-egų.

 

              01:54  
nı̨́xára egų, wašáranąka karáigoǧoǧenąka nı̨́xá-ejokawas* [xjį?]genąką egų, hégų pı̨́kík'ų̀že,
his stomach then, the fat he gathered together where it was dark - and then he fixed himself up,

* < nı̨́xá eja hokawas, meaning "deep in his belly"? 

 

        02:01      
hacı̨́jašąną, hegų higišą́nąnįge'ų pı̨́kík'ų̀že. T'éhireánįhera* higé pı̨́hı̨́ wą̀kšík’į.†
wherever, [still] he was injured, he healed himself. They had killed him and again he renewed his life.

* T'éhire-hánįhera, the second /h/ having been lost through internal sandhi.
† wąkšik-’į or -ho’ı̨́?

 

02:04     02:06.6       02:08.5
Jágú'u [ho]gira[k?], hiróǧéireže.* Eja raxı̨́gireánąga [ǧoe] ų́ną̀kže. Te'é,
Why to tell they did after (behind) him. There they woke him up, and ? they were. These,

* hiróǧéirege?

 

                   
"Jágú'ų̀ ke pı̨̀nákìk'ų̀[nįšųnųn?]," higáiregi, ḗsge žéesge hìže, gają hišjásúrašgeižá, hirásá
"Why not you were not healing yourself?," they said to him, so that he did, but one of his eyes also

 

 

    02:20                  
gijóx ireže,† giží. "Hégų́ ké wàkíkųnųnį, že'é hišjásúra ke pı̨́k'ų́ gają, hiráréxjįgają,
to knock out* they did . "Well, not I have not forgotten, [this] my eye not healed and in a little while

* gijóx, "to break something pulpy by striking it" (Lipkind and Miner).
† the initial /h/ has been lost through external sandhi.

 

                02:35
'géišge* hišjásúra pı̨́ąkarak'ų̀, 'gų†[?] žégųwą́'ųkjera žégų́gų́, hišjásúra‡ ha'ų́kjéra. É
besides my eye I will fix, and then I will have made in that manner my eyes they will be pure. Those

* a front clip of žigéišge (< žigé-hišge, "again also").
† if this reading is correct, it appear to be a front clip of egų.
‡ są́kíra? 

 

               
wą́kšígᵉra hı̨́pérezirekje, péžéga wá'ųnągᵉra, wówą́kižą wá'ųnągᵉra, žé'éja* (gi?)t'é
men they will know me, whoever they are who did it, a wicked one doing it, that one there to die

* < žé'e-éja.

 

  02:44         02:49      
horágeną́įkjeną. Gažēsge ánąk* hišjású są́įgiyáké,† pı̨́kárak'ų(į?)nįgi.‡ Žé'é heréže, wą́k wórágᵉnąką.
it will be said. Thus saying eye other side, not if it is not fixed up. That he did, man the wicked one.

* uncertain reading.
† sánįgiyáké?
‡ -ųįnegi?

 

02:54                  
"Wą́k wówą̀k, jágú'ų̀ hoišíreánąera, [?] wákíkųnųnį,* hají né wówą́gᵉra hižą́ wínéxjį,
"Man wicked, why they have been bothering me, I have forgotten, so I the wicked ones one I will do,

* sounds like wákík'ųnųnį.

 

  03:04          
gážēsge. Hąké méesge hįgígíre-anįgi,* hąkága yákípèreznįn(ą). Gáesge,
like that. Not like this they have done to me, which he had, never I never knew. For that reason,

* < hįgígíre-hanįgi, the second /h/ having been lost through internal sandhi.

 

03:09         03:14    
pı̨́gigī́reagáją, wą́k wa'ų́ną̀ka cówé t'éwíre-aną́nąką, pı̨́gigí, wa'ų́įnegáją, kága
if they did well, men enemy nearly they killed me, ... if they do good, after they are done, never

 

 

            03:22
esge-įgírainįgi,* hąkàga yàkí'ènį, kágá-iyą(ha)ną́kìxgųnįšguną," gáesge éže. |
thus I never said to myself, never I never ... never I never ...," and so he said. |

* < esge-hįgírainįgi, the /h/ having been lost through internal sandhi.

Source:

Reading by Sheila Shigley, from the audio tape in the American Philosophical Society. Fraenkel, Gerd. Stacy, Stella. "The man who had all been beaten up came alive again, fixed himself, came to the Prophet," Mss.Rec.29, recorded 7 July 1959, 1 .mp3; 00:00:32 - 00:03:22. Copy made by Gerd Fraenkel of an original tape held at the Archives of Languages of the World, Indiana University. This program comes from original tape 529.3. APS accession number 7227; APSdigrec_2192; Recording Number: 02; Program Number: 44.