The Were-fish
by George Ricehill
English Translation
p. 63 —
| Hąhą́, |
eja |
uáñgera |
nųpíwi |
nañkíkara |
haraíre |
| Well, |
there |
man |
two |
hunting |
went |
| gają |
waké |
síže |
hot'ą́birešgùni |
Hiró-e |
harairešgúni. |
| and then |
coon |
track |
they came on. |
Tracking it |
they went. |
| 'Uąhíregaja |
ną |
xétežą |
éja |
ješgúni |
síra |
| After going a distance |
tree |
a big one |
[there] |
was standing |
tracks |
| éja |
žejąšgúni, |
égi |
uañgenáñka |
hižą |
nąjega |
| [there] |
ended, |
[and] |
these men |
one |
that tree |
| hotíšguni. |
Gáją |
éja |
pox |
ješgúni. |
Horuǧúč |
| climbed. |
And then |
[there] |
a hole |
was. |
He looked |
| gają |
ho sgáxjįje |
ejakšgúni. |
Maínja |
hot'unešgúni |
égi |
| and then |
a [very] white fish |
there was. |
Down |
he threw it |
[and] |
p. 64 —
| gisákšguni |
égi |
ručgúni. |
Čebígiži |
iwúzera |
rokánagìži. |
| he killed it |
[and] |
ate it. |
After consuming it |
he was thirsty |
very much. |
| Nína |
howárešgùni. |
Ni-éja |
higìži |
niráčganą. |
Rušjáną |
| Water |
he went for. |
The water [there] |
when he got to |
he drank. |
Get done |
| rušakšgúni, |
žégų |
'ú'wañk'ų |
ho |
inšgúni. |
Wakéžą |
| he couldn't, |
and then |
continuing |
fish |
he turned into. |
A coon |
| ruxára nihéra. |
Hówak'ų |
ručgá |
ásge |
uáñkjega |
ho |
| chasing after he started. |
I (?) gave him [or they got a fish?] |
he ate |
so |
the man |
fish |
| iñgúni, |
aíre. |
Ženuñgáną. |
| turned into, |
they say. |
That's all. |
Source:
[1] George Ricehill, [untitled], in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Winnebago III, #11a, Freeman #3892 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) pp. 63-64.