by Oliver LaMère
translated by Richard Dieterle
Hōcak-English Interlinear Text
(406) Cracked Mouth was a Frenchman. When the Sauks fought, he was one of our Grandfather’s scouts, so they sent him to go to Mud Lake [Lake Koshkonong]. There he found many Hōcągara living in a swamp. Then those Hōcągara said, “Your two chiefs are being held for their benefit, and we hear that they say that they are going to attack us." The women, and the children as well, are hungry. They are only eating fruits and vegetables. Cracked Mouth, Whirling Thunder, and White Crow were the three who were together. Those Hocągara told them, "Do not become frightened, since the Big Knives will not doing anything to you. Only if you do something first will they do something."
(407) It is said that Cracked Mouth married a Hōcąk woman whom they called "Raven Woman."They say that Raven Woman was sometimes called the "First Born Orphan Daughter."1
by Coonąkehųka Oliver LaMère
translated by Shiela Shigley
Hōcak-English Interlinear Text by Sheila Shigley
(406) Cracked Mouth was a Frenchman. When they were fighting with the Sacs, he was one of the president’s spies. As a result they sent him around to Lake [Koshkonong]. There at a marsh he found many, many Hoocąks living. And those Hoocąks said, "Your leader is going to round us up for himself as well since they will be fighting us, it is said, we heard. The women, even the children are hungry. They’re only eating vegetation. Cracked Mouth, Wakąjagiwįxga and Kaaǧisąga, these three as a result told those Hoocąks, "Don’t be afraid. The Big Knives are not going to do anything to you. Only if you do some wrongdoing first will they do something to you."
(407) Cracked Mouth married a Hoocąk wife, "Crow Woman" as she was called, they say. Crow Woman would sometimes be called "Hinų Little Orphan," they say.
Commentary. "Oliver LaMère" — was not only an informant for Jipson, but had been Paul Radin's chief translator. Oliver LaMère was the great grandson of Oliver Armel and Raven Woman.
"Cracked Mouth " — the nickname given to Oliver Armel, who was born about 1800 in Canada. Around 1828 he became an American citizen having taken up residence near Madison, Wisconsin. His Hōcąk name, Ihoikšabᵉraga, is from i, "mouth"; hoikšap, "crack"; -ra, a definite article suffix also used to form plurals; and -ga, a definite article suffix used in personal names. Hoikšap is also found as a verb meaning, "to split by hitting (as firewood)." In literature, the noun form hoikšabᵉra is used to refer to Trickster's "crack," meaning the cleft of his buttocks. So i hoikšap denotes a split mouth, which would seem to refer to a cleft lip and palate, or possibly cut wounds to the mouth area.
"the Sauks fought" — a reference to the 1832 Black Hawk War.
"Grandfather" — a title of deference given to the President of the United States, who at the time, was Andrew Jackson.
"Lake Koshkonong" — located in present day Wisconsin, 42.873760, -88.962936. Jipson says parenthetically that Lake Koshkonong was "called Mud Lake by the Indians."
"Whirling Thunder, and White Crow" — Whirling Thunder (Wakąjagiwįxka) was the Peace Chief from the Thunderbird Clan, and White Crow (Kaǧískága) was the War Chief from the Bear Clan. They are both found in the 1832 census rolls not in Koshkonong or the Mud Lake villages, but in the large Turtle Creek village. See Kinzie's census rolls and the notes there.
"Big Knives" — the term primarily for white Americans, but also used for white people in general. The name derives from their use of the saber.
Notes
1 Norton William Jipson, Story of the Winnebagoes (Chicago: The Chicago Historical Society, 1923) 406-407. This is an unpublished typescript.
Jipson's translation: "Free translation: Oliver Armel, a Frenchman, became a scout in the Black Hawk war. They sent him to Koshkonong (Called Mud Lake by the Indians). There he found many Winnebagoes living, who said: The Americans have seized our chiefs and are going to make war on us! The women and children were starving and were living on roots. Armel, whirling Thunder and White Crow told them not to be frightened, that the whitemen would not harm them unless they first harmed the white man.
Armel married a Winnebago woman called the Raven Woman, an orphan sometimes called hee-noo, meaning first born daughter."