Hočąk Syllabic Text — The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster

translated by John Baptiste
English Translation

p. 172 —

e tt
A Ko sey d
ow Ai K tt
te we s Ki.
w di d.
Éja
hagoreižą
'ųwahigają,
tewéraki,
wažį́žą
There
in the course of time
as he went along,
to his surprise,
something



xK deAe.
A n xoKo K tt.
te we s Ki.
e tt
Ao we
ǧakše.
Hanąxgųgają,
tewéraki,
éja
howe,
it cried out.
(As) he listened,
to his surprise,
there
[going about,]



p. 173 —

te we s Ki.
w niKi
xeAe tey d
ta tte de.
rA niKi
tewéraki,
wanįk
xeteižą
t'ąježe.
Sanįk
to his amazement,
bird
a large one
flying around.
Towards



eyo w Ao de
A K w d.*
Ki Ki†
liAiye rKe de.
eyowahuže.
Hagáwažą
gigi
pįesgeže.
it came.
Such a thing
to be
desirable thing like it.

*the /w/ is inserted by a caret.
†after the first /Ki/ a /y/ has been erased.

owK Koo
Ai Ki xitti
tti de.
w Ktt K K
we de.
'ųwąk'ų,
hikixjį
jiže.
Wakjąkaga
wéže,
Finally,
very near
it came.
Trickster
he said,



Ao Ao.
Ai rAo Ki tti
A K w d
w d
"Hohó
hisųkiji,
hagáwažą
wažą
"Oh
my younger brother,*
such
[something]

*the translation inserts the phrase, "you are lucky".

p. 174 —

liAi dooyi d.
e ny xitti
de rKe
A de di.
piš'ųižą,
enaįxjį
žesge
hažeži,"
you are having a fine time,
I could be able to do
that
I wish,"



e de.
Ae Ki d.
w K tte de.
Ai rAo Ki tti.
éže.
Hegižą
wagaježe.
"Hisųkiji,
he said.
[A buzzard]
he was addressing.
"My younger brother,



A s K s Kii dow tte
deKe.
ni Ki liAi n.
e de.
harakarak'ižuwaje,
ške
nįgipiną,"
éže.
you can pack me around if you will,
[also]
I like your way,"
he said.



Ao ttiy
e de.
e Ki
K tt K.
Ai tt
"hojiyá,"
éže.
égi
gająga
hija
"All right,"
he said.
And
then only
[there]



p. 175 —

A mi nK de.
ta
n i Ki
owK Koo
hamįnąkše.
T'ą
ną'įgi,
'ųwąk'ų
he sat on him.
To fly
(when) he tried,
finally,



Ki a Ki di*
e
de Ko de.
K tt K.
A Kidi Ai de.
gi'ągiži
e
žegų́že.
Gająga
hąkšihiže.
when he raised a little
it
it was all right.
Now
he was high.

*/a/ has been written over an erasure.

w Ktt K K.
w nK deAe.
Ai roAo Ki tti*
A K w d
Wakjąkaga
wánąkše,
"Hisųkiji,
hagáwažą
Trickster
was saying,
"My younger brother,
[such]

*the /r/ is written over an erasure.

Ki liAiye rKe xitti
w doo s tte de tt s.
K tt K.
gipiesgexjį
waš'uraježejara."
Gająga
very pleasant
you are having."
Now



p. 176 —

Ae K Kese.
so r?Ao s s de.*
e Ki K tti ni.
hegagere
[?.]
égigajini
that turkey buzzard
he began to go sideways.
Then

*the /r/ might be an /x/. The letter is written in a highly defective way. The resultant word could be rusuraraže, rosuraraže, ruxuraraže, roxuraraže. ruxoraraže, etc., none of which are attested.

w Ktt K K
e
so dK deAe.
Ai rAo Ki tti
Wakjąkaga
e
rošakše.
"Hisųkiji,
Trickster
[he]
he began to beg aloud.
"My younger brother,



liAi Ai ni rKe o s.
Ai s Ko so d ny Ke.
e de.
Ao w.
pihinisge'ųra,
hirakorožanaige,"
éže.
Howa
be very careful,
you might drop me,"
he said.
Around



p. 177 —

Kii oyi se Ki di.
w Ktt K K.
Ki liAi nK deAe.
Ai deKe
K'iųiregiži,
Wakjąkaga
gipinąkše.
Hišgé
(as) he was being packed,
Trickster
he enjoyed himself.
But*

*the translation adds, "purposely the buzzard".

de e.
no loxo
Ao ni
w o tt n Ko ni.
w d
žee
nopox
honi
wa'ųjanąkųnį.
Wažą
[this one]
hollow tree
to look for
he was.
Something



Ki dK Ktte Ke.
o tt o.
e tt
n leAe Ko no Ki d
e tt
gįšgąkjege.
'Ûja'ų.
Éja
nąpekunųgižą
éja
he was to do to him.
[While doing thus,]*
There
a tree without branches
there

*the translation has, "searching about".

p. 178 —

Ai e de.
xoAo so tti Ke de.
e tt
Ai wo roAo ttiAi*
hieže.
Xorujigeže.
Éja
hiwusųčį
it had found.
It was hollow.
There
very close

*/ro/ is written over an erasure.

Ao w n K.
e tt.
w Ktt K K.
Ao w xiAi sy se de.
howanąga
éja
Wakjąkaga
howaxiraireže.
it came by [and]
[there]*
Trickster
he was dumped.

*the translation has, "in it".

de Ko de.
Ao Ao.
Ai soyi se.
diAi dAi Ktti s.
žegų́že.
"Hohó,
hiroire,
šišikjįra.
Thus it was.
"Alas,
that mean thing,
very bad you are.



p. 179 —

w d
Ai so Ao tt xitti Ko ni.
e de.
w Ks.
Wažą
hirohojaxjįgųnį,"
éže.
Wąkra
[Thing]*
he has turned the trick on me,"
he said.
The man

*the translation has, "unfortunately". Below the English line is a set of parentheses within which a number of words have been erased. Some erasure continues onto the next page.

e tt
ni Ae doKo ni de.
A Ko se d.
te we s Ki.
éja
nįhešguniže.
Hagorežą,
tewéraki
there
he remained.
In the course of time,
unexpectedly,



A d
ni Ke
n Ki KoKoKo ni Ae de.
Ao Ao.
A K ni K
hažą
nįge
nągikokokniheže.
"Hohó,
haganiga (?)
someone
somewhere
the echoes from chopping wood.
"Oh, oh,
unlikely (?)



w KidiKi
w o n Ki di.
e Ki
A tti s tte deKe
wąkšik
wa'ųnąkiži,
égi
hajiraješge,"
people
if they are,
here
they will come,"



p. 180 —

a nK deAe.
A so xA a deKe.
Ao w Aoyi se de.
ánąkše.
Haruxa ašgé
howahuireže.
he was saying.
Nearer and nearer
they came.



o n Koo
Ai tee tee s
w n xKo de.
te we s Ki.
'Ûnąk'ų,
hit'et'era
wanąxguže.
Tewéraki,
Finally,
their talking
he heard it.
Unexpectedly,



Ai noKo
w o nK deAe.
e Ki.
we de.
n w n K.
hinųk´
wa'ųnąkše.
Égi
wéže
nawanąga,
women
they were.*
And
he said
singing,

*the translation adds, "he heard talking".

p. 181 —

w Ke
riAitti Ko no Ki d
te Ki
n dA n.
e de.
"Wake
sįjkųnųkižą,
tegi
našaną,"
éže.
"Raccoon
a bob-tailed [one],
here
I am,"
he said.



Ai noKo n K
n xoKo Ai se de.
w n
e Ki
w di d
Hinuknąka
naxkųhireže.
"waną́,
égi
wažį́žą
[These] women
they heard it.
"Say,
here
something



w d
a nK dA n
ay se de.
di Ke
e de
wažą
ánąkšaną,"
aíreže.
Žigé
éže,
something
it is saying,"
they said.
Again
he said,



Ai tt
tti se Ki
di Ke
e de.
hija
jiregi,
žigé
éže.
there
when he had come,
again
he said (it).



p. 182 —

ni K te
Ai Ki A li Ktt wi n.
ay se Ki di.
"Nikate,
hįgihąpikjowiną."
Aíregiži.
"Say,
let us cut it out."
[After they said it,]*

*the translation has, "when they had thus".

e Ki.
Ki Al li se de.
w Ke A s.
e tt
Égi
gihapireže.
Wakehara
éja
Then
they cut him out.
The raccoon skin,
there



Aoyi rii
tti nK
w Ki Ki Ki di.
Ai noKo n K
hois'į
jinąk,
wagigigiži.
Hinuknąka
to appear
he would hold it,
making it.
Those women



p. 183 —

wy se de.
w n.
w Ke
xeAe te xitti d
w o nK dA n.
waíreže,
"waną́,
wake
xetexjįžą
wa'ųnąkšaną,"
they said,
"Oh!
raccoon
a very large one
it is,"



ay se de.
K tt
di Ke.
w K n Kese
we de.
aíreže.
Gają
žigé
wakenąkere
wéže,
they said.
When
again
this raccoon
he said,



Ai noKo
wy ni
Ai sow riKi Ki s n K.*
"Hinuk
waíni
hirowasgįgiranąga
"Women
clothing
when I have been plugged up and

*the /r/ is written over an erasure.

Ai too se
A K sy s n K.
e Ki
hit'ųre
hagarairanąga
égi
leave me
[go home and]
then



p. 184 —

Ai Kow*
tti se K
Ai diAi xitti no n.
e de.
higųwą
jirega
hišįxjįnuną,"
éže.
when
they come after me,†
I am then very fat,"
he said.

*/e Ki Ai/ is written over an extensive erasure. The erased text looks as if it were /Kiw Att./
†"when they" is inserted above the line by a caret after the word "then".

ni K te.
de rKe
Ai Ki Ki Ktt wi n.
ay se de.
"Nikate,
žesge
higigikjawiną,"
aíreže.
"Say,
that
we will do to it,"
they said.



e rKe
wy ni s.
w Ko so doAo sott deAe
Ésge
waínira
wakurušoročše.
So
the clothing
she pulled them off.



wy ni s.
Ai d.
e Ki.
Ki A li se K.
e tt
Wainira
hižą
égi
gihapirega
éja
The clothes
one of them
[here]*
they plugged the hole.
There

*translated as "and".

w wo w riKi Ki se de.*
e Ki
A ttiy K sy se de.
wawosikireže.
Égi
hajaigaraireže.
[they stuffed it.]
And
they went home.

*originally, in place of /riKi Ki/, was /riKiAi Ki./ The /Ai Ki./ was erased and /Ki/ written over it.

A K sy s se tt.
Ai Ai n l n K.
ni Ke
hakarairareja,
hihinąpanąga
nįge
When they had gone home,
he came out [and]
somewhere



Ao w Ke se de.
Ai noKo n K.
Ai tt
A tti s
howagereže.
Hinuknąka
hija
hajira,
he went away.
Those women
there
they had come



p. 186 —

no ni K.
A K w dini de.
e tt.
se Ki di.
nuniga
hąkawažiniže.
Éja
regiži.
but
there was nothing there.
From there
when he went away.



Source:

John Baptiste (trs.), "Wakjukaga," in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3897 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, ca. 1912) Winnebago V, #7: 172-186.