Hočąk Text — The Scenting Contest

Hočąk Text — The Scenting Contest

translation by Oliver LaMère

The syllabic text appears to have been written in pencil in large and, for the most part, clear letters. It was transcribed in syllabic script by Sam Blowsnake from oral presentations made by an old member of the tribe living in Nebraska in 1912. The interlinear translation for the Trickster Cycle was done initially by John Baptiste, who was later replaced by Oliver LaMère. This portion of the cycle was translated by Oliver LaMère.

English Translation

p. 404 —

e Ki.	w Ktt K K.	e tt	Ao we	owK deAe.
Égi	Wakjąkaga	éja	howé	'uwąkše.
Then	Trickster	[there]	was going about	[he was].

e tt	w deAe se Ke ni K.	A Ki tt de.	we de.	Ao Ao
Éja	Wašerekénįka	hagijaže.	Wéže,	"Ho ho,
There	Little Fox*	he came across.	He said,	"Oh my!

*translated by LaMère as "Coyote". For a discussion of the identity of Wašerekénįka, see Little Fox.

p. 405 —

Ao we deKe	n tte ni K tt.	Ai roAoKo niK.	A s.	e Ki
howešge	nąjénįgają	hisųknįk	hara	égi
it is not possible to go about it seems, but		little brother	my	here

Ao we	owK.	e de.	Ai roAo Ki tti.	w d
howé	'uwąk,"	éže.	"Hisųgijį,	wažą
going about	he is,"	he said.	"Little brother,	something

y se n.	xeAe n Kse.	Ai A Ke tt.	Ao wy se Kette n.	e Ki di.
yaréną.	Xenąkre	hihagéja	howairékjeną,"	egíži.
I think.	That hill	on the top of it	let us go,"	he said.

p. 406 —

xeAe s	Ao ti se de.	Ai A Ke tt	A Ai se Ki di.	m s
xera	hotireže.	Hihagéja	hahíregíži,	mąrá
The hill	they climbed up.	On top	when they got,	country

Ao Ki Kixi	A ntt	ttA tii de.	A A.	Ai rAo Ki tti.
hogigįx´	haną́č	čąt'įže.	"Hąhą́,	hisųgijį,
surrounding	all	it was visible.	"Now then!	my little brother,

e Ki.	w lA leAe sere	Ai o Kette n.	w lA leAe sere	s Ki Ki doAo no n.
égi	Wapaperes	hi'ųkjeną.	Wapaperes	ragigišųnųną.
here	Keen Scenter	we will play.	A keen scenter	you always let on to be."

p. 407 —

Ai deKe	de rKe	A s n Ki Kii doAo no n.	A ttiAi tt.
Hišgé	žésge	haranagik'išųnųną.	Hačį́ja
Also	that way	I always think of myself.	Where

p. 408 —

w K diKi	Ai wo roAotto	Ai s ni Ae Ki di.	Ai wo so lA n Kette n.
wąkšik	hiwusųč´	hiranihegiži,	hiwurupąnąkjeną,"
people	near	if there are	we shall scent them,"

e de.	e tt Ki	lA	A xA s.	A ni s n K.
éže.	Éjagi	pa	haxará	haniranąga
he said.	So then	noses	they held up	they had and

wo s ri ri Ki se de.	w deAe se Ke ni K	so K n de.	Ai Ko	Ai deKe
worazizįgireže.	Wašerekénįka	rokánaže.	higų	hišgé
began to smell.	Little Fox	was very much.*	[Now]	also

*for "much" the translation has "diligent".

w Ktt K K.	A Ke	w di	so K n	Ai ni de.
Wakjąkaga	hąké	wažį́	rokána	hiniže.
Trickster	not	anything	very much	[he was made].*

*hąké wažį́ rokána hiniže, has been incorrectly translated as, "[he] was very diligent."

w Ktt K K.	Ao rKe xitti	w o nK deAe.	Ao rKe	w deAe se Ke ni K
Wakjąkaga	hosgéxjį	wa'ųnąkše.	Hosgé	Wašerekénįka
Trickster	very much was it not so	that he could do it.*	Just	Little Fox

*the translation has for hosgéxjį wa'ųnąkše, "[he] was unable to scent anything but he did thus."

p. 409 —

we rAi wi	w o nK deAe.	Ai Ko	de e	e tt.
wesįwį	wa'ųnąkše.	higų	že'e	éja
to observe	is why he did it.	[Now]	[this]	there

rii	Ai wo dA ra de.	lAtt e tt	mi n Ki di	e tt.
s'i	hiwušas'aže.	Pajeja	minąkiži	éja.
for some time	he would stop.	Forest	it sat	there.*

*the translation renders this as, "It was in the direction of a timber that was there."

e tt	w di s	n i n Ko ni	Ai se de.	e rKe
éja	wažįra	ną'įgųnį,	hireže.	Ésge
There	something	[he might try,]*	he thought.	So

*the translation has, "he must scent".

p. 410 —

w Ktt K K.	we de.	Ai roAo Ki tti.	lAtt n K.	e tt
Wakjąkaga	wéže,	"Hisųgijį,	pajnąka	éja
Trickster	said,	"My little brother,	that timber	there

Ai rKe	ttAi nK dA n.	Ai roAo Ki tti	Ao doAo so ttiri rK tt
hisgé	činąkšąną.	Hisųgijį	hošurujisgają
some	there are living.	My younger brother	I am equal (to you)

wo so lA n s	e de.	A Ke	w di	leAe rini nK
wurupąnąra,"	éže.	Hąké	wažį́	pesinįnąk
the scenting,"*	he said.	Not	anything	he did not know of,

*hošurujisgają wurupąnąra, is translated in the MS as, "you cannot scent as well as I can".

p. 411 —

no ni Ke.	Ao rKe.	w deAe se Ke ni K.	e tt	w do	we riAi wi Ki di.
nunige	hosgé	Wašerekénįka	éja	wažó	wesįwįgiži
but	just because	Little Fox	there	something	[perceive]* and

*the translation has "scent".

wi ttA tii Ki di	e rKe	we de.	tt A a.	Ai roAo Ki tti
wičąt'įgiži,	ésge	wéže.	"Jáha-á!	hisųgijį,
he showed it in his actions,	that is why	he said it.	"Well!	my little brother,

Ai dKe	A Ke	deKe	ni Ke	w do
hišgé	hąké	ške	nįge	wažó
also	not	also	someplace	something

p. 412 —

deAe we rAi wi ni de	Ai Ke de.	Ai dKe	w s Ke K.	e tt
šewesįwįnįže,"	higeže.	Hišgé	waragéga,	"éja
don't you perceive?"	he asked him.	Also	he said,	"There

w d Ko ni	y se n.	e de.	Ao Ao.	Ai roAo Ki tti
wažągųnį	yaréną,"	éže.	"Hoho,	hisųgijį,
something [perhaps]	I think,"	he said.	"Ah!	my little brother,

Ai Ko	Ai deKe di.	wo doAo so lA n niKi s	tte de tte s.
higų	hišgéži	wušurupąnąnįkra	ježejera,"
still	also	you can scent a little	[the one who is],"

p. 413 —

e de.	A Ao.	Ai rAo Ki tti.	e Ki	w w te Ktt ne n.
éže.	"Hoho,	hisųgijį,	égi	wawátekjaneną."
he said.	"Hoho,	my little brother,	there	I will be going to."

e Ki.	w K n K	e tt	Ao w se de.	Ai tt Ai K tt.
Égi	wagánąk	éja	howareže.	hijahigają,
Then	to what he meant	there	he went.	When he got there,

Ao w se s.	w KidiKi	ttAi n Ki d	e tt	nK dAe.
howarera	wąkšik	činąkižą	éja	nąkše.
sure enough	human	a village	there	it was.

e tt.	A Ai Ao soKo o de.	A Ko se d	deKe
Éja	hahíhorók'ųže.	Hagoréžą	ške
There	he went and stayed.	Finally,	[also]

p. 414 —

Ai noKo K nK deAe.	e Ki.	de e.	A Ko sey d.	rii de.
hinųknąkše.	Égi	že'e.	Hagoreižą	s'iže.
he got married.	Then,	thus it was.	Time had passed	long.

ni KttK deKe	ttAo de.	e Ki.	ttA ni Ki xA n	A Ay se Ki di.
Nįkjąkške	čųže.	Égi	čanįgixana	hahairegiži,
Child [also]	he had.	Then	the fall moving	when they went,*

*translated as, "was on."

Ai deKe	i ne Ki	ni Ke	A Ai ttAi de.	e tt.
hišgé	inéki	nįgé	hahíčiže.	Éja
so	alone	in a certain place	he went and lived.	There

p. 415 —

de Ko	ttAinK ra de.	de Ko	Ai rKe xitti	e tt
žegų́	činąks'aže.	Žegų́	hisgéxjį	éja
[now]	he would be.	[Now]	[truly]	there

m ttiAi de.	A Ke	A Ktt	ttiAi n Ke tt
mąčíže.	Hąké	hakja	činąkeja
he made his permanent home.*	Not	back	to the village

*mąčí means more precisely "to winter".

A K Ki ni de.	e Ki	de e	A Ko se d.	we de.
hakaginįže.	Égi	že'e	hagoréžą	wéže,
he would not move back.	Then	[this one]	finally	said,

p. 416 —

Ai roAoKo A s.	de tt ny xitti	Ao m K s Ki ni te Ktt n Ae n	e de.
"Hisųǧira,	žejánaíxjį	homąkrakinitekjanaheną,"	éže.
"My younger brother,	about now	I will go and visit,"	he said.

Source:

"Wakjukaga," in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks, Freeman #3897 (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, ca. 1912) Winnebago V, #7: 404-416. A translation has been published in Paul Radin, The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology (New York: Schocken Books, 1956) 40-41.