Hocąk Text — Journey to Spiritland, Version 5

narrated by Jasper Blowsnake

The following are Greek letters used as morpheme abbreviations in Radin's original text. The Culture of the Winnebago: As Described by Themselves can be used as a kind of Rosetta Stone for interpreting their values:

α β γ ρ τ ὐ
égi éja giži ánąga gíži -nįk

[ɕ] [9] ·| | - X
-xjį -žą -kjané -ną, -ra -ną, -na, -ra wąkšig

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) and from The Culture of the Winnebago: As Described by Themselves. Where a missing translation has been supplied from other sources, it is enclosed in brackets, [ ].

Key —
First Row "raw" text from Paul Radin, Notebook Winnebago III, #1: 165-166.
Second Row revised text based on the revised MS text of Winnebago II, #1: 185, and the typed version of Winnebago II, #5: 203-204.
Third Row English translation based on the interlinear text of Winnebago III, #1: 165-166, and the published translations of The Road of Life and Death (RLD).

English Translation

 

Winnebago III, #1: 165 = Winnebago II, #5: 203 = Winnebago II, #1: 185.18 —
[X]oįna rudjúrocguré jedjaíñ[ɕ] p'a rahįbí[·|][-]
Wąkšigo'įna rujúrošguré žejaį́xjį pa rahįbíkjaneną.
Life to fall to pieces* [that far] [far] you'll get to.
*at the top of the page with a line connecting it to this word, Radin adds, "to die of old age".

 

 

Mañk'áni Nágu[-] hirokíkonográ wacúrutcaípdjane[·|] sániñgoicáro[-]
Mąk'áni Nágura hirokíkonográ wašúrucaípjanekjaneną. Sánįgoišárora
The Medicine Road the staff you'll get hold of. On the right side

 

 

wókonacgé hu[-] nąp uorusépdjį [β´] dje[·|´][-]
wókanášge hurá nąp worusépjį éja jekjanéra.
the frog's leg* handling blackened [there] you will stand.
*Radin's original entry in the translation line is "[frog's leg]" with the brackets. Above this is written the word "tree", and below it is written "name of plant".

 

 

[α] sániñgoiratcg[β´] ną́huñg[-] waxcúdj[-] hára
Égi sániñgoiracgéja ną́huñgera waxšújera hára
[And] on the left the chief-tree the red cedar the bark

 

 

ruconí[ɕ] [β]dje[·|´][|]* nąp'uórusep [α] jeé
rušoníxjį ejajekjanéną, nąp'uórusep. Égi žeé
smoothened [it will be standing there,] [blackened by handling.] [And] [this]
*this entire sentence, Égi sániñgoiratcgédja ną́huñgera waxcúdjera hára ruconíxdjį edjadjekdjanéną, is omitted from both Winnebago II, #5: 203 and Winnebago II, #1: 185.19. In the latter two copies, the next sentence begins, nąp' wórusep. However, the sentence is translated in RLD 171.

 

 

wacurutcápgi, wakonacge hura hą́bi[-] rut'ekdjį
wašurucápgi, wakonašge hura hą́bira rut'ekjį*
[when you take hold of it,] [frog] [the leg] life imprinted
*Winnebago II, #1: 185.20 and Winnebago II, #5: 203, have hąbirut'ékdjį and hąbirut'ék'djį respectively.

 

 

Winnebago II, #5: 204 —
c'agihiwahíwi[-] hirokíkenok waníne[γ´], hąbirut'ékdjį[-] [β][-]k[γ´]
š'agiwahíwira hirokíkanąk waninegiži. Hąbirut'ékjįna ejaną́kiži,
[our ancestors] staff theirs. Imprinted with life [as it sits there],

 

 

wacurutcaíkdjanéga ere[|] hirónigúine[-] c'agwáraga
wašurucaíkjanéga,* ereną. Hironigúinera š'agwáraga,
[when you take hold of it,] it is. That they wished for you your ancestors,
*the revised texts dropped the /cu/ ("you"), resulting in the mistranslation, "they helped to imprint the tree with light and life was they seized it ..." (RLD 171).

 

hatcíndja c'agiahíwi[-] wocgǫ́ p'į́hi[-] 'uañgeré[υ´]
hacį́ja š'agiwahíwira wošgą́ p'įhíra. Wągerégi
[where] [our ancestors] [rite] [that it was done well.] Up above

 

 

mą'úna homi[÷]e[÷]í k'uñhą [β] mą
Mą'úna hominą́genąki k'ųhą́ eja mą
Earthmaker where he dwells, below [there] earth

 

 

nígé[÷]k[γ´] jee [β] hagi'u[÷][2] dj[ρ]
nígenąkíži, žee eja hagi'uną́kše. Jánąga
[after they sat someplace,] [these] [there] they are. All

 

 

Winnebago III, #1: 166 —
wocgǫ́ p'įhíra hicgé [β] hirónikaragúine[|]
wošgą́ p'įhíra. Hišgé éja hirónikaraguínera
[rite] [that it was done well.] [Also] [there] [?]

 

 

hįgaíre[-] ehé hagagasé[9] nigé hirohége[ὐ]
hįgaírera "Ehé, hagagaséžą, nigé hirohégenįk
[that they say to us,] "O my, [will it ever be such,] [part] less than was expected*
*Radin has in the translation line, "[a little less]". Connected to it from the top right of the page by a line is, "hirohégeniñk = always means less than what was expected".

 

 

haigé hiraírege waigi'u-inenáguni.
haigé," hiraírege waigi'úinenáguni.*
I might do," they thought, it is why they did it for me.
*the revised texts have waig'úinàguni.

 

Source:

For the original handwritten interlinear text, see Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Winnebago III, #1: 165-166; for a handwritten phonetic text, see Winnebago II, #1: 185. A typed phonetic text is found at Winnebago II, #5:203-204. A loose English translation is also given 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]) 171.