Hotcâk Text -- A Mink Tricks Trickster

Translated by Oliver LaMère


English Translation


p. 364 --

w sotto
tt Ko
Ay liAi s
de rKe.
"Warútc
djagú
haipira
jesge
"Food
that
I like best
[the kind]


A Ki Koo xitti Kette
e de.
Ai K s Ki deAe se so dtt Ki di.
hagik'ûxdjîkdje,"
éje.
Hikara gicere-rucdjâgiji,
I will get my fill of,"
he said.
When he got through tending to it,


Ao A Ki ni de.
e Ki
te we s Ki.
tt tt Kiri Ke ni K.
hohâginîje.
Égi
dewéraki
Djadjâksigenîka
he put it on to boil already.
Then
unexpectedly
[Little] Mink*

*the word "weasel" has been crossed out and "mink" written after it. The translation has "the mink", but this is better treated as a proper name.


p. 365 --

ni tteAe ttese K.
Ao Ae de.
Ao Ao
Ai roAoKo KiniKi A s.
nîtcedjerega
hohéje.
"Hohó,
hisûginikhara
on the edge of the water
he was coming.
"Oh my!
my little brother


e Ki
miKi
Ao we
owK deAe
tte s.
égi
mîk
howé
'uwâkce
djerá.
here
[lying]
going about
he is
[the one who is this].


Ao se
Ai roAo Ki tti.
w Att y Ko so Ao n.
Huré
hisûgidjî,
wahadjaikuruhonâ.
Come here
my younger brother,
I am about to eat.


p. 366 --

A K s Ki ttA Kette n.
e de.
Ai tt tti de.
Ai roAo Ki tti
Hakaragitcakdjenâ,"
éje.
Hidjádjije.
"Hisû´gidjî´,
We shall eat together,"
he said.
There he did come.
"My younger brother,


w d
y se n.
Ai Ki w no Ki di.
Ai d
wajâ
yarénâ.
Hîkiwanugiji.
Hijâ
something
I think.
Let us run a race.
The one


w n tti riKi di.
e
Ao Ks
Ae se Kette n.
Ai tt ne tte K.
wanâdjisgiji
e
hûgra
herekdjenâ.
Hidjanedjega
who wins [the race]
[he]
the chief
he will be.
The other


p. 367 --

e
wy re Kette n.
e de.
e Ki
n tti ri se Ktt n Ae s.
e
waizekdjenâ,"
éje.
Égi
nâdjisirekdjanahera
[he]
shall dish out,"
he said.
Already
they would beat him


Ai leAe se rn Ke.
wy re Ki di
e tt
Ki Koo xitti Ktte
hipéresnâke.
Waizegiji
édja
kik'ûxdjîkdje
he knew of it.
So when he did the dishing out
[there]
he could get his fill


Ai se Ke
w nK deAe.
A A.
e de.
e Ki.
hirege
wanâkce.
"Hâhâ´,"
éje.
"Égi
he thought
so he said it.
"Yes,"*
he said.
["Well]

*the translation has, "Now then".


Ai roAo Ki tti.
w d
mo
liAi
ttAo de.
hisû´gidjî´,
wajâ
mo
tcûje?
my younger brother,
[anything]
ground
good
[to be had]?*

*"wajâmo pî tcûje" is given the translation, "as there is no good grounds".


p. 368 --

no xese Ki
Ai o Ktt n Ae K tt
e de.
e tt.*
ni s tt n K w o nK deAe.
Nûxeregi
hi'ûkdjanahegadjâ,"
éje.
Édja
niradjanâkawa 'ûnâkce.
On the ice
we shall run,"
he said.
There
it was frozen.**

*the text actually repeats the word "e de" here again, but the translation reads "there".
**the translation adds "at that time."


e rKe
we de.
K tt K.
ni
Aoyi so ttA mi n Ki di.
Ésge
wéje.
Gadjâga
hoirotcâminâgiji
That is why
he said it.
Now
river
to a place that was straight


e tt
Ao w sy se de.
e tt
Ko Ai Ai se Ktt n Ae de.
édja
howaraíreje.
Édja
guhihirekdjanaheje.
there
they went.
There
they were to start from.*

*the word "would" has been crossed out and "were to" has been written above it.


p. 369 --

w K s ni s.
wo A s.
e se Ktt n Ae n.
Ai d
ttA ni.
"Wakaranira
wohâ´ra
érekdjanahenâ.
Hijâ
tconi
"The goal
the pot
it is to be.*
The one
first

*the word "was" has been crossed out and the word "is" has been written above it.


wo A s
Ai Ki o Ki di.
e
Ae se Ktt n Ae n.
e de.
wohâ´ra
hiki'ógiji
e
herekdjanahenâ,"
éje.
the pot
he touches
the one
that will be,"
he said


w Ktt K K.
Aowo.
ay se Ki di
no wK Ai se de.
w Ktt K K.
Wakdjâkaga.
"Howo!"
airegiji
nûwâkhireje.
Wakdjâkaga
Trickster.
"All right!"
they said, so
they started to run.
Trickster


p. 370 --

too s n Ki se de.
w Ktt K K.
ow Ki K tt.
e tt.
t'ûrnâkireje.
Wakdjâkaga
uwagigadjâ
édja
he was left behind.
Trickster
came on till he came to
[there]


no xo so reAe se Ki d.
A w tti tti nK deAe.
Ai wo dA de.
we de.
nûxroseregijâ
hawadjidjinâkce
hiwucaje.
Wéje,
a crack in the ice
very suddenly
he stopped.
He said,


p. 371 --

Ai rAo Ki tti
tt Ko
Ai dA n K.
no xo so reAe se K Kese
A s tal s
"Hisû´gidjî´,
djagú
hicanâka
nûxroserekere
harat'âpara
"My little brother,
what
do you say
that this crack in the ice
you jumped over


Ki si Ke se de.
e de.
we de.
tt tt Kiri Ke K.
no xo so reAe se Ks.
kírikéreje?"
éje.
Wéje,
Djadjâksigega,
"Nûxroserekra
to go on?"*
he asked.
Said
Mink,
"'You, crack in the ice,

*the translation has "and went on" with "went" inserted above the line with a caret.


xeAe te se.
Ai A n K.
A tal dA n
e de.
w Ktt K K.
xedere,'
hihanâga
hat'apcanâ,"
éje.
Wakdjâkaga
become big,'
I said and
jumped over,"
he said.
Trickster


p. 372 --

e de.
no xo so reAe se Ks.
xeAe te se.
a n K.
éje,
"Nûxroserekra
xedere,"
ánâga.
said,
"You, crack in the ice,
become big,"
he said.


tal Ko de.
K tt.
no xo so reAe se K K.
xeAe te
tti l n K.
T'âpguje,
gadjâ
nûxroserekaga
xede
djîpanâga
He jumped
but
the crack in the ice
big
it became and


e tt
niye tt xA w ni tti Ao de.
e Ki.
no xo so reAe se K K.
édja
niyedjawanidjihoje.
Égi
nûxroserekaga
there
he fell into the water instead.
Then
the crack in the ice


p. 373 --

di Ke
A Ki diAi si Ki nili liKi.
e tt
w Ktt K K.
jigé
hakiciriginîpgi.
Édja
Wakdjâkaga
again
it came together.
There
Trickster


noxo Ko A
Ao w se de.
de Ko de.
tt tt Kiri Ke ni K.
nûxkûhâ
howareje.
Jegû´je.
Djadjakisgenîka
under the ice
he went.
Thus it was.
[Little] Mink


wo A s.
tt tti ne tt.
K sy se Ki ni de.
e tt
w so ttA
wohâ´ra
djadjinedjâ
karaireginije.
Édja
warútc
the food
already
[it was gone.]*
There
he ate

*translated as "it had [been] dished out."


p. 374 --

o xitti de.
w diAi
so ttA Ki
Koo xitti de.
e Ki.
ûxdjî´je.
Wacî ´
rutcagi
k'ûxdjîje.
Égi
[he did] very much.
Fat
of eating
he got his fill.
Then


w Ktt K K.
noxo Ko A s.
Ao o ni A o.
Ai Ki tt ne Ki
Ki si de
Wakdjâkaga
nûxkûhâra
ho'ûnîha'û
hikidjânegi
kirije.
Trickster
under the ice
he kept going
until along side of him
[he came back].


Ai roAo Ki tti.
Ao tt.
wo A s.
i ne Ki
stt ttK tt.
"Hisû´gidjî´,
hodjâ
wohâ´ra
inéki
radjgadjâ,
"My little brother,
[since]
the food
alone
as you have already eaten it,


ni Ke
niKi.
i
K nK Ai Ki Ki se.
Ao diAi ni Ks.
nîge
nîk
i
kanâkhikikire,
hocînîgra,"
piece
little
mouth
put in for me,
a good [fat] piece,"


p. 375 --

e de.
no xo so reAe se Kse Ki
A Ki si.
we de.
Ki o de.
éje.
Nûxroseregaregi
hakirí
wéje.
Ki'ûje.
he said.
From under the crack in the ice
[he came back]
[to speak].
He did it for him.

*"Nûxroseregaregi hakirí weje" is translated as "Here under the crack in the ice he was speaking."


ni Ke
i
K nK Ki Ki de.
di Ke
e Ki di Ke
Nîge
i
kanâkikije.
Jigé
egijige
A piece
mouth
he put in.
Again
he asked [again]


ni Ke
i
K nK Ki Ki de.
di Ki Ko
e Ki di
nîge
i
kanâkikije.
Jigigû
egiji,
piece
mouth
he put in.
Again
he asked,


p. 376 --

di Ke
ni Ke
i
K nK Ki Ki de.
Ai tto l A s.
jigé
nîge
i
kanâkikije.
Hidjobâ´hârá
again
a piece
mouth
he put in.
The fourth time


e Ki.
ttAe li K tt
we de.
ni lA n s
deKe.
égi
tcebigadjâ
wéje.
Nipanara
cke
he asked
it was all eaten up
[he said].
The soup
also


s reKe l
n K w de.
e rKe.
Aotto.
w Ke se.
ni Ke
rasgép
nagawaje.
Ésge
hûdj
wakere
nîge
already
he had drunk.
So therefore
bear's
dung
a piece


iy tt
Ao Ki K nK dAe.
Aow
A K w d.
iyadja
hokikánakce.
"Howá,
hagáwajâ
into his mouth
he dropped it.
"Ah!
what [quite]


p. 377 --

A Kd Kd
w o
diAi diAi Ktti tt ne.
tt Ko
dette Kette n.
hakcakca
wa'û
cicikdjidjane.
Djagú
cdjekdjenâ,"
he abuses me
[he does]
the bad fellow.
[How]
you will die,"


a n K.
de Ko
e tt.
no xs.
w ttoKo a
ánâga.
Jegû´
édja
nûxra
wadjûk'a
he said.
Even
there
the ice
he broke through


tti nK deAe.
so xA
no ni Ke.
o tt o.
noxo
djinâkce.
ruxa
nunige
ûdja'û
nûx
and came out.
He chased him
but
finally
ice


Ko A
Aoyi Ke we Ki di.
so Kd se Ai de.
de Ko de.
A K w d
kûhâ
hoikewegiji
rukcarehije.
Jegû´je.
Hagáwajâ
under
it ran and
got away from him.
Thus it was.
How


p. 378 --

Ai so Ao tty d.
Ai soyi se
w so Ko Ko Ke s.
w d di
ni dK Ktt n Ae n.
Hirohodjaija
hiroire
warugûgûgera.
Wajaji
nicgakdjanahenâ.
he tricked me
the homely
coveter that he is.
Something
I will do to you yet.


A ttAo s w s Ke se Kette de.
aK deAe.
de e tt.
hatcora warakerekdjeje,"
akce.
Jeedja
You have no refuge to go to,"
he was saying.
There


w KidiKi
ttAi n Ki d.
mi n Ki
e tt.
Ao w se de.
wâkcik
tcinâkijâ
mînâk´.
Édja
howareje.
human
a village
it sat.*
There
he went.

*translated as "that was".


p. 379 --

A Ko se d.
wo to Ai ttAi
ni Ae Ki di.
e tt.
Hagorejâ
wadohitci
nîhegiji,
édja
One day
a son-in-law
where he had been,
there


tt tt Kiri Ke ni K
w d
Ki dK Kette
Ai se Ke
w o de.
Djadjâkisgenîka
wajâ
gîcgâkdje
hirege
wa'ûje.
Mink
something
he would make him befall
he thought so
he did.


e tt.
doAo Ki d.
ni Ai se Ki di.
Ai rKe tt
w Kiri ra de.
Édja
cûkijâ
nihiregiji.
Hisgédja
wakis'aje.
There
a dog
they owned.
Really
it used to be a fighter.*

*translated as "a very good hunter it was".


p. 380 --

de e
Ao ntt Ai de.
e Ki.
de e
Ai ow n K.
Jee
honâtchije.
Égi
jee
hi'ûwanâga
That
he went to borrow.
Then
that
he used and


tt tt Kiri Ke ni K
Ao ni Ki Ki
no ni Ke.
noxo Ko Ay tt
Ai Ke
Djadjâgisgenîka
hûnîgigi
nunige
nûxkûhaîdjâ
hîké
[Little] Mink
he hunted
but
from under the ice
not


a tti nK ni de.
e rKe
A Ke
Ai e ni de.
adjinâknîje.
Ésge,
hâké
hi'enîje.
he would not come out.
So therefore,
not
he did not find him.


p. 381 --

Ai Ko tt rKe Ki di.
w d
Ki dK
so Ko de.
Higûdjasgegiji
wajâ
gîcgâ
rogûje.
Whatever happened
something
he wished
to do to him.


English Translation


Source:

Oliver LaMère (trs.), "Wakdjukaga," in Paul Radin, Notebooks, Freeman #3897 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, ca. 1912) Winnebago V, #7: 364-381.