Hotc‰k Text -- Testing the Slave, Version 2

narrated by Sam Blowsnake


English Translation


p. 82 --
'ƒki
wock‰«
te'Ž
M‰'ž«ra
jeskŽ
hijŽ,
[And]
religion
this
Earthmaker
this
he made,


p. 83 --
'a”«ren‰.
Hij‰«
hor—k'
'žk’,
wock‰«
te'Ž
they say.
One
he joins
[if he does,]
[rite]*
this
*translated as "religion".


'Žc‰n‰
hip'eres’ktcanŽn‰,
'a”«ren‰.
'Žki
h‰«k'or—k'žn”«n‡kre
the only one
[he will know this,]*
they say.
[And]
one who does not join
*Susman has, "who knows this".


h‰k'Ž
wock‰«
tŽki
hap'ah’
waj‡rij‰«
not
[rite]
this
towards
anything


p. 84 --
hip'eresn”«n‰kcan‰.*
Hip'erŽs
rokž«ktcin‡kc‰n‰.
H‰«k'aka
hij‰«
he does not know.
To know
they want to very badly.
[Never]
[one]
*the text has hip'eresn”«n‰ksana.


hon”«ke
te'Ž
hip'eresn”«ktc'e,
'a”«ren‰.
'Žske
not free
this
he would not know,
they said.
So


hij‰«
horok'ž«ktcanŽki,
wes”w”xtc”«r‡naka
p'”r‡
wok’niktc'”`
anyone
if he is going to join,
they look at him and
very well
[they scrutinize]


p. 85 --
hip'erŽsir‡naka
katc‡ka
'Žki
'ž«kik’ran‰kˆ
hakore”«j‰
to know and
then
[then]
[they permit it and]
sometime ago


wan”h’j‰
wock‰«
te'Ž
hip'erŽsh’reki.
a slave
[rite]
this
they let him know.


N”ktc‰«k'
'ž”«reje,
'a”«ren‰.
WoxŽte
h’reje,
Child
they adopted,
[it is said.]
To love
[they did,]


'Žki
wan‰'”ksapc.
'Žske
hor—k'
'ž«kik’reje.
and
he was smart, good, right.
So
to join in
they let him.


p. 86 --
Te'Ž
t'eh’rin‰«ki
ki'ž”«ran‰`n‰,
wa'ž«tcŽn‰.
Hip'erŽstcŽn‰,
[That one]
they could kill and
they could do it to him,
[it was]
They know it was so,


jeskŽra.
'Žki
hutc'”tc'”«
wonak'
wor—h‰
[as he was that kind.]
[And]
a bunch of
bad
group


w‰žjŽ.
Kixa”«tca
n”kŽ
hiron‡reania
h’ran‰ka
[they were.]
Out there
someplace
they took way out
to go and


p. 87 --
'Žki
rusk’tcirn‰.
'Žki
wap'ah’
'Žki
[then]
they tied him up.
[And]
something sharp
[here]


hakan”«reje.
"Hirap'Žresan‰,
wan”h’j‰
wa'ž«ratcŽn‰.
T'en”«
[they took.]
["You know it,]
a slave
you are.
To kill you


ran™«nžniken”r‡
'‰«pratcŽn‰.
'ƒki
rakik'ž«ktcan’n‰.
[you know you should be]
you are alive.
And
you
you are going to do it to yourself.


Ctc‡n‰ka
n”kŽcke
nir‡'‰piktcŽki --
'Žki,
M‰k'‰«'ž™`
You are dead and
or*
if you will want to live --
[well,]
the Medicine Lodge
*the interlinear has "also", but the free translation has "or".


p. 88 --
n”kik’ren‰`.
Je'Ž
'Žtca
win”«kip'agh’ktcanah‡win‰.
Hžr‡kicarakiki
they put you in.
That
about
we are going to ask you something.
If you tell us,


h‰k'Ž
t'en”«n”ktcanah‡ni.
H‰k'—
carakn”«ki
t'en”«ktc'anah‡win‰."
not
we are not going to kill you.
Not
if you do not tell,
we will kill you."


'Žki
wejŽ,
"Hž«hiwatc'ap”ra*
wa'ž«reki,
n”‡'‰patcŽn‰.
And
he said,
"Our chief's will
it is,
I am alive.
*the text originally had hž«hiy‰«tc'ap”ra, but beneath the letters /hiy‰«/ is written the correction /hiwa/.


p. 89 --
'ƒki
s'’retc‡tc'Žn‰.
JeskŽ
yak'’ske.
'Žki
And
I am dead long ago.
This
I be so.
And


hiskŽ
c'‡k'iwiw‡h'ira
woxŽtew’ren‰.
'Žske
M‰k'‰«'ž™
[truly]
my foster parents
they loved me.
So
Medicine Lodge


hor—k'ž`
h”kik’ren‰.
Tcakú
h’ka”«rera
han‰tc«
[to join]
[they let me.]
What
they said to me
all


p. 90 --
w‰xkún‰.
W‰kc’ko'”`
tc'owŽreki,
n‰gh’rak'
w‰kc’ko'”ra
I understood.
Life
in the future,
soul
the life


hahik’,
h”«k'aka
tc'‡n”«ktcane,
'a”«ren‰.
'Žske
after I get to,
never
I will not die,
they said.
So


w‰kc’ko'”‰«n‰ka
tc'askŽki
tc'ektc‰«ne
w‡'ž‰tcŽn‰.
bodily
life and
anyway
I will die
[I will do it.]


p. 91 --
T'Žraktcanawiki,
wow‡t'ektc”,
n”kcan‡
n‰gh’rak'
w‰kc’k—”ra
If you are going to kill me,
very easy,
but
soul
life


hawan”«hira
wotc'Žx“na.
H‰k'—
tapn’ktcanŽn‰.
T'ew’wir."*
to lose
it is hard.
Not
I am not going to feel.
Kill me."
*/r/ is written above a crossed out /n‰/.


Jekž«kiji
w‰kn‰«kre
hok'irúghutc
n‰j”«n‰.
H‰k'Ž
Then
these men
looking at each other
they stood.
Not


p. 92 --
x‡piran”«
rusk’tceki.
Kirucka”«ranakˆ
nik—wak'ara”«reje.
they did not answer*
to the one who was tied.
They untied him and
they went away.
*the interlinear has "silent", and the translation has "did not say a word", however, above the latter is written the word "answer".


"H‰h‡
hin”«k'haxtc”«,
te'Ž
rŽske
h‰k'—rakn”«n‰.
"All right
little brother,
this one
even
he did not tell.


Te'Ž
wir—rakra
herŽn‰.
H‰«k'aka
tc'‰kŽtca
This
illustration
it is.
Never
to outsiders


tc'‰t'”«n”ktce
jeskŽn‰.
not to be shown
[this.]


Source:

Amelia Susman, Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, January, 1939) Book 8:82-92.