Hocąk Text — The Friendship Drum Origin Myth, Variant 1

narrated by Stella Stacy
transcribed by Sheila Shigley

Stella Stacy

English Translation

Word in brackets, [], have been supplied from sources other than Stella Stacy's translation (in variant 2).


APS Audio Tape 7903 (00:09)                
Že’é, hagoréižą, kízá hirégi, Hócą́gᵋra hastóireže. Nı̨́ hocék† éja howaházireže.
[This,] [once upon a time,] [war] [as there had been,] Hócą́gᵋra* [they came after.] Water shallow in [she dove in.]

* Winnebago.
† < ho-cek, "the spatio-temporal (ho) beginning (cek)," the shallow part of a body of water being generally the part that would be entered first and which is at the water's edge (beginning).

 

Giží, te’é hokízágᵋre* wa’ų́įneže, haną́cixjį t’é wahíreže. Giži, hinų́gnı̨́kižą, že’é,
[And] [these] [to make frequent war] [they did,] [everyone of them] to kill [they did it.] [Then] [a little girl,] [this one]

* this is taken to be hokiza-k-re, from hokiza, "battle, fighting, war"; -k, a suffix meaning "frequently"; and -re, a suffix indicating past time.

 

wažą́ wahíre, haną́c t’e wagígíreže, š’ák wahíra hokínų̀bašąną.
[someone] [they went for,] all of them to kill [they did to them,] parents her her brothers and sisters in addition.

 

 

00:43           00:53      
Giží, nı̨́éja nų́xą́wąže, nı̨́éja mı̨́kže. Nı̨́éja mı̨́gᵋnąka, ną́’áp xete nı̨́éja ną́kšųnų̀ną.
[And] [in the water] [she hid,] [in the water] she lie. [In the water] [she was lying down,] leaves big in the water [they were always lying.]

 

 

Xą́yįóxere ská haminą́k. Ną’ą́p xetéxjį nı̨́éja ną́kšųnų̀n’, žéesge. Hišjárá
[Flower] white [extended over her.] Leaves big ones in water [they always reclined,] [that way.] Face

 

 

hirárukáwanąka, nı̨́éja haxárá m̨ı́kže. Giží, éja žésgé hirákže, "Jágú’ų̀ šge,
they covered, [in water] [on her back] she laid. [And so] [there] [this way] she thought, "Why also

 

 

néšąną nįá’ąbᵋjanégųnį, wažą́ wahàra, š’ákwahàrašge, haną́c t’é waigigizigažą(??).
I alone I am living, relatives my, [my parents also,] all dead [they made them for me.] (?)

 

 

01:28         01:36
Jáguá wa’ų́šge* nį’á’ąbᵋjekjenegųnį(ną?), žéesge híreže, gają. Wažąižą
For what reason also I am going to live," [just like that] she thought, [.] Something

* jágu háwa’ų̀šge?

 

      01:40        
hokít’éže, hižą́ hokít’éže, "Hą́ké hinų́gnį́gᵋra žéesge híranįne. Gúré,
[he said,] one he said, "Not [little girl] that do not think. [Come here,]

 

 

wáciéja howáràre, éja waráicèra, éja, wónį́gitáikjawiną.” Gážésge,
to my home [go,] [there] you will eat, there [we will tell you something."] [Thus]

* -ra or -ną.

 

  01:57              
higáireže. “H̨ı́ké ha’ų́nį́na, žégų́ hit’ékjéną. Žégų́ égi ha’umą́k," ho’égi
[they arrived]. ["Not] [I do not do it,] [thus] [I will speak.] [So] [here] [I am,"] [as she was telling him]

 

 

t’ékjéną. “Ké n̨ı́’ą́bràgų́n̨ı́ną. Wažą́waharaną́c* t’áiregáją,”
[that she would die.] ["Not] [I might not have lived.] [All my relatives] [they have been killed,"]

* < wažą́wahara hanąc.

 

gaesge éže. “Hąka’a, hinų́g(n)̨ı́gra, žégų́ hùrè raip̨ı́kjaneną, honįkít’airegi,”
[like this] [she said.] ["No,] [little girl,] [now] [come here] you will like it, [when they talk to you,"]

 

 

      02:23            
gaesge égiži, higáireže. Giži, žeesgéže. Hanįákaráigiži, giži cı̨́žą éja hagi,
[like this] [he said,] [they say.] [So] [that's the way it was.] [They took her home,] [and so] [a lodge] [there] [he went back,]

 

 

  02:31          
hanįocáwaigiži.* Gają́, wagáireže, warúc gigíreže, wáinį hogiyá (?) hogireánąga (?),
[taking her to her destination.] [Then,] [it is said,] [food] [they made,] clothing ? ?, and

* < hanį-hocáwa-hi-giži.

 

égi, wagáireže, hinųgnı̨́gᵋra, "Rakérékjanàre, hokízágᵋre, hiyušáràkjéną.
then, they said, [the little girl,] ["You will go home,] [making frequent war] [it will cease.]

 

 

02:51              
Réx harupórogᵋra hižą́ ų́ waragígikjén’. Réx harupórok te’é, hicákóro pı̨́
[The drum] [one] [to make] [I will do it.] Drum this, friend [good]

 

 

réx haropórogį[a] (?) herekjánen’. Hokízára rušją́inekjánèną. Wąkšígᵋra haną́c
a drum it will be. Wars they will quit. People all

 

 

hicakóro pı̨́nekjánèna. Te’é, réx harupórogį (?), te’é wašireànąka,
friends they will be good. [This] [drum] [this] [they dance, and]

 

 

        03:18  
wažópı̨́k’ųíneànąką, haną́c hicakóro pı̨́nekjáneną.” Méžèsge higáireže.
[they will do good, and] [all] [friends] [they will be good."] [For this reason] [she was called.]

 

 

Giži žéesgé hìže. Jágú higáirega žéesgé hìže. Réx harupórogiyą ų́
[And so] [that way] [he did.] [How] [as he told her,] [that way] [she did.] [A drum] [to make]

 

 

wagigiánąga éja, te’é, “Hirúšgá,” áną́gre, heréireže.* Giži, žéesgeže.
[he gave her, and] [there,] [this one,] [Hirúšgá] [it is called,] [they are.] [And so] [that's the way it was.]

* or heréreže.

 

03:37                
Réx harupórok žégi kéréga, haną́c waną’ı̨́ wogižáwa áireánąga, wažą́ hokik’ų̀ineànąga,
[Drum] [there] [when it started off,] [every] [mind] [it was happy] [they say, and] [thing] [they gave of themselves, and]

 

 

hicakóro pı̨́na, ną́cge pı̨́kı̨́nes’aže.* Wažópı̨́xjįokik’ųineànąga† giži
[friend] [the good one,] [heart] [they would always make up.] [They gave of themselves doing very good things, and] [so]

* or pı̨́kı̨́ires’aže.
† < wažó-pı̨́-xjį-hokik’ų-ine-anąga. Wažópı̨́ means "to do good," and with the suffix -xji, it is made emphatic. Hokik’ųine means, "they gave of themselves."

 

        03:53        
éepa,* kízára rúšją́ineže, áireną. Tócą́,† hatókícųaines’ap (??),‡ že’é, rušją́ineže, áiren’.
[they, up to that time,] [the fighting] [they stopped,] [it is said.] [Warfare,] ? [these] [they stopped,] [it is said.]

* < é hipa.
† a contraction of tócą́wą.
‡ is this akin (or a malformed version of) hątokinąc (haah-tock-ke-nutch), "the process of fasting and offering up of prayers to the spirits"?

 

Réx harupórok, Hirušgá réx harupórok, kenį(?), é tócą́ra rušją́ wahíže, áire; hinų́gnı̨́k te’é Hą́p
[Drum,] [Hirušgá] [Drum] ? [it itself] [warfare] [to stop] [it made it,] [they say;] [little girl] [this] [Light and Life]

 

 

    04:09               04:15
tégi éja.* Žéesge áiregiži é hoták, wahéną. Wórák pı̨́ hižą heregáją.
[right here] [she herself possessed.] [That's the way it was,] [they said, and] [it itself] [I have told,] [I mean.] [Story] [good] [a] [it is.]

* e cų? 

Source:

Reading by Sheila Shigley, from the audio tape in the American Philosophical Society: 10-04. Fraenkel, Gerd. Stacy, Stella. "A war story about a young girl," recorded 1959-07-22, 1 .mp3; 00:07:42. 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 18. APS accession number 7309.