Hocąk Text — Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks

Hocąk Text — Trickster’s Anus Guards the Ducks

narrated by Oliver LaMère

p. 20 —

Wākdjeⁿgā́gā	ëdja	rāhĕshgū́i	wāk’āⁿᴀ´ăgā	weⁿhīgā́djeⁿ
Wakjąkága	éja	rahešgúni	waką-ánaga	wąhigáją
[Trickster]	there	he was going	with a pack on	a point in his travels

gīwāīnḗnŏ	naⁿwáⁿshirḗŏ*	hōdjī́aⁿ	ë́nŏ
giwainąną.	nąwąširéną.	"Hojíą,"	éną,
they hollered to him.	They wished him to sing.	"Alright,"	he said,

*the original read ne wā́shirḗŏ, with ne wā́ lined out.

wā́k’ĭmĕⁿ´gĕrḗ	néⁿweⁿ	wāgīúⁿmắnkshā́naⁿ	wāshī́róⁿgŭ́ⁿwīgĕ	ä́sgĕ
"wák’imą́gere	ną́wą	wagių́mąkšáną."	"Wašírǫ́gų́wige,"	ésge
"this pack on my back	songs	it is what it is."	"We wish to dance,"	so

wāī́rēnŏ	hōi	tcīsĕ́rēdjiⁿ	hījéⁿ	hṓrūsh’ūīⁿrĕk’djḗnŏ
waíreną.	"Hoi,	cisérejį	hižą	hórušuįrekjéną."
they say.	"Well,	long tent	one	you should make."

hōjējāīⁿ´djāshŏ́nŏ	pṓxĕnĭ́́k	kĕrḗrĕk’djēnŏ	uⁿtcebī́rēgī
Hožežaį́jašána	póxeník	kerérekjeną.	Ûcebíregi,
On the end only	hole	they make.	When they finished it,

hōkŭ́nēwashī́nŏ	hānéⁿtc	hōkāwāīregī	ë́gi	wākdjeⁿkā́gā
hokúnewašíną.	Haną́c	hoka	égi	Wakjąkaga
he commanded them in.	All	after they went in,	and then	[Trickster]

p. 21 —

hōkāwᴀnuⁿgā	tcīrṓbᴇra	hōminŭ́kshŏnŏ	wᴀⁿníⁿk	wā́gīūnăkshᴇ
hokawanąga	ciróbera	hominąkšaną.	Wąnį́k	wágiunąkše,
he went in, and	the door	he sit in.	Fowls	they were,

āī́rēnŏ	wᴀnŏⁿgī́wāgī́jī	wë́shgūne	hijéⁿ	rā́djeⁿbiwī́gījī
aíreną.	Wanągíwagíži,	wéšgune,	"Hižą́	rájąbiwígiži,
[it is said.]	When he sang,	he said,	"Anyone	if they open their eyes,

hĭshdjā́rā	nēshū́djĭdjĕ́nāwī́nŏ	wīgë́gĕdjī́nī	ä́sgē	djéⁿbᴇra
hišjára	nešújijénawíną,"	wigégejíni.	Ésge	ją́bera
your eyes	they shall be red,"	he told them.	And then	to look

năⁿkaíwārḗnŏ	jēguⁿhīᴀ´ʳnŭgā	shĭⁿxdjīnā	hījéⁿ	ĕādjīṓwīgă
nąkaíwaréną.	Žegų hiánąga	šįxjįna	hižą́	eajiówiga,
they were afraid.	After doing this,	the fat ones	one	he went by,

rūsā́ks’āgĭ	āī́rēnŏ	īdjā́nīⁿkā́shkĕ	jēg’wṓ	jēg’wṓ
rusáks’agi,	aíreną.	Ijánįkáške,	"Žeg’wó,	žeg’wó!
he choked him,	they said.	He would cry out,	"That’s it,	that’s it!

hohŏ́biwīrḗ	hāgāī́rā	hŏhŏp´	hirĕ́shshŏnṓnă*	wigĕ́jĕ
hohóbiwiré.	Hagaíra	hohóp	hiréšonóną,"	wigéže,
give a whoop.	Sometimes	whoop	they always do,"	he told them,

*the word begins with a superscripted /h/.

āī́rēnŏ	gā́djuⁿga	[name of a bird]*	wā́jaⁿgū́nī	hīrēgĕ́
aíreną.	Gájąga,	[-]	wážągúni,	hiregé.
they said.	[Now then,]	[-]	something happening,	she thought.

*sic. For unknown reasons, the name of the bird is omitted.

tcōwĕ́shdjĭník	hīrūxĕ́dj-hīgā́djeⁿ	wā́rūsā́gᴇnaⁿk’ŭ́ⁿ	hādjᴀ´nŏ
Cowéšjinik	hiruxéj-higáją,	wáruságenąk’ų	hajáną.
Just a little	she opened her eyes,	choking them	she saw.

ä́sge	wë́nŏ	hījéⁿ	nī́naⁿéwīnĕ	weⁿgāméⁿhūdjak’djĕnā́wīnŏ
Ésge,	wéną,	"Hižą́	nínąéwine.	Wągamąhujakjenáwiną."
And then,	she said,	"One	try and live.	We will all die."

p. 22 —

äsgē	tcī́rā	gīxāp´	hī́rēnŏ	gyāzenŏĭⁿ´rĕgī
Esge	círa	gixáp	híreną.	Gyazeną’į́regi,
And then	the tent	it flew open	it did.	They tried to escape,

hīshdjā́rā	shŭ́djĭnū́nigĕ	nīáⁿp	wā́kārāgī́nŏ	wakdjuⁿkā́gā
hišjára	šújinúnige	ni’ąp	wakaragíną.	Wakjąkága
their eyes*	they were red, but	to live	they did.	Trickster

*the translation has, "faces".

wā́nĭgᴇrā	wākā́rānyᴀ´ʳnŭgā	gĭxāī́djā	wā́rok’ínŏ	nŏnĭⁿgĕ́
wánigera	wakáranyánąga	gixíja	wárok’íną,	nunigé
fowls	he took them	away somewhere	he roasted them,	but

heⁿkĕ́shgĕ	ë	wārū́djĕnī́nŏ	hījeⁿ´	wāgīrā́djērā
hąkéšge	e	warújeníną.	Hižą́	wagirájera,
he did not	he	he did not eat them.	One	he was working for him,

ë	wākū́rŭtcshŏ́nŏ	hōtcúⁿgĕrā	néweⁿgērḗwīnŏ	ëdjā́xdjĭⁿ
e	wakúrucšáną.	Hocągara	néwągeréwiną.	Ejáxjį
he	he ate them.	Winnebagoes	it is we.	I guess

heⁿkā́gā	hījéⁿ	jēᵋskĕ́	tcṓnīnĕ́djeⁿ	hīᴀʳnŭgā
hąkága	hižą́	žeské	cóninéją	hianąga
at no time	one	that kind	before	they did, and

wāī́rānĭ́́gūnĕ	jēᵋskĕ́	hīhĭk’djĕnā́wīrā	heⁿkĕ́
waíranígune.	Žeské	hihikjenáwira.	Hąké
they say this.	That kind	we were going to.	Not

hīūnĭ́́k’djāwīgĕ́	wāī́rānŏ́gŭnĕ	hīpĕrĕ́zĕrā	hīʳnŭshā́gwīnŏ
hiuníkjawige,	waíranógune.	Hiperézera	hinušágwiną.
they do not do this, so	they told us.	To know	we could not.

*before this word, híʳúsh is lined out.

p. 23 —

wājéⁿījeⁿ	rōxī́rĕgă	ëtcaⁿ	ū́nre	hĭngīpī́wiⁿo
Wažą́ižą	roxírega,	ecą	’ų́re	hįgipíwiną.
Anything	[if] they forbid,	instead	do	we like.

méⁿkāiū́wīᴀ´ʳnŭgā	ë́gī	pĭ́́ⁿje	hīᴀ´ʳwīᴀʳnŭgă
Mąkaiúwiánąga	égi	pį́že ,	hią́wianąga
We do the Medicine Dance, and	[then]	it is good,	we say, and

hᴀʳnŭ́xāweⁿdjā́wīnŏ*	djéⁿbᴇra	hīwārṓgīxīᴀdjā́wīnŏ	hī́jōrākī́jī
hanúxawąjáwiną.	Ją́bera	hiwarógixiajáwiną.	Hížorakíži,
we keep it a secret.	To look	we forbid them.	To tell,

*the initial /h/ is superscripted.

méⁿrā	jēdjúdjĕnḗjĕ	hī́wīgā́wīᴀ´ʳnugă	ä́sgĕ	hōrā́gĭrā
mą́ra	žejújéže,	híwigawiánąga	ésge	horágira
the world *	it comes to an end ,	we tell them., and	and then	to tell

*below "world", Radin writes, "(earth)".

néⁿkāwāīrḗnŏ	nḗweⁿgḗwī́nŏ	wakdjeⁿkaga	wānĭ́́gĕnóⁿkā	hōtcúⁿgĕnŏⁿ´gĭrĕ
ną́kawairéną.	Néwągéwiną,	Wakjąkaga	wanígenąka	Hocągeną́gire
they are afraid.	It is we,	[Trickster]	the fowls	the Winnebago

ĕ́rĕrēnŏ	hērĕ́shgū́nīnŏⁿgā	hīwāgī́rĕ	hīwā́ᵋweⁿdjāwī́nŏ.
érereną.	Heréšgúninaga	hiwagíre	hiwá’wąjawíną.
they are.	Satan*	working for	we are [doing].

*Radin adds, "[the one who is not]", the apparent meaning of the name Heréšgúninaga.

Source:

Oliver LaMère, Untitled, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3862 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago I, #3: 20-23. Paul Radin, The Winnebago Tribe (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990 [1923]) 377.