They Owe a Bullet

by Peter Sampson (Čaščąga, "Wave")

"Some of the tribe were employed in the year 1864 as government scouts. They were looking for the Arapahos, when they came suddenly upon a party of Pawnees, and charged them mistaking them for the enemy. The Pawnees, who were themselves friends of the government, did not wish to fight the government scouts, so they fled in haste, dropping their bundles to lighten their ponies as they galloped away. Now, among the pursuing Winnebagos was a Pawnee who had married into the Winnebago tribe, so when the Pawnee chief lifted his hand and cried out, "Friends!" this man recognized the flying braves as his own people, and the Winnebagos, seeing their mistake, ceased their pursuit. But in the excitement one of the Winnebagos fired a shot and wounded the horse of a Pawnee; and the owner afterwards came to the Winnebagos and claimed payment for damages. But the Winnebago refused to pay, and, with Winnebago wit, put in a counter claim for his lost bullet, which, he said, had been intended for an Arapaho. This man was called by the whites George Eaton, but after this incident he was known to the Winnebagos as 'Pawnee Shooter'." [1]

Songs. "These three warrior songs tell the story of the last fighting done by the Winnebagos.  ... The first song describes the pursuit of the Pawnees by the Winnebagos. The next is an exclamation of derisive triumph at the trail the Pawnees have left, all strewn with their bundles. The last tells of the mutual recognition of the pursuers and pursued: 'Winnebagos, these, you say! Pawnees, these, you say! Friends, halloo, you say!' These three songs are well liked by the Winnebagos and are still sung at the He-lush-ka dances." — Natalie Curtis

I.

Šųge wojįwine! Let's whip our horses!
Šųge wojįwine! Let's whip our horses!
Korawira,* Kora, you have done it,
Pani karairająga,† As the Pawnee are going to their own,
Šųge wojįwine! Let's whip our horses!
   
Šųge winąmane! Spur the horses!
Šųge winąmane! Spur the horses!
Panigucra, Pawnee Shooter,
Pani karairająga, As the Pawnee are going to their own,
Šųge winąmane! Spur the horses!
   
*kora-rawira > korawira (?). Kora is an exclamation.
†< kara-hira-ją-ga, from kara, "their own"; hira, "arriving by going"; -ją, auxiliary for the standing position; -ga, "as, since".

This is a second Warrior Song pertaining to the same incident.

II.

Wowera hajare! See the path!
Wowera hajare! See the path!
Hičakoro, Friends,
Panina wačara! I see the Pawnees!
Wowera gaskena, The path like this,
Wowera hajare! See the path!

As a testament to the popularity of this incident, there exists a third song about it.

III.

Hočągara, hiš'eną! You have found the Hočągara!
Hočągara, hiš'eną! You have found the Hočągara!
Panina, hiš'eną! You have found the Pawnees!
Hičakoro,* hiš'eną! You have found friends!
Hočągara, hiš'eną! You have found the Hočągara!
 
*the original is Hi-ta-lo, which is translated as "Friends! Halloo!" However, it is apparently a badly corrupted form of hičakoro, "friends".

Commentary. ...

Comparative Material.   ...

Links: Horses.

Stories: about the campaigns of the 1860's against the Arapahoes: The Story of How Little Priest went out as a Soldier; about famous Hočąk warriors and warleaders: The Masaxe War (Hogimasąga), Wazųka, Great Walker's Warpath (Great Walker), Great Walker's Medicine (Great Walker, Smoke Walker, Dog Head, Small Snake), Šųgepaga (Dog Head), The Shawnee Prophet — What He Told the Hočągara (Smoke Walker, Dog Head, Small Snake), Big Thunder Teaches Čap'ósgaga the Warpath (Big Thunder, Čap'ósgaga), The Osage Massacre (Big Thunder, Čap'ósgaga), The Fox-Hočąk War (Čap'ósgaga), White Thunder's Warpath, Four Legs, The Man who Fought against Forty (Mąčosepka), The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, Fighting Retreat, Mitchell Red Cloud, jr. Wins the Medal of Honor (Mitchell Red Cloud, jr.); about the (post-Columbian) history of the Hočągara: The Cosmic Ages of the Hočągara, The Hočągara Migrate South, The Annihilation of the Hočągara I, Annihilation of the Hočągara II, First Contact, Origin of the Decorah Family, The Glory of the Morning, The First Fox and Sauk War, The Fox-Hočąk War, The Masaxe War, The Shawnee Prophet and His Ascension, The Shawnee Prophet — What He Told the Hočągara, Great Walker's Medicine, Great Walker's Warpath, The Chief Who Shot His Own Daughter, The Man who Fought against Forty, How Little Priest went out as a Soldier; mentioning the Arapaho: How Little Priest went out as a Soldier; mentioning the Pawnee: First Contact, v. 2, Gatschet's Hočank hit'e; mentioning horses: The Big Eater, Thunderbird and White Horse, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse, Sun and the Big Eater, Rich Man, Boy, and Horse, Hare Recruits Game Animals for Humans, The Horse Spirit of Eagle Heights, Trickster Takes Little Fox for a Ride, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Boy who Flew.

Themes: descriptions of human warfare: The Annihilation of the Hočągara I, Annihilation of the Hočągara II, The First Fox and Sauk War, Great Walker's Medicine, Wazųka, The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, The Shawnee Prophet and His Ascension, The Four Slumbers Origin Myth, Big Thunder Teaches Čap'ósgaga the Warpath, The Fox-Hočąk War, Great Walker's Warpath, The Lame Friend, White Thunder's Warpath, The Osage Massacre, A Man's Revenge, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion.

Songs. Bladder, Song about the Older Brother, v. 2, Bladder, Song about the Older Brother, v. 3, Buffalo Dance Songs, Clan Songs, Bear Clan, Clan Songs, Bear Clan, Song for Returning, Clan Songs, Bear Clan, Song for Starting Out, Clan Song, Bear Clan, Song of the Youngest, Clan Songs, Buffalo Clan, Clan Songs, Buffalo Clan, The Four Songs of Hojanoka, Clan Songs, Deer Clan, Clan Songs, Wolf Clan, Clan Songs, Wonáǧire Wąkšik Clan, The Crawfish's Song, Duck Song, Farewell Songs, The Four Services Songs, Grandfather Sparrow's Rain Songs, Hare's Song to Grasshopper, Hare's Song to the Wągepanįgera, Hare's Song to Wildcat, Hawk's Song, Heroka Songs, Holy Song, Holy Song II, Little Fox's Death Song, Little Fox's Death Song (for the Warpath), Little Fox's Tail Song, Love Song I (female), Love Song II (female), Love Song III (female), The Mouse Song, Nightspirit Songs, The Quail's Song, Redman's Song, Slow Song of the Heroka, Soldier Dance Songs, Song for Calling the Buffalo, Song from the Water, Song from the Water (King Bird), The Song of Bluehorn's Sister, Hočąk Text — The Song of Sun Caught in a Net, The Song of the Boy Transformed into a Robin, Song of the Frog to Hare, Song of the Thunder Nestlings, The Song of Trickster's Baby, Song to Earthmaker, The Song to the Elephant, The Sun's Song to Hare, Turtle's Call for a Warparty, v. 1, Turtle's Call for a Warparty, v. 2, Turtle's Four Death Dance Songs, Twins, Ghost's Song, v. 1, Twins, Ghost's Song, v. 2, Twins, Ghost's Song (The Two Brothers), Twins, the Songs of Ghost and Flesh, Twins, Song of the Father-in-Law, Victory Song, Wailing Song, Warrior Song about Mąčosepka, What a Turtle Sang in His Sleep, Wolf-Teasing Song of the Deer Spirits.

Notes

[1] Natalie Curtis Burlin, The Indians' Book: an Offering by the American Indians of Indian Lore, Musical and Narrative, to Form a Record of the Songs and Legends of Their Race (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1907) 257-259.