Hočąk Text — Journey to Spiritland, Version 5

Hočąk 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	wašúručaípjanekjaneną.	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	sániñgoiračgéja	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
wašuručápgi,	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
wašuručaíkjanéga,*	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´]
hačį́ja	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.