Hotcâk Text -- The Twins Kill a Waterspirit

collected by Sam Blowsnake

English Translation

p. 27 --
Éki
Wanâghínik'a
wejé,
"K'oté
Warorá,
And
Little Ghost
he said,
"Say
Flesh,

nî´ja
'ekowénâ,
'étca
howaîrektcènâ."
Hakoréja,
a river
going here,
there
let's go."
Afterwards,

'ûnâk'û´,
nîxetéijâ
hot'â´pirènâ.*
'Éki
Wanaghinik'a
[finally,]
a big river
[they came to].
And
[Little Ghost]
*/nâ/ has /je/ written above it.

wéje,
"Toík'ewehínâ.
K'oté
Warorá,
nî'ákra
he said,
"I am hungry.
Say
[Flesh,]
across the water

p. 28 --
hòrawáceréki,
hické
'ak'éki*
ha'û´ktcénâ.
Rap'
if you go,
me
across here
I will do.
Beaver
*an original initial /h/ has been crossed out.

honî´ktcenâ."
Eki
Waroká
wejé,*
"'Eki**
I will hunt."
[And]
[Flesh]
[he said,]
"Here
*eki waroká wejé was crossed out, but rewritten below the line again. The English line, "And w. said" has also been crossed out.
**just before this word, 'etca howé'ûâ´k'û, has been crossed out, as has the English line below it, "and he was walking along".

rapíâ*
'ûkúnî
(ya)rénâ."
'Éki
Wanâghínik'a**
a beaver
maybe he was,
I thought."
And
[Little Ghost]
*below this word are numerous cross out and rewrittings.
**just befored this word, wajâ´ has been crossed out.

p. 29 --
kiwárehije,
"Huré,
hatcí
horughútcre.
Rapíjâ
he hollered,
"Come,
here
look!
A beaver

'éki
'ûkû´ni
yarenâ."*
'Éki
kitcátcije.
here
he may be,
I think."
And
he came there.
*/ki/ has been crossed out and /nâ/ written above it.

Horughútcki
p'îktcánenâ.
Rapíjâ
wa'û´nâ.
Hotcírá
After he looked,
"That will be a good one.
A beaver
that was.
Where he lives

honî´ktce
nî´tc'etcrá
ho'û´nâk'û."
'Etca
nâcû´ra
let's hunt
the edge of the water
to be around."
There
the path

p. 30 --
hi'éreje.
'Éki
tc'i
nâ´k'uni,"
'aíreje.
they found.
"Here
he lives
he probably sits,"
they said.

Jigû*
'ûnâk'`û
nîké
nâ´k'i
hip'érésireje.
So
they kept doing this
where
they were
they found out.
*/ji/ has been written above a crossed out /hî/.

"'Éki
nâ´kcana.
Warorá,
nâcû
uítcreki
"Here
he is.
[Flesh,]
runway
at the mouth

hìraráp'eki
'éki
k'ìriki
raisákiktcenâ.
'Éki
if you wait,
here
if he comes,
you hit and kill him.
[Then]

p. 31 --
tc'ihétca
hopuáxànaktcanénâ,
jekúki
'éki
k'íriktcanénâ."
at his house
I can make it cave in,
so
here
he will come."

'Éki
xé
hihákará
hòwaré
cke
And
hill
the top
he went
and

nâî´jâ
hipozá
k'ik'û´je,
'éki
nâmátc'eíjâ
a stick
pounding in by force
he made himself,
and
a club

'ûjé.
'Éki
nâmâ´tcera
Waroká
hak'újé.
he made.
Then
the club
[Flesh]
he gave.

p. 32 --
"Te'é
hic'uánaka
raisakik'tcénâ,"
hiréjé.
'Éki
"This
you use
you kill by str[iking],"
he said.
Then

xé
hihakara
howáranaka
raprá
hatcítcânâk'i
hill
the top
he went up and
the beaver
[where it was]

'étca
hopoxánâje.
Jegú
hiánâka
nítc'etcra
there
he caved it in by pounding.
Then
he did it and
the water's edge

p. 33 --
honûâkce.
Raprá
Waroká
honâjî´tceka
'étca
he ran.
The beaver
[Flesh]
where he stood
there

kinúnike
rukâ´jrehíje.
Nióxeterá
hokit'ápce,
he arrived but
he missed it and it got away.
The Mississippi River
he arrived and jumped in,

raprá
nînarek'u
k'érejè.
Towe*
k'irúxe
the beaver
waters downstream
he went back.
Going here
to run after each other
*< te'é howé.

hahaíreje.
'Únak'`û,
hahít'ehíreje.
'Étca
'ât'û´piránaka
they went.
While doing it,
they arrived and killed it.
There
they took it out and

p. 34 --
nâ´stohíra
raprá
mâjéjé
hirejé.
Hijâ´
they made a wood pile
the beaver
to cut it in pieces with a knife
they did.
One

wejé,
"K'unik'áka
'ackénîk
'éki
tc'ínâ,
'Éwàwàtektcénâ."
he said,
"My grandmother
close
here
she lives,
I will go over there."

'Éki
'ehonuâ´kcanâ.
Xap'énî´k'
k'írijé.
Rex
And
he ran in there.
Very soon
he returned.
Bucket

p. 35 --
xetéjâ´
hanî´k'irije.
'Éki
Wanaghínîk'a
wejé,
a big one
he brought.
And
[Little Ghost]
said,

"Warorá,
woréra
te'é
horuákrá
wakíkirenâ.
"[Flesh]
work
this
the last
it is for us.

'Éki
hîk'íwákaixiktcénâ,
'é
Wâkcíkra
hatcaírecunuktcénâ.
Here
we will draw ourselves,
so
the Indians
they will sometimes see.

'Éki
wanoítckiak'a*
wa'írá
hi'û´îranaka
k'iwákáxirèjè.
Then
that animal
the blood
they used and
they drew themselves.
*originally written as wanioítckiak'a, the /i/ was crossed out.

p. 36 --
Níc
hik'itc'kísk'ere
mîk'í,
'étca
k'iwákaxirejè.
Rocky
perpendicular
laying,
there
they drew themselves.

Wanioítckiáka
wakahirekì
rorá
séretccé.
'Éki
That animal
when they drew it,
the body
it was long.
Then

sîtcrá
seretc'î´je.
Sîtcrá
hokî´kî´x
t'û´pireki,
the tail
it was very long.
The tail
around
when they put,

p. 37 --
rohâ´
hokî´kî´xce,
rorá.
'Éki
sirá
lots
it went around it,
the body.
And
the foot

cukrowátcku hîcék
sinískeje.
'Éki
nâprá
tc'axcép
lion*
foot is like.
And
the forefeet
eagle
*"dog" is crossed out and "lion" written in its stead.

sí'ûjé.
'Éki
hetc'û´jé.
Herá
rukânâkânâpxtcîjé.
foot was made.
And
it had a horn.
The horn
it was shiny.

'Éki
'irá
wak'â´
'inískeje.
Rezíracke
And
the mouth
snake
it was like the mouth.
The tongue also

p. 38 --
wikíwe
tc'ûjé.
'Éki
p'erá*
wâkcík
stinger
it had.
And
the forehead
man
*just before this word, hactcárá has been crossed out, then the succeeding replacement word, hactcásúra, has also been crossed out.

p'enískeje,
'éki
hictcasúra
p'étcniskeje.
Je'é
it was like the forehead,
and
the eyes
they were like fire.
That

nîjétca
wakáxiréje.
Wa'írá
hi'ûî´ránaka
'éki
at the rock
they made marks.
The blood
they used and
and

p. 39 --
tc'oétca
Wanaghínik'a
k'iwákaxce.
'Étca
nâjítceje.
there in front
[Little Ghost]
drew himself.
There
it stands.

'Éki
hakétca
Waróká
hické
k'iwákaxce.
And
behind
[Flesh]
too
he drew himself.

'Ak'íak'e
nâjî´nâkce.*
'Éki
hâhâ´
Warorá,
On both sides
they stood.
Then,
"Well
[Flesh,]
*the original ending in -cana has been replaced with -ce.

te'éji jekúnâ.
Hîkuána
raprá
hohâ´ktcenâ."
P'etc'ot'û´îranaka
that's that.
Now
the beaver
we will cook."
They made a fire and

p. 40 --
wohâ´nâ´
hitca
hak'eréreje.
Tutckíji,
nâ´wacic
the bucket
there
they put.
When it was cooked,
small branches

k'anákiranaka
wânírá
kizéranaka
'ak'iak'e
tcinâ´kiranaka
they put and
the meat
they lifted out and
on both sides
they came and sat, and

p. 41 --
warútcireje.
Nîp'anará
hitcá
k'eréranaka,
"Hâhâ´
they ate.
The soup
here
they put and,
"Now

Warórá,
hitcá 'ûxtciâ´tce,
tcaskéxtcî
cânâ
hînutckátcâ,
[Flesh,]
hustle,
as much as
each
after we eat,

tc'epíhîki
herektcánenâ."
'Éki
'û´âtciaraíreki,
hâk'é
if we finish
that will do."
And
as they kept doing it,
not

p. 42 --
s'inîje,
tc'epíreze.
'Éki
nî´p'anara
hitca*
it did not take long,
they finished it.
And
the soup
[there]
*the following letters, /xhoix/, added to this word, have been crossed out.

hoictcáktcákiránaka
raskepireje.
they stirred it up to cool it and
they drank it.

Source:

Amelia Susman, Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, Aug. 30 - Oct. 10, 1938) Book 3.27-42.