Hotcâk Text -- Thunder Cloud Marries Again

narrated by Sam Blowsnake


English Translation


p. 1 --

Hagaréjâ
wa'únâ
wak'â´wañx
hâhi-orádje
ánañgere.
In those days
he was
a poisoner,
he used to travel in the dead of night,
they say.


Jeske
hírekdjanèje,
énâ.
Hâhéregi,
edjáxdjî
That
it is what he was going to do,
he said.
At night,
at about


11 o'clock*
wa'û
rek'arohónâ[.]
Uañkcík
honihéjâ
11 o'clock
[it was]
he got ready.
[People]
[a group]**
*spoken in English.
*translated as "a family".


"B-----"
wigaírera,
jee
édja
wak'â´wañxcekdjanèje,
"B-----"
by the name
[these]
[there]
he was going to poison,


énâ.
Hanáñxguâ
hañgwínâ.
Tciédja
hamiñgwi-ánañga
he said.
Listening
we lay.
In the house
we were lying (and)


hahí
tcañgerégi
wajâ´
ghaghak
hinóñkcanâ.
then
outside
some
noise
he was making.


Wak'â´wañxk'e
hiranâ´îwíñgi,
nañk'éwekdjàwige.
Poisoner
because we thought,
we were afraid of him.


E
wátciwi-èdja
eruk'ónonâ
herekdjége
He
of our household
in control
[so that he would be]


djagúrijâ
egíji.
Hañk'agá
hinuc'ágeniñkdjàwige,
[what one]
he said.
Nothing
they could not accomplish,


howacéra
wak'âwañxk'éjâ
wa'û´djege,
nañk'awawínâ.
because we knew
a poisoner
he was,
we were afraid of him.


Waxop'íni
warádjiredja
howádji
wa'û´djege
The spirits
[from the various ones]
he came
[he did]


uañkcigak'íhaîjâ,
wajâ´nijâ
hañk'é
a reincarnated man,
[someone]
[not]


eri-agigíwiniñgi,
hiñk'áwajikdjonàwige.
Eske,
if we did not displease him,
[he would not do anything to us.]
So,


djagúrijâ
egíji,
hagi'úñkdjawi.
Jeskénâ.
whatever
he said,
we did (it) for him.
That way it was.


Hinuñgwátcabera
xedéra
k'onoñkdjá
nunige
jige
My sister
the eldest
he had been married
[but]
now


xedénûbra
k'onaíñkdje,
énâ.
Niñgi-owádjigi,
the second eldest
he wished to marry,
he said.
Where he had been,


édja
Mâ'úna
hóminañgèdja,
édja
tcigi
there
Earthmaker
where he dwells,
there
she lives


hitcáwîhigi
edjanáñkce.
Hinuñgwátcabera,
hinûbédjerèdjega,
his wife
[there she was.]
My sister,
the second one,


hitcáwîhira
'uáñgeregi
náñkce,
his wife
[from above]
[sitting]


horughúdjera hik'iskéxdjîjê,*
éje.
"Djaskegádjâ
djagú
she resembled her,
[he said.]**
"She must be
[what]***
*generally, the sound /ê/ is not recognized as either a phoneme or an allophone, although this is not the only place where it has been presented as a candidate.
**translated as "he claimed".
***translated as "the one".


hat'ûda
hunâ
yaréra,"
hiregíji.
'Uañgerégi
I left behind
when I came
[I think,]"
he thought.
Up above


Mâ'únominoñgédja*
hitcáwina
k'araícdja
hije
gádjâ.
to where Earthmaker dwells**
his wife
to see
he went
[.]
* < Mâ'úna-ho-minâk-édja, "Earthmaker - the place where - he lies - at".
**translated as, "to Earthmaker's village".


Higû´
dee
hidjanáñkce,
wagéje.
"Uañkcigédja
Still
she
she was there,
he noticed.
"Among the human beings


hahiánitcage.
Djaskegádjâ
yarége,
nîcdjak'irínâ,"*
I saw you [there].
How can it be?
I thought,
[as I saw you when I came back,"]**
* < ni-hîcdjá-k'irí-nâ, "you - I glimpsed - upon returning - [.]".
**translated as, "I came to see if you were still here." However, it seems more likely that he is merely reiterating that he had seen her among the humans (mistaking her sister for her).


higejé.
"Hatcâ´wâdekce?
Égi
hinât'û´
caracererá,
he said.
"Where was I to go?
Here
you left me
when you went away,


higû´iñgi
ha'únañk'àdjâ´,"
higejé.
Hinuñgenoñk'a
wéje,
up to the present time
I have remained,"
he said.
The woman
she said,


"Uáñkcik
djagúijâ
waragégiji?
Haníñk'iri-àdje,"
éje.
["Person]
what one
do you mean?
Bring her here to me,"
she said.


Éske
hinuñgwátcabera
hinûbédjadjega
ewagadjénâ
'uáñgeregi
Thus
my sister
the second one
she, he meant*
up above
*translated as, "it was whom he said".


hijaîtcawehìgi
hik'iskéxdjîje horughúdjera;
éske
his wife
she resembled;
and for that reason


k'anaíñkdje,
énâ.
Wak'âtcáñgi[j]â,*
wak'â´wañxk'èjâ,
he wished to marry her,
he said.
A shaman,
a poisoner,
*the text has "Wak'âtcáñgi-â".


wanoñk'édjeni
k'onokgigírenâ.
Noñk'áwairege
he was both (?)
they let him marry her.
Because they were afraid of him


hañk'e
gi'úinanìcke,
wak'â´waiñxdjanège.
K'onokgigírenâ
not
if they didn't permit him,
he would poison them.
They let him marry her


wak'âtcáñgi[j]â
wa'û´djege.
Éske
hinúñgera
nûp
a shaman
because he was.
Thus
women
two


k'onóñkcanâ,
wes'áje.
"'Uáñgeregi
Mâ'úna
hominóñgenoñk'i
he married,
he used to say.
"Up above
Earthmaker
where he lives


édja
wawadjínâ
egi
Mâ'úna
waigénâ,
there
I came from
[here]
Earthmaker
said to me


uañkcíkera
djop'íwi
haniáñgikdje,
hiñgénâ,
wódoghudjànañga,
men
four
I was to bring back,
he said,
and I was to look them over,


uáñcik
wanâî´p'î.
Hañk'é
wanâî´-agi,
wanâ'înunàna,
men
virtue.
Not
quick tempered,
one of changeable ideas,


p. 312 --
jéske
wagánije,
'uáñkcik
p'íñxdjî
jéske
[that kind]
he did not mean,
men
real virtue
that kind


haniñgicíje."
Éske
djop'íwi
Mâ'úna
edja
he told me."
Thus,
four
Earthmaker
there


howáni
k'érekdjanèje,
es'áje.
to take
he would go back,
he used to say.


English Translation


Source:

Paul Radin, Personal Reminiscences of a Winnebago Indian, Journal of American Folk-Lore, 26, #102 (1913): 293-318 (Sam Blowsnake narrative, pp. 310-312).