Hocąk Text — The Boy Who Wants to Go to War

by Stella (Blowsnake) Stacey, a.k.a. Mountain Wolf Woman
transcribed and translated by Sheila Shigley

Stella Stacy (Mountain Wolf Woman)

English Translation

00:02.58              
"Tócą́r̨áirekjenehégiži wą́k wóšgą́žą te’é herén'. Hąké hokíwáhas wóšgą́
"When they will go to war men a cultural practice this it is. Not driving one another away* practice

* perhaps meaning it’s not a battlefield practice, but a cultural practice surrounding war service. I think hokiwahas can be translated as "action in battle," "battlefield actions," or even simply "fighting (tactics)." 

                  00:40.5
hižą herénı̨́, nųnįgé. "Hinı̨́k háxjį, hąké šaranı̨́ rónįgigų́n', ho’ų égi.́ Hinı̨́,
a it is not, however. "Son my beloved, not you do not go I am asking you, this time. Older brother

 

 

          00:47.5  
nįókistı̨́ną. Wéną́giži, hára* ižą́ rékjenąhéra. Šų́gépága wenagi
he is going to very much shut you in [?]. When it's spring, [?] one you will be going. Dog Head in sprng

* is this an afterthought for wéną́(k) hára? Did she slip in the hára meaning to have attached it to the wéną́(k)? However, it is followed by the indefinite article, so it should be a noun occuring after -giži, here functioning apparently more as a conjunction.

                00:56        
herekjenén'. Žé éja šerékjén'," éže, wą́k hi’ą́c híre. Giži wą́k, hocı̨́cıją́ną̨́ we, "Ą-ą-ą,
he will be around. That there you should go," he said, man father he was. So man, this boy he said, "[Exclamation]

 

    01:02.9        
méžésge yáré gajéréną. Wą́gᵉrá hižą́kíra rugą́š hįhíre, kiríšge*
that it is as I would have thought. The men just one to miss they made me, to come home also

* < kiris-šge.

        01:12.4          
né ų́įnékje, ésgé yárén'. Žigínų́bᵉrá* wą́gᵉrá nų́píwi kjaną́wišge ne winų́bᵉra
me they would make me, so I thought. Again the second one men two they did it also me the second one

* < žige-hinųp-ra.

  01:18.4             01:24.3
ų́įnékjen'. Égi žigé wą́gᵉrá tán' kiriwíšge, né witánįną ų́įnegiži. Égi,
they would make me. And again men three to come home also, me the third one they would. And

 

                01:32
wą́gᵉrá jop kiriwíšge, né wijóbᵉra ų́įnékje, gážésge yárén'. 'Ge
men four they came home also, me the fourth they would make me, like that I am thinking. So

 

 

é esge nįšgé té ną́’įną,* egi égų [gokjį?] e hoke [t’anįkjen',"] eže,
then therefore like this to go I was trying, and then [very much] I [?] [I will not go there,"] he said,

* uncertain reading, but probably correct.

    01:41.5       01:45.5      
wąkwacekjąne, hocįcįjega. Eesge hąke ranįže, hocįcįžą, "Hirujisse e," hi’ąjᵉra hireranąga,
the young man, the boy. And so not he did not go, a boy, "He is too young he," his father he would be thinking, and

 

      01:53.1      
ka wašguže* tocąnąirekjenegiži. Nųnįge wąk hocįcįjaną wokaraki',†
so [so that you not go and ask for,] when they were about to go to war. However, man the boy when telling his own story,

* this word, of unknown meaning, may be a mishearing of giwąxguže (Ki w xoKo de), "he went to break loose," which makes sense in this context, as it would imply that he was trying to free himself in this case from his father's control.
† the terminal suffix -giži has its initial /g/ assimilated by the terminal /k/ of wokarak, and its final /i/ disappears as a result of being elided with the next word. 

      || 00:01:56.3
žeesge eže, airen'.  
that's how he said, it is said.  

 

Source:

Stella Stacy, "The young boy who wanted to go war," reading by Sheila Shigley, from audio tapes in the American Philosophical Society. 10-04. Fraenkel, Gerd. Mss.Rec. 29, recorded 12 July 1959, 1 .mp3; 00:00:02.58 - 00:01:56.3. Copy made by Gerd Fraenkel of an original tape held at the Archives of Languages of the World, Indiana University. This program comes from original tape 526.12. APS accession number 7212; APSdigrec_0953; Recording Number: 02; Program Number: 14.