Hotcâk Text -- Tobacco Origin Myth, Version 3

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake

English Translation

Winnebago II, #1.152 = Winnebago II, #5: 164 = Winnebago III, #1: 128 --
Hâbera*
sgaxdjî**
hiwap'úru***
djirehíje.
[The day]
[very white]
[steam clouds]
[they came forth.]
*the original MS text (Winnebago III, #1: 128) has hâb-´ (the dash standing for /era/); Winnebago II, #1.152 has hâ´bera.
**the original MS text indicates sgaxdjî´; the corrected MS text (Winnebago II, #1.152) has sgáxdjî.
***the original MS text has hiwapúru.

Winnebago III, #1: 129 --
Égi
"Wídjera"
djasgé*
higánâgere,**
hanâ´tcîxdjâ
[And]
"the Island"
[what]
[which is called,]
[all]
*this word is omitted in Winnebago II, #1.152, line 10.
**for djasgé higánâgere, the original MS text has djasgíganâ´gere.

codjojú
minâ´kce.*
Waxop'íni
warádjirera
djánâga
murky
it was.
Spirits
[the various ones]
[as many as there were]
*the original MS text has codjoju minâkce.

Wajâgû´zera
'ûgí,
jénûga
haratcáp*
rogû´**
[the Maker of Things]
[having created,]
[all of them]
to taste of it
to long for
*Winnebago II, #1.152 has hanatcáp.
**for haratcáp rogû´, the original MS text has haratcábrogû´.

minâgireje.
Ponapîna*
tcíra
howáregi,**
hanâtcîxdjî
they sat.
The good odor
[the lodge]
if it goes in,
[everyone]
*the corrected texts have p'onap'îna.
**for tcíra howáregi, the original MS text has tcirowáregi.

djanâga
hojuák'a*
rogû´
minâgiréje.
"P'ejéxdjî
[as many as there are]
that are within
to long for
they sat.
"Who
*for djanâga hojuák'a, the original MS has djanagojuáka.

eruk'ánâgigik'djegi,"*
hiraminâgireje.
Hatcî´djahî
hirak'araírek'djeje?**
he will put it in charge of,"
they sat thinking.
Who else
they would take care of it?
*the original MS text has érukonogigíkdjegí.
*the original MS text has hirakarairekdjéje.

Hâboguminâ´gera
écanâ
heregádjâ
édjaxdjî
édja
[The one sitting in the east]
[only]
he it is,
[perhaps]
[there]

hirakáragigikdjanegádjâ,"*
hiraminâgireje.
Égi
"hitcûcge"
gik'aradjirera
he will let him take care of it,"
they sat thinking.
[And]
["nephew"]
[he whom we call]
*the corrected texts have hirak'aragik'djanegadjâ (Winnebago II, #5: 164) and hirak'áragìkdjanegàdjâ (Winnebago II, #1.152).

wéje,
"Hidegenîkwahára
hi'uninîkwahara
deé
haní*
[he said,]
"My uncles,
my aunts,
this
to have
*for deé hani, the original MS text has deeaní.

Winnebago II, #5: 165 --
wâkcíko'î´rekdjanáre.*
Tcira
hoixdjîcáwâgera,**
hâk'é
hijâ´
as they will live.
[The lodge]
[the ones going in to fill it,]
[not]
[one]
*the corrected texts have incorrectly omitted the letter /o/, sic -- wâkcík'î´rekdjanáre.
**the original MS text has tciroixdjî´cawañgré.

honîgé
waragícurúzenîkdjanáwinâ.*
Wâgregi*
Wajâgû´zera
é
[even]
you will not take it from me.
Above
the Creator
[he]
*the corrected texts have waragircúruzeniñkdjanàwinâ (Winnebago II, #1.152) and waragiruzenîk'djanáwinâ (Winnebago II, #5: 164).
**the original MS has the form 'uañgiregí.

jésge
gûsánâ.
[Wâgiregi]*
Wajâgû´zera
exdjînécge
this
he ordained.
[Above]
[the Maker of Things]
even
*the original MS has 'uañgi, and the corrected texts have wañk and wâk' ("man").

danina
hojúijâ
hirowahaíregi,
hâk'é
hoinîge
the tobacco
[a full one]
if it was extended towards him,
[not]
[even]

wagíruzenîkdjanéje.*
Djagú
rogû´
wa'ûnegi,
jésge
[he would not take it.]
[Whatever]
[to long for]
[if they do it,]
[this]
*the corrected texts have wagirúzenañkdjanèje (Winnebago II, #1.152) and wagiruznîk'djanéje (Winnebago II, #5: 164).

wagiwéwîk'djaneje.
Égi
djánâga
waxopínina
he'll think of it for them.
And
[as many as there are]
the spirits

Winnebago II, #1.153 --
tci-ójuminâkcáwâgere*
hijâ´
danina
hojúijâ
[the ones going in to fill the lodge,]
one
the tobacco
[a full one]
*the original MS text has tciójumináñkcawañgre.

Winnebago III, #1: 130 --
nîgiwaxúînawigiji,
djagú
rogû´
wa'úinegi,
jésge
after he pours it out for you,
[whatever]
[to long for]
[if he does it,]
that

wiráragáceni,*
radjicánâgiánâga**
rahîk'djáwi,
hâk'é
hoínîge
you'll take hold,
as you seize it, and
you'll smoke it,
[not]
[otherwise?]
*the corrected texts have wiragáceni.
**the original MS text has radjicónogiánâga.

waragíhinîk'djawi.
Wâgeregi*
Wajâgû´zera
e
jésge
hínâ."**
you will not smoke it.
Above
[the Maker of Things]
[he]
[this kind]
[he made."]
*the original MS text has 'uañgiregi.
**at this point, the two corrected texts omit a passage in the original.

[X]é
hunubímani
ep'î[|]
gûs[>´]
Wâkcigé,
hunubímani,
ep'înâ,
gûsgádjâ,
[Humans,]
[two-legged walkers,]
[it was good,]
[after he created,]

hiraíre[2]
[(•]
warádjire-dj[rho´]ki*
hiraíreje,
waxopini
warádjire
djanâgáki.
they thought,
[spirits]
[the various ones]
[as many as there were.]
*this is the last word in the passage omitted by the corrected texts.

"Wâkcigé,
hunubímani,
wâkcígo'î
jipdjinîgíjâ
wogára.
["Humans,]
two-legged walkers,
life
a short span
he had given them.

Deé
hâbikaradá*
hi'uinanihékdje,"**
wigejé.***
This
life to ask with
we'll use it forever,"
[he said to them.]
*this is the form in the original handwritten text. The other texts have hâp hak'aradá.
**the original MS text has hi'uinanihékdje, with an /r/ written above the second /n/ to indicate the alternant hi'uiranihékdje. The corrected MS text (Winnebago II, #1.153) has hi'unanihékdje, and the typescript text (Winnebago II, #5: 165) has hi'unanihek'dje.
***the original MS text has wígegíji, followed by a "#" sign, indicating the end of the story.

Source:

Jasper Blowsnake's Account of the Medicine Rite, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago II, #1.152-153, Winnebago II, #5: 164, Winnebago III, #1: 129-130. A published loose English translation is found 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]) 151.