Hocąk Syllabic Text — The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster

Hocąk Syllabic Text — The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster

Told by an elder of the tribe in 1912

Transcribed by Sam Blowsnake

Translation based on the interlinear of Oliver LaMère


Oliver LaMère, Translator		Winnebago V, #7: 172

For a description of this manuscript, its source, style, transcription, and interlinear translation, see the syllabic text to Trickster’s Warpath.

English Translation

p. 172 —

e tt	A Ko Ley d	ow Ai K tt	te we L 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 L 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 L 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 L K L 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
"Hojiá,"	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 L tte de tt L.	K tt K.
gipiesgexjį	waš’uraježejara."	Gająga
very pleasant	you are having."	Now

p. 176 —

Ae K KeLe.	Lo rAo L L de.	e Ki K tti ni.
hegagere	rusų́raraže.	Égigajini
that turkey buzzard	he began to go sideways.	Then

w Ktt K K	e	Lo 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 L.	Ai L Ko Lo 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 Le 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 Lo tti Ke de.	e tt	Ai wo roAo ttiAi*
hieže.	Xorujigeže.	Éja	hiwusųcį
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 Ly Le 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 Loyi Le.	diAi dAi Ktti L.
žegų́že.	"Hohó,	hiroire,	šišikjįra.
Thus it was.	"Alas,	that mean thing,	very bad you are.

p. 179 —

w d	Ai Lo Ao tt xitti Ko ni.	e de.	w KL.
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 Le d.	te we L 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	nįgé	nągikokokniheže.	"Hohó,	haganiga (?)
someone	somewhere	the echoes from chopping wood.	"Oh, oh,	unlikely (?)

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

p. 180 —

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

o n Koo	Ai tee tee L	w n xKo de.	te we L 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	nąwąnąga,
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.
"Waké	sįjkųnųkižą,	tégi	našaną,"	éže.
"Raccoon	a bob-tailed [one],	here	I am,"	he said.

Ai noKo n K	n xoKo Ai Le 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 Le de.	di Ke	e de
wažą	ánąkšaną,"	aíreže.	Žigé	éže,
something	it is saying,"	they said.	Again	he said,

Ai tt	tti Le 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 Le 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 Le de.	w Ke A L.	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 Le de.	w n.	w Ke	xeAe te xitti d	w o nK dA n.
waíreže,	"waną́,	waké	xetexjįžą	wa’ųnąkšaną,"
they said,	"Oh!	raccoon	a very large one	it is,"

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

Ai noKo	wy ni	Ai Low riKi Ki L n K.*
"Hinuk	wainį́	hirowasgįgiranąga
"Women	clothing	when I have been plugged up and

*the /r/ is written over an erasure.

Ai too Le	A K Ly L n K.	e Ki
hit’ųre	hagarairanąga	égi
leave me	[go home and]	then

p. 184 —

Ai Kow*	tti Le 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 Le de.
"Nikate,	žesge	higigikjawiną,"	aíreže.
"Say,	that	we will do to it,"	they said.

e rKe	wy ni L.	w Ko Lo doAo Lott deAe
Ésge	wainį́ra	wakurušorocše.
So	the clothing	she pulled them off.

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

*translated as "and".

w wo w riKi Ki Le de.*	e Ki	A ttiy K Ly Le de.
wawosikireže.	Égi	hajiakaraireže.
[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 Ly L Le tt.	Ai Ai n l n K.	ni Ke
hakarairareja,	hihinąpanąga	nįgé
When they had gone home,	he came out [and]	somewhere

Ao w Ke Le de.	Ai noKo n K.	Ai tt	A tti L
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.	Le 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.