Hocąk Text — The Island Weight Songs

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake
Winnebago III, #1: 71   Winnebago II, #1: 96 Winnebago II, #5: 97

English Translation


As is the case with a number of other Radin interlinear MSS, this text is full of abbreviations for common word terminations. The revised texts in Winnebago II, #1: 96-97 and Winnebago II, #5: 97-99, can be used as a kind of Rosetta Stone for interpreting their values:

α β γ ε ρ τ υ ω
égi žigé -giži ésge ánąga žegų -regi žigé

N X 2 ɕ 9 > - ÷
hicókewahíwira wąkšig -že, -še -xjį -žą -gáją -ra nągera -nąk, -nąg

In the interlinear text where the translation is missing, it has been supplied whenever possible from the English text of The Road of Life and Death (see Source below). Where a missing translation has been supplied from other sources, it is enclosed in brackets, [ ].

Key —
First Row "raw" interlinear text from Paul Radin, Notebook, Winnebago III, #1: 71-73.
Second Row revised text from Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Winnebago II, #1: 96-97, and Winnebago II, #5: 97-99.
Third Row English translation based on that of The Road of Life and Death.

 

p. 71 (= Winnebago II, #1: 96, Winnebago II, #5: 97) —
'uañgí[9] tcowáredjáñ[ɕ] hageré[9] hądé[γ] widjiráwaséwe[-]
Wągížą cowarejąxjį hagaréžą hątégiži. Wijirawaséwera,
A man long before us once he dreamt. The Island Weights,*
*Radin's translation has "the four island weights", but the number is not expressed in the Hocąk.

 


 

p. 72 (= Winnebago II, #1: 97, Winnebago II, #5: 98) —
[N] hąbókahi nihá wañgat'ą́benañgwíre honihá
hicókewahíwira, hąbókahi nihá wągat'ą́benągwire honihá
our grandfathers, every day song that they placed on us the song

 


 

gigų́zire[2´] honihá[-] hi[9´]caną higiwa-aį́ne[2] tconí[ɕ]
gigų́zireže. Honihára hižą́šaną higiwa-aį́neže. Coníxjį
they taught him. The songs one apiece they started for him. The very first

 


 

hąborgurégi[⨪]re nąwaį́[9] higiwá-añgi nąwą́ tconína
hąboguréginągere nąwaįžą higiwá-añgi ną́wą conína
the one in the east a song he started for him song the first

 


 

erehí[2] [α] [ω] widjugámi[÷´] hohuhí
erehíže. Égi žigé wijugáminągera hohuhí*
he made it. And again one placed on the edge of the earth direction
*Radin has hohahí, since in the original MS the /u/ looks like an /a/.

 


 

xedéra s'aniñk siniwagú[υ][⨪]re honihaí[9] hicgé
xetéra sánįk siniwagúreginągere, honihaížą hišgé
big one side the north one, a song also

 


 

higiwá-ą[2] jée ną́wą hinųbrá erehí[2]
higiwáąže. žeé ną́wą hinųbra erehíže.
he started for. That song the second he made it.

 


 

[α] [ω] s'aniñk yoiré[υ][÷]re hicgé
Égi žigé sánįk yoiréreginągere hišgé
And again side the west one also

 


 

nąwaį́[9] higiwá-ą[2] nąwą́ jeé hidanína
nąwaį́žą higiwa-ą́že. Nąwą́ žeé hitanína
a song he started. Song that the third

 


 

herehí[2] [α] [ω] hicgé s'aniñk
herehíže. Égi žigé hišgé sánįk
he made it. And again also side

 


 

yorotcądje[υ´] rekúhuhi higaí[υ] nąwaį́[9] higiwá-ą[2]
yorocą́jeregi, Rek'uhuhí higaíregi, nąwaį́žą higiwá-ąže.
on the south, "Down Stream" they call it, a song he started.

 


 

[τ´][γ] nąwǫ́na djopíwi higiwa-aį́ne[2] [α]
Žegųgíži nąwą́na jopíwi higíwa-aineže. Égi
Thus it was, songs four they started. And

 


 

hicgé é[ɕ] honihá[9] gųsé e[ɕ´]
hišgé éxjį honihážą gųsé; éxjį
also he himself a song he made; he himself

 


 

hoixgǫ́xgǫ haniná kéwewi[ρ´] [β] we[2´]
hoixgą́xgą haniná kewewi-ánąga éja wéže,
customs theirs he thought of, and there he said,

 


 

hitcókera djagu igerá hi'ųdjá[2] e[2´]
"Hicókera, jagú higéra, hi'ųjáže," éže.
"Grandfather, what he told, he tried it," he said.

 


 

Winnebago II, #5, p. 99* —
nąwą́ka hitcóke[-] wak'ą́wañxgi higisgékdjané[2] higegí
Nąwą́ka hicókera wak'ą́wąxgi higisgékjaneže, higegí.
The singer, grandfather, if he poisoned him, it would be so, [as] he told him.
*handwritten at the top of the page of this typescript is, "waratcga = guess at with mouth[,] worutcga = guess at with hand".

 


 

p. 73* —
[X]ią káwañx[>´] djagónagi t'ékdje hegegí
Wąkcigią́ kąwąxgáją jajónagi t'ékje; higegí
A man that he poisoned when, he would die; [as] he told him,
*at the top of the page is written, "reháge - to send forth by utterance[,] reráge [c?e?rerági][,] rehíge". After the last word, nothing is written.

 


 

jedjóna[>´] t'e[2´] [ε] nąwáñka gųsé
žejónagają. T'ežé. Ésge, nąwánąka gųsé.*
so it would end. He died. Thus, the song he made.
*in Winnebago II, #5, p. 99, interlinear couplet 3, Radin draws a vertical line in pencil after this word.

 


 

[α] [ω] hidjąnéją gųsé nąwaí[9]
Égi žigé hijánežą gųsé, nąwaį́žą
And again another one he made, a song

 


 

'uáñkdjega e wádje[2] wakáwañ[γ][ρ´] [X]riją́
wą́kjega e waježé. Wakawawąxga-´nąga* wąkšígerižą́†
the man he he said it. He poisoned him, and one of the men
*this is anomalous. It should apparently have been, Wakawawągadją́nąga, but [γ] was supposed to have represented -giži, as it does elsewhere. No instance is known of giži-anąga, to my knowledge.
†the corrected text has, wañkcígera hiją́, removing the effects of external sandhi.

 


 

t'ehigá e ną́waįt'úne ną́wǫna hi[9]
t'ehigá, e nąwaįt'ų́ne, nąwą́na hižą́
when he killed him, that a song he would make about it, the song one

 


 

gųs'á[2] honihá[-] é worátcgakdjóniháwi[>´]
gųs'áže. Honihára* e worácgakjaniháwigają.
he would make. The songs them we will try to make.
*in Winnebago II, #5, p. 99, interlinear couplet 6, Radin draws a vertical line in pencil after this word, although the word seems to fit the succeeding sentence better.

 


Source:

The original interlinear is found in Jasper Blowsnake, Jasper Blowsnake's Account of the Medicine Rite, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago III, #1: 71-73. A highly legible handwritten MS is found in Jasper Blowsnake, Jasper Blowsnake's Account of the Medicine Rite, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago II, #1: 96-97. The corrected text is an interlinear typescript in Jasper Blowsnake, Jasper Blowsnake's Account of the Medicine Rite, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago II, #5: 97-99. For a loose English translation, see Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 179-180. For a loose English translation, see Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 119-120.