Hocąk Text — The Boy who would be Immortal

Hocąk Text — The Boy who would be Immortal - 2

Original Hocąk-English Interlinear Text

There are two Hocąk MSS of the "Boy who would be Immortal." The original is in the typically sloppy hand of Paul Radin and is repleat with numerous uninterpreted abbreviations for common syllables found in Hocąk. The present version is a revision based upon the original. It is in Radin's more mature orthography and is written in ink in a very clear hand.

In manuscript form, this revised version is not actually interlinear. It is a double spaced text in Hocąk only. The English has been supplied from a combination of the very loose translation in English that accompanies it, and the English found in the original interlinear text.

At the top of the first page is written the numeral "13" which matches the "XIII" written in the corresponding place in the original MS.

p. 1 —

Wąk	nįkjąk	įreki-hižą.	Hi-ą́ci-giži	wéže,
Man	child	one alone.	Once his father	he said,

"Hąté-haginą̀cre	įreki	wąkšikš'įra	winą́ži	nįcųšgúnira;
"Fast	alone	you are living	to hope from	there is none;

xopini	warájire	hižą	nącónijągìži	éšaną
spirits	the various	one	they will bless you	only

woinąži	nįcúną."	Žésge	higéže.	Hige-gíži
hopes	you will have."	Thus	he spoke.	Having said it to him

žésge	híže.	Hąte-haginącže.*	"Nįgiák,	s'iš'ų-gáją
so	he did.	He fasted.	"Son,	having done it for a long time

*This has been hyper-corrected from an earlier "Hątáginące," which would be from "hąte-haginąc" + "-še", the "š" disappearing through sandhi.

hąte-haginącra	ną́iži	wažą́ra	hižą	hipereskúni,
the fasting	by this time	something	it is	you must have known,

žejąną́ixjį	šurušją-giži	pįnóną."	"Jaji,	hisgé
about now	you should stop	it would be best."	"Father,	all

waša-núnige	higų	haipį́wąk[šaną."]*	"Égi
you speak right	but still	I like it."	"And

*The earlier MS has a ɜ which is interpreted as the sentence terminator "-šaną." In this MS the sentence concludes with "esge" ("and so"), which in the original MS would be symbolized by an ε faced in the correct direction.

jagú	hirahątéže?"	"Jagú	haginąc	hįrašíra
what	have you dreamt of?"	"What	you told me	to fast for

žésge	yahąténą:	wanioicgéra	hoit'éhira jasge
and so	I have dreamt of:	animals	to kill as I like

hakje	[žésge]*	hįgigų́s-hirèną.	Égi	žigé	wąkšik-ho'į́ra
and	[thus]	I am taught.	And	again	with life

*The original MS contains the symbol (λ) for the word žésge, which has been omitted from this MS probably by accident.

jajáįxjį	hižéjaįxjį	hira'uni	nąciroją-hireže,	hįgá-hireną.
as long as it is	that long	from one end to another	they bless me with,	I am told.

p. 2 —

Égi	žigé	wagáireną	hįgu-ájireną.	Mąxíwąkregi
And	again	to tell something	they came after me.	To the clouds above

wąktóšewe	hocí-hižą	égi	akregi	éja
doctor	in his lodge	and	from above	there

hini-ąkíreną.	Wąkšíkra	hížą	t'ekjanéšge	ni-ąphákje,
they took me to.	Person	a	is near death	I could make him alive,

žésge	nąciroją́ireną.*	Žénųga	hą́te-haginą̀kre†	hįgáireną
thus	they blessed me.	To end	to fast anymore	I was told

*The original MS has nąjiroijaį́neną.
†The original MS has hątáginanjere, so this should probably read, hą́te-haginą̀cre.

žésge ha-núnige	higų	wa'uwą́kšaną.	Žige	kuhą́regi
but	still	I kept on.	Again	from below

hį́gu-ajìreną,	kuhą́regi	Wogų́s-hocì-hižą	éja
they came after me,	from below	a Creation Lodge	there

hingu-ajíreną.	Žésge	hįgáireną	jagúrahaną̀c	nącironiją́ireną:
they came after me.	Thus	I am told	all things	they blessed me with:

wonąxírera,	wąktóšewera,	wot'éhira,	wąkšík-ho'įra	haną́c
wars,	doctoring,	hunting,	with life	all of

nącironiją́ireną.	Jánąga	wažągų́sra	hąp-hirakara	Wagų́sra
they blessed me.	As many as there are	of created things	that he put in charge	the Creator

haną́cį	nąc-honiją́ireną.	'Ésge	žénųga	hąte-haginą̀cra
all of them	they blessed me.	'And so	an end to	the fasting

š'ų́kje,'	hinįgáireną.	Žésge ha-núnige	hąké
you should do,'	they told me.	But	not

p. 3 —

canįkje	žésge	roáguną.	Ésge	wa'uwą́kšaną,
that I would not die	that kind of thing	I longed for.	And so	I am doing this,

jáji,	žénųga	'uwą́kwire.	Tée	ną́cirojąiregìšaną,
father,	so	let me continue on.	With this	if I am blessed,

túšjąkjanèną."	Hąké	rušją́niže	hą́te-haginą̀cra.	"Wąkšiké,
I will stop."	Not	he did not stop	the fasting.	"Human,

ženųga	'ų́re	hą́te-haginą̀cra.	Wažągų́sra	jają́ixjį*
to end	that much	the fasting.	Life	as long as

*The original MS has jajaíñxji, which suggests in the present orthagraphy, jają́įxjį.

wąkšíkš'įkje*	honįk'ų́ra.	hira'úni	wąkšík-ho'į̀ra
anyone should live	that he gave you.	To the extent of it	life

*This MS reads "wąkšik š'įkje," but the original presents these as a single word.

jagú	gipį́	wąkšikš'į́kje,*	žésge
how	you please	you can live,	this kind

*This MS has "wąkšik š'į́kje."

honįk'ų́ireną	pį."	"Núnige	hąké	canižéži
it is given to you	good."	"But	not	not to die

žésge	roáguną,"	éną.	Hąké	raxúrukiranìže.
this sort of thing	I desire,"	he said.	Not	they could not persuade him.

"Hąkagá	canįgíšaną	haipįnóną."	Raxúrukra	ruš'ákireže.
"Never	if I die - only	I would be satisfied."	To persuade him	they were unable.

T'ekjéra	hisgéja	gicexíže.	Ésge	wáireže
To die	very much	he regretted it.	And so	they talked

p. 4 —

gųsireže.	"Žénųga	t'ekjéra,"*	áireže.	Ésge
they counseled over.	"That's all	he must die,"	they said.	And so

*The original text has t'ekjéną.

hąté-haginącąka.*	Éja	horuxúcire-gàją	t'ánąkže.	Hią́cra
he was fasting.	There	when they looked	he was dead.	To his father

*Radin does not end the sentence here, but at "t'ánąkže."

wagáireže,	"Jagú-iyagàwira	žénisgekjanèną;	hąké	wažą́-hihiranìre
they said,	"What we said to him	that will be for you;	not	you do not think anything of it

pį́hįkarat'ų̀pre,"	higáireže.	Ésge	woxé-hižą-hak'èže.	Éja
and place him away,"	they said.	And so	he dug a grave.	There

karaxéže.	"Hinįkra,	jasgégają*	hinįkara	wa'ųgúni,"
he buried him.	"My son	how is he	my son	that he is doing there,"

*The original MS has jasgéxjįgają with -xjįgają represented in symbolic form. Radin probably overlooked the symbol for -xjį.

hireže.	Égi	hogirákireže	raxúrukra	ruš'ákireže.
he thought.	And	they told him that	the persuading	they were unable.

Waxopíni	warácire	esge	méžesge	gigíreną.
The spirits	various	therefore	for this reason	they did to him.

"Hąké	wažą́	hiraníre	hirapéresirekjanèną,"*	higáireže.
"Not	anything	you think much about	you will know,"	they told him.

*The original text has "hirapérezikjaneną."

Xanihéra	hoipéhi	hi-éja,	éja	hoipéhi
Where he buried him	at the head	he arrived,	there	at the head

hi-éja	ną́-hižą	é-[ja]	...
thereat	a tree	[there]	...

The last five and a half sentences are missing from this MS. There is a following page 5, but it contains numbered sentences from 48 through 55 from a misplaced fragment of another story. The text continues in the original MS.

Source:

"The Boy who Wished to be Immortal," in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3869 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1951 ?) Winnebago III, #13: 1-4.