Hocąk 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.

The following Greek letters are used as abbreviations:

α	ρ
égi	anąga

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

p. 17 —

omâⁿhốⁿṇa	uáñgᴇra	s‘átcâⁿ	hikiwálê	halaílenaⁿ	caⁿhốⁿna
Omąhǫ́na	wą́gera	s’ácą	hikiwáre.	Haraíreną	Šąhǫ́na.
[The Omaha]	[people]	five	went visiting.	[They went]	[against the] Sioux.

hijáⁿ	hadjaílegi	t’e-hílēkdjếgê	ä́sgê	wa’uaⁿlaílejê	gádjaⁿ
Hižą́	hajaíregi	t’e-hírekjége	ásge	wa’uąraíreže.	Gáją
One	if they saw	that they might kill	[and so]	why they went.	[But]

hañkế	wajaⁿ	hadjaílānijê	äsgê	jḗgûⁿ	hagúilejê
hąké	wažą	hajaíraniže	äsge	žégų	hagúireže.
[not]	any	they did not see	[and so]	[thus]	so they came back.

p. 18 —

gádjaⁿ	ācgḗnîñk	hakilílegádjaⁿ	ḍokếwehiḷa	ḷokốnaîṇegi	ä́sgê
Gáją	ašgénįk	hakiríregáją	tokéwehira	rokónainegi,	ä́sge
But when	near	they came back	hungry	much they were,	[and so]

ni	latcgaíⁿṇekdjếgê	ä́sgê	maⁿį́jaⁿ	ḗdja
ni	racgaįnekjége,	ą́sge	mąížą	eja
[water]	they wished to drink	[and so]	a spring	there

djēgê	ḗdja	hahílegā́djaⁿ	ë́dja	wak‘aíⁿjaⁿ	’uáñkiji
ježe	éja	hahíregáją.	Éja	wak’aí´žą	’uą́kiži
it was	[there]	they went to.	[There]	a snake	it was

huladjópce	aílenaⁿ	hijáⁿ	wëjế	kôdê	hinútcawínaⁿ	t’ēhiwígê
hurajópše	aíreną.	Hižą́	wežé	"Kote!	"hinúcawíną	t’ehiníge."
it had four legs	they said.	[One]	[he said,]	"Kote!	let us eat it	let us kill."

hijaⁿ	loγícgunê	cicîkkcanî	kodê	jeguⁿ
Hižą	roǧišgune,	"Šišikjani."	"Koté,	žegų
[One]	forbade it,	"It must be bad."	"Koté,	[but]

t’ehā́kdjônénaⁿ	ḍoikếwêhígê	wahā́djenaⁿ	jeguⁿ	t’ehícgune	jeguⁿ
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´]	nañksî́k	hagúhiā́ṇañga	wasû́nucgúni	ḗgi	dūtcgíji
hi[ánąga].	Nąksík	hagúhiánąga.	Wasúnušgúni	égi	tucgíži,
he did.	Sticks	he went after.	He boiled it	[and]	when heated,

ḷutcgúni	kodê	asā́nu	niñgê	ḷudjwílê	hanáⁿtc
rucgúni.	"Kote,	asánu."	Nįge	rujwíre	heną́c
he ate it.	"Say,	it's delicious."	[Piece]	eat	[all]

’uìṇecgúni	hijaⁿkį́ra	’kê	•’ûⁿnícgunê	hijáⁿ	watcóju wa’uáñkiji
’uìnešgúni.	Hižąkíra	k’e	’ųníšgune.	Hižą́	wacóžu wa’uą́kiži
[they did?].	One only	not	did [he] do it.	[One]	that was leader of them

hitcûⁿcgê	higíji	ếwa’ûⁿcgúñê	k‘eniñgê lūdjᴇnî́cgunê	tcëbiṛêgádjaⁿ
hicųšge	higíži.	Éwa’ųšgune	k’enįge rujeníšgune.	Cebiregáją,
his nephew	[he was].	[He] was the one that	would not eat it.	When they ate it up,

’uañgênáñka	hidjóbikê	jḗgûⁿ	lṓla	wajáⁿ	’uáⁿdjalaílejê
wągeną́ka	hijóbike	žégų	róra	wažą́	’uájaraíreže.
[those men]	[four of them]	[now]	some	thing	began to happen to them.

p. 20 —

wanîoítcgê	lúdjiléga	jéguⁿ	jēsgaílejê	watcójuā́ka	wêcgúnê
Wanioícge	rújiréga,	žégų	žesgaíreže.	Wacóžuáka	wešgúne,
[Animal]	that they had eaten,	[thus]	they became like.	The leader	[he said],

hitcûⁿcgế	homâhốⁿna	wagídagádja	dokíji	dejêdjánáñgi	hiⁿcdjálādjíkdjawinaⁿ
"Hicųšgé	Homahą́na	wogítagája	tokíži	težejánągi	hįšjárajíkjawiną,
"[Nephew]	[the Omaha]	tell them	next summer	at this time	you may come and see me,

[α]	ha’uⁿhahaiñkdjênáwinaⁿ	mā́djobôhaⁿ	jḗsgê	hā́kdjênáwinaⁿ	ḗp‘ā
[égi]	ha’ųhahaįkjenáwiną.	Májobohą	žésge	hákjenáwiną.	Ép’ą
[and]	we will be here.	Four years	[thus]	he will do.	[Since that time]

hawî́ñdjowalehíga	hañhā́ga	hiⁿcdjaníñkdjênáwinaⁿ	jegū́ⁿna	deếcgê hilágela
hawįjowarekíga	hąkága	hįšjanįkjenáwiną.	Žegų́na	teéšge hirágera
from that on	[near]	will you see me again.	[Now then]	that is the last time

hît’êt’ḗra	naíñaxgû́ⁿwinaⁿ	jegū́ⁿa	kolánânê	jenága
hit’et’éra	naįnaxgų́winą.	Žegų́na,	koránane.	Ženága.
talk	you have heard me.	[Therefore,]	go home now.	[The end].

Source:

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