Hočąk Text — the Omahas who turned into Snakes

The Omahas who turned into Snakes

narrated (and probably translated) by George Ricehill

This text was collected very early (< 1909) inasmuch as it contains the letter /l/ (here uniformly replaced by /r/), which was almost immediately dropped by Radin once he became independent of Dorsey's immediate influence.

Expressions in brackets [ ] are translations supplied by the editor (Richard Dieterle) from other sources.

p. 17 —

Omąhǫ´na	uáñgera	s'áčą	hikiwáre.	Haraíreną	Šąhǫ´na.
[The Omaha]	[people	five	went visiting.	[They went]	[against the] Sioux.

Hižą´	hajaíregi	t'e-hírekjége	ásge	wa'uąraíreže.	Gáją
One	if? they saw	that they might kill	[and so]	why they went.	[But]

hañké	wažą	hajaíraniže	äsge	žégų	hagu'ireže.
[not]	any	they did not see	[and so]	[thus]	so they came back.

p. 18 —

Gáją	ašgéniñk	hakiríregáją	tokéwehira	rokónainegi,	ä´sge
But when	near	they came back	hungry	much they were,	[and so]

ni	račgaį	nekjége,	ą´sge	mąížą	eja
[water]	to drink	they wished,	[and so]	a spring	there

ježe	éja	hahíregáją.	Éja	wak'aí´žą	'uáñkiži
was	[there]	they went to.	[There]	a snake	was

hurajópše	aíreną.	Hižą´	wëžé	"Kote!	"hinúčawíną	t'ehiníge."
had four legs	they said.	[One]	[he said,]	"Kote!	let us eat it	let us kill."

Hižą	roǧišgune,	"Šišik	kani."	"Koté,	žegų
[One]	forbade it,	"Bad	it must be."	"Koté,	[but]

t'ehákjonéną.	Toikéwehige	wahájeną."	Žegų	t'ehíšguné.	Žegų
I'm going to kill it anyhow.	I'm hungry	is why I say it."	Then	he killed it.	Thus

p. 19 —

hi[ρ =? ánañga].	Nañksík	hagúhiánañga.	Wasúnušgúni	égi	tųčgígi,
he did.	Sticks	he went after.	He boiled it	[and]	when heated,

ručgúni.	"Kote,	asánu."	Niñge	rujwíre	heną´č
he ate it.	"Say,	it's delicious."	[Piece]	eat	[all]

'uìnešgúni.	Hižąkíra	k'e	'ųníšgune.	Hižą´	wačóžu wa'uáñkiži
[they did?].	One only	not	did [he] do it.	[One]	that was leader of them

hičųšge	higíži.	Éwa'ųšgune	k'eniñge rujeníš?gune.	Čëbiregáją
his nephew	[he had?].	[He] was the one that	would not eat it.	When they ate it up

'uañgenáñka	hijóbike	žégų	róra	wažą´	'uájaraíreže
[those men]	[four of them]	[now]	some	thing	began to happen to them.

p. 20 —

Wanioíčge	rújiréga	žégų	žesgaíreže.	Wačóžuáka	wëšgúne,
[Animal]	that they had eaten	[thus]	they became like.	The leader	[he said],

"Hičųšgé	Homahą´na	wogítagája	tokíg?i	težejánañgi	hįšjárajíkjawiną,
"[Nephew]	[the Omaha?]	tell them	next summer	at this time	you may come and see me,

[α]	ha'ųhahaiñkjenáwiną.	Májobohą	žésge	hákjenáwiną	Ép'ą
[and?]	we will be here.	Four years	[thus]	he will do.	[Since that time]

hawíñjowarekíga	hañkága	hįšjaniñkjenáwiną.	Žegų´na	teéšge hirágera
from that on	[near]	will you see me again.	[Now then?]	that is the last time

hit'et'éra	naíñnaxgų´winą	žegų´na	koránane.	Ženága.
talk	you have heard me.	[Therefore?]	go home now.	[The end].

English Translation

Source:

George Ricehill, [no title], in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Winnebago III, #19, Freeman #3899 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, prior to 1909) 19b-2, 17-20.