Hocąk Text — Potato Magic

narrated by George Ricehill

Winnebago III, #11a, Story 5: 81

The MS is written in ink in a highly legible cursive hand. Numbers for footnotes have been placed in the text but no notes were written in. It has no title on its first page, and the upper left and upper right corners have page numbers each belonging to a different numbering system. Almost every word has an interlinear translation.

English Translation

 

p. 81 —
cohaíⁿjaⁿ rájᴇra howacútcga higaírenaⁿ hagâréjaⁿ
Šohaį́žą rážera Howašúcga* higaíreną. Hagaréžą
Sioux Indian name "Red Elk" they called him. Sometimes

*this should be Hųwųšúcka.

 

 

dokếwêhijê’úṇa mañkáx wagi’û́ⁿ maⁿhíxêdê mañkánijaⁿ
tokéwehiže’ų́na mąkáx wagi’ų́, Mąhíxete mąkánižą.
wild ground-potatoes dirt he made them one white man a doctor.

 

 

kibagígi dokếwêhìra hijáⁿ c’ûñgíjaⁿ jurára
Kibagígi. "Tokéwehíra hižą́ š’ųgížą, žurára
[He doubted it.]* "Wild potatoes one make one, dollars

*the translation has, "don't blame them".

 

 

kerêpốnêsàtcaⁿ honík’ûñkdjènaⁿ cehónuka* higaírenaⁿ hodjá
kerepónesácą honík’ųkjéną," Šehónąka higaíreną. "Hojá."
fifty I will give you," Sioux he says. "Yes."

*this is written in another hand above an original cónûñga.

 

 

egi mañkánidjega máṇa giswagáxkanañk rokdégi
Égi mąkánijega mą́na giswagáxkanąk. "Roktégi
And the doctor the earth he makes a circle around. "Inside the circle

 

 

hijáⁿ c’ûñgíji kerêpốnêsàtcaⁿ honik’û́ñkdjonaⁿ égi
hižą́ š’ųgíži, kerepónesácą honik’ų́kjeną." Égi
one [if] you make, fifty I will give you." And

 

 

p. 82 —
coháⁿdjega édja dokêwêhíjaⁿ edja ’únaⁿ
Šohą́jega éja tokewehížą eja ’úną.
the Sioux right there a wild potato right there he made.

 

 

jénûñga mañkánidjèga hohirénaⁿ* jénûñga
Žénųga, mąkánijéga hohiréną. Žénųga.
That's all, the doctor he got beaten. That's all.

*something is written above the letter /r/ that is difficult to make out.

 

Source:

George Ricehill, "A Tale of a Sioux," in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3892 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago III, #11a, Story 5: 81-82.