Hocąk 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 hicakórowahíra Wakjąkága wagežé,
[And] Hare [his friend] Trickster he said to him,

 

 

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

 

 

hitcakoró hisge wacéną† [M] djagú
"Hicakoró, 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 gišórocjirehíže. 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, hicakórora Kecųgega,
Hare [said to him,] friend Turtle,

 

 

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

 

 

hanihúnįgigínije hitcakóro hisge wacéna Ketcų́gega
hanihúnįgigíniže?" "Hicakóro, hisge wašéną," Kecų́gega
[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 gišóracjirehíže, [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.