Hočąk Text — The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks

Hočąk Text — The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake

The text is an interlinear with occasional morpheme abbreviations. These abbreviations are set out on the table below:

[α]	[ε]	[ρ]	[τ]	[ϕ]	[M]	[W]
égi	gáją	ánąga	gíži	hąké	Mą'una	Wašjįgega

Where words had no translation in the interlinear version, they could usually be supplied from the English translation in The Road of Life and Death.

English Translation

Narrative Structure

p. 201 —

[α]	[W]	hitcakórowahíra	wakdjųkága	wagejé
Égi	Wašjįgega	hičakórowahíra	Wakjąkága	wagežé,
[And]	Hare	[his friend]	Trickster	he said to him,

hitcakóro	[M]	[ϕ]	wajǫ́niją	hanihúnigigínije
"Hičakóro,	Mą'una	hąké	wažą́nižą	hanihúnigigíniže?"
"Friend,	Earthmaker	not	something	did he not let you bring?"

hitcakoró	hisge	wacéną†	[M]	djagú
"Hičakoró,	hisge	wašéną.	Mą'una	jagú
["Friend,]	truth*	you say.‡	Earthmaker	what

*"some" has been crossed out and "truth" written above it.
†at the end of this word, /re/ has been crossed out and /ną/ written above it.
‡"you said" has been crossed out, and "you say" written above it.

hanihúįgigira	higuą	haninókcana*	éje	mągédja
hanihúįgigira	higuą	haniną́kšaną,"	éže.	Mągéja
he sent by me	yet	I have it,"	[he said.]	In his breast

*/ha/ is inserted in small letters above the line in front of this word by a caret.

hokáradjidjį*	djíreje	hoxíwixíwi[ρ´]†	[ε´]	keredjųsep
hokárajijį	jíreže.	Hoxíwixíwiánąga	gáją	kerejųsep
he hit himself*	he did.	He coughed a little and	[then]	black hawk‡

*"it" has been crossed out and "himself" written above it.
†just before this word, hoxíxiwi[ρ] has been crossed out.
‡"sparrow" has been crossed out and "hawk" written above it.

nąkéxodjią́	gicórotcdjirehíje†	[ε´]	hą́bera	nąkera
nąkéxojią́	gišóročjirehíže.	Gają	hą́bera	nąkera
gray back*	he knocked it out.‡	[Then]	light	back side‡‡

*"white" has been crossed out and "gray" written above it.
†a /g/ has been written over an original /dj/.
‡"coughed" has been crossed out and "knocked" written above it.
‡‡before this expression, "dark side" has been crossed out, and above these words "(?)" has been written. Above the word "side", "(dark side)" has been rewritten.

rukírikíri	jesgá	minókce	[...]
rukírikíri.	Žesgá	minókše.	[...]
it sparkled.	[That kind]	it reposed.	[...]

p. 202 —

[W]	wéna	hitcakórora	Ketcųgega
Wacjįgega	wéną,	hičakórora	Kečųgega,
Hare	[said to him,]	friend	Turtle,

wigíwąxcána	hitcákoró	[M]	[ϕ]	wajǫ́nijǫ
wigíwąxšáną,	"Hičákoró,	Mą’ųna	hąké	wažǫ́nižǫ
he asked him something,	"Friend	Earthmaker	not	something

hanihúnįgigínije	hitcakóro	hisge	wacéna	Ketcų́gega
hanihúnįgigíniže?"	"Hičakóro,	hisge	wašéną,"	Kečų́gega
[did he not let you bring?]	["Friend,]	[truth]	[you speak it,"]	[Turtle]

éje	[M]	djágwanihúįgigíra	jéguąnią́djena*
éže.	"Mą’ųna	jágwanihúįgigíra,	žéguąnią́jena
he said.	"Earthmaker	what he sent,	I have it yet,"

*just before this word are two vertical parallel lines.

[ρ´]	wa'ųjé	mągédja	hókaradjídjį	djiréje
ánąga,	wa'ųžé.	Mągéja	hókarajíjį	jiréže.
[he said and]	[he did it.]	[His chest]	[he hit himself]	[he did.]

[ε´]	keredjų́sep	áhup'ahíją	gicóratcdjirehíje*	[τ´]
Gáją	kerejų́sep	áhup'ahížą	gišóračjirehíže,	[gíži.]
Then	black hawk	sharp wings	[he knocked out]	[.]

*just before this word /ke/ has been crossed out.

hą́berá	rugigís	jésga	kírinąkije
Hą́berá	rugigís	žésga	kírinąkiže.
Light	round (full)*	that	he made it appear.*

*the English translation in The Road of Life and Death adds the following unsupported by this text, "So perfect was the atmosphere that the smoke took on the form of rings."

Source:

Jasper Blowsnake, Untitled, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3887 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Library, n.d.) Winnebago II, #7: 201-202. An English translation is also found in Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 281-282.