Hocąk Text — The Shawnee Prophet Predicts a Solar Eclipse

Hocąk Text — The Shawnee Prophet Predicts a Solar Eclipse

by Stella (Blowsnake) Stacey, a.k.a. Mountain Wolf Woman
transcribed and translated by Sheila Shigley

Stella Stacy (Mountain Wolf Woman)

hapaxlegomena: eregų, "it must be "; esga, "that"; esge, "that way" also in the sense of "then"; haǧep, "to appear"; jagu’ų, "whatever."

(00:14)
Že	wąk	woragᵉną̄ka,	Žawanų	woragᵉną̄ka,	wēže,	“Jagu’ų	hųšīrera,	esge,	esga
Thus	human	those stories,	Shawnee Prophet	those stories,	he said,	“Whatever	they ordered me to do,	then,	that

	00:26						00:31
hawa’ųnąkšąną.	Hotaišge	hąke,	jagu	hihanągra	hisge	hirainąš’įnį.	Egi	hotažisge,†
it is what I did."	The remainder	indeed didn't,	[what]	as I am telling you	like	you didn't think.*	And	the remainder,

* or, "you didn't see fit."
† < hotaže hisge.

			00:36
(hi?)rainaš’įnį,	že’e	yaperesąn’.	Ra,	Wągᵉregi	Hi’ąc	Hihíwira,	e,	žesge,	ųgigi	wa’ųnąkšąną.
you didn't see fit,	that	I know.	[So,]	in Heaven	Father	[Our],	[he himself],	that way,	to compel	He is.

00:49				00:56
Esge	ranągi,	pįnagiži,	[ž]esgananą.	E	hįgegi,	wa’ųnąkšąną.
[Therefore,]	if you can do it,	if you do it well,	[that's the way it would be.]	[So]	[as he told them,]	[they are doing it.]

00:56		00:59						01:06
Egi,	wōtagᵉnągre.	Egi,	wažąnįgᵉra,	hižą	gažegų,	hįnagigi	wanąną.	T’eže.	[Ge?]
So,	I'll tell the stories.*	So,	something,†	[one of them]	like that,‡	if you can do it,	(?)	He died.	[And]

* or, "the stories I tell" (?).
† lit. "some little thing."
‡ or, "that's what I mean".

					01:18		01:19
esge	hanąc	hanįgi,	wirarocąjegi,	hiraperesjanąhawin’.	Hąpjane	wažą’ųkjaneną,	T’eže.
so	all	that he had,	at noon,	you will know.	Light and Life*	it is going to do something.	He died.

* literally, "daylight."

01:21								01:28
‘Gi (?)	ēsge	hainį̄negi,	hanąc	ejaxjį,	wagigop	higiwa	wairešgųnįže.*	Hainixjįk,†	hanąc,	hanąc wažą,
And	so	in the morning,	all	right there,	to scape it out	to start	they must have asked him.	Very early,	all,	all things,

* or wagigop higiwaǧirešgųnį, "they asked him to pry it out"?
† for hainixjįnįk ?

		01:34			01:38
gijiraireže,*	ānąkšą’.	Ejaxjį,	wagigop	igiwairešgų[nįže].†	Gają	wirarocąjegają,
they were receiving help,	it is said.	Just at that moment,	to scrape it out	they asked him.	Then	when it was noon,

* kiciraireže ?
† the initial /h/ has been lost due to external sandhi.

				01:44					01:49
'Wira	t’e,'	airešųnųną,	žeesgeže.	Giži,	egų	hahi,	egų	hokawastįži.	Egų
'The sun	he dies,'	they used to say,	in that way.	If,	that way,	[it went,]	now	it was extremely dark.	And then

					01:56
hąhera	eregų,*	hąbregokawasjį,†	mąrašge	hišgaže.	Giži	egų,‡
the night	it must be,	the light then had given way to extreme darkness,	the earth also	[in its turn ?].	When	that's the way it was,

* the initial /h/ has been lost due to external sandhi.
† < hąbra-hegų-okawas-jį, from hąb-ra, "the light"; hegų, "that way"; okawas, "darkness"; -jį, an emphatic suffix.
‡ the initial /h/ has been lost due to external sandhi.

			01:59							02:03
hanąc	nąǧira,	airežen’.	Gają	wira	ku-u-užigają,	eja	hi,	wira	haǧepže.	Žige*	ų
all	being frightened,	it is said.	Then	the sun	when it was wa-a-ay low,	there	coming,	the sun	it appeared.	Again	doing it

* hige ?

								02:09 \|
cowį,*	jasge	jeire,	esge,	ašgu†	hįge	jinąk	higiži,	ākše.
in front,	[in whatever way]	they were standing,	that way,	[you obtain]	he told me	to do suddenly	[when he did,]	he said.

* cowe ?
† ašge ho ?

Source:

Reading by Sheila Shigley, from the audio tape in the American Philosophical Society: 10-04. Fraenkel, Gerd. Stacy, Stella. "The prophet speaks about the believers and disbelievers in his community" Mss.Rec.29, recorded 13 July 1959, 1 .mp3; 00:00:14 - 00:02:09. Copy made by Gerd Fraenkel of an original tape held at the Archives of Languages of the World, Indiana University. This program comes from original tape 528.8. APS accession number 7216; APSdigrec_2183; Recording Number: 02; Program Number: 35.