XML version dated February 14, 2024. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.

2

The Holy Boy Who Stopped

Animals from Killing Humans

Alfred Morsette

wah wetatunaaʾiitíštA.
Now I am going to tell a story.
kaakiraaʾiitUxčeéʾIs.
It is not a long story.

anuú naapakúhtuʾ nuu niikohnunaahiwaáWIs aNUsuu-
Long, long ago then whatever the ways were that occurred when things
xakoóčI naawaaRUxtiíʾuʾ natakuxtaahnaasškaawaáWI saNIštaapé
used to happen the holy ways when they used to hate us human beings
tiNAhunuuwaáWI niinooNAhkuúʾU.
these (animals) going around different kinds.
tákuʾ WIšitiiteéRIt – na – tákuʾ – nooWIšitihnuuníNIt –
Someone they saw him, – and – someone – then they burned him –
arikaraánuʾ na – kuNAhkuúʾU tanáhaʾ.
the stags, or – if it were a buffalo.
na – tinakUxunuuwaáWI koóhAt katoóRIt – tákuʾ šinehkuuteéRIt
And – these flying around geese, cranes, – when they saw someone,
– tákuʾ – šáhnis – nooWIši- tiitawitaakárahAt.
– someone – a person – then they flew around in a circle.
číkuʾ witiNAhkuxkaanuNAxwé noówitUtčirii- kIsaNAxwá na –
While he looked for a meal for himself, then he became dizzy and –
wačéh – nooWIšitihnuNAhtáʾIt tákuʾ wiítA –
poor thing, – then they knocked him to the ground someone, a man –
wiiteešútš niiNAhkuuxátA – witiNAhkuxkaanuNAxwé.
a young man, wherever he was going – when he was seeking food for himself.
kanawituuNUxtaahé.
It was not good.
niikohnuutunaánuʾ kanatuhneesiíšuʾ.
Whenever the time was I do not know.

wah noowiteéʾaʾ wiináxtš – anuú – neskoóhAt.
Now, then he came a boy – there – (from) the sky.
na witiwaákoʾ na kaakatinihnaatéʾ saNIštaapé wačéh
And he said: "I do not like it the human beings, poor things
niinaNAhnunuuwaáWI– tiNAhuukakaahunuuwaáWI.
their molesting them– these (animals) down below (on earth).–
wah – wetatiínaʾ.
Now – I have come.
wetaatAhnuuwaʾaaníštA.
I am going to hurt them."
nawáh noowiteehuukakaaʾiíšaʾ.
Now, then he came down below.

wenawaawanú – NAhkoowičitoohaásAt tinaátš –
As he traveled all around – when he would nock his arrow (in) a bow –
wituxwaraa- wáNIt.
he shot into the woods.
wituhkUxunaaníWI arikaraánuʾ na wáh niinoo- NAhkuúʾU –
He felled them stags and elk, whatever it might be, –
wenaapaawanikú – niiʾAhništoohaaníčI kuúNUx.
when he was shooting them – the ones that were mad bears.
noowitiʾaakUhuuniritšwaawáNIt weNAhkoopaawaníkA tanáhaʾ noóčI niinooNAhkuriišoótA.
Then he knocked them down as he would shoot them buffalo the ones wherever the arrow went.
hawá wenehkurii- šUhuunukaaraʾá
Also when he'd shoot an arrow up into the air
niiNAhkuriišúkUt noowitiʾaakhiítus koóhAt na katoóRIt wehnakawoótI.
wherever the arrow would land then he felled them geese and cranes their being dead.

noowitiraawaraahaána tinaawaáhAt hee wah wekaaka-
Then they became angry the Powers: "Hey, now he has
takunaaNAhuNIšawíhAt wenatakuraahnásAt tinawaa- wanú wiinaxtšuwaarúxtiʾ.
killed a great number of us after shooting us this one going around holy boy.
hawá nuuxIstaahIškót.
Now let him die of thirst!"

noowititsunuuwaáhAs.
Then all of the water disappeared.
nookanawitiitsá.
So there was no water.
noo – číkuʾ niiNAhkUhuukaahaanoótA – noowititsunuuwaáhAs.
There – wherever the valleys were – all the water disappeared.
hawá číkuʾ tuukuwitíʾAt Ahnoowehniwaawanú wehnačiiNAxwé.
Also he went here and there while he was just going all around as he looked for water.
noowitIhukaataʾiíšAt a noowitIhuurútkUx.
Then he got to the bank and there it would be mud.

wehnuhnaačiríkUx na noowitiwaáko tinaaríčI wiináxtš wehnuuteéRIt
As he looked at it, and then he said this boy when he saw it
šohniitAhnéhku áxWIt naRAhWAhnaa- hUxukú
the ones they call spring peeper the ones that make a sound
hiíš iinatsteewaáhAt čipít.
in the evening where the edge of the water is a creek.

noowitiwaákoʾ tinaaríčI wiináxtš.
Then he said (ie sang) this boy:

wah škuusuxčiisiitáWI na kaneeteéʾu kaʾiwaruusakú.
Now tell me where the water is and I won't give you jabs.
škuusuxčiisiitáWI na kaneeteéʾu kaʾiwaruusakú.
Tell me where the water is and I won't give you jabs.
škuusuxčiisiitáWI.
Tell me where the water is!
škuusuxčiisiitáWI na kaneeteéʾu kaʾiwaruusakú.
Tell me where the water is and I won't give you jabs.
škuusuxčiisiitáWI.
Tell me where the water is!

wah wačéh noowitirinuʾá – tinaákUx – áxWIt
Now, poor thing, then it became frightened – this – spring peeper
wehniinawikUxIháku wehniNAhwanú.
as he was kicking it around when he was bothering it.
tinaákUx noowitiiríwatAt.
This one then it got up.
noowitiwískaʾ naahtehkučíšAt.
Then it thought: "I might save myself."

a tinaákUx áxWIt noowitíʾAt.
And this spring peeper then it went.
witIhoorútkUx.
There was a mud flat.
witIhunaahčipaáʾA.
The ground was damp.
tinaákUx áxWIt nooWIšitee- šunaahníšAt hiRAxUhuuníniʾ.
This spring peeper then it put its (du) feet in the mud in the front (ie its forelegs).
– nohnikatáhhAt.
– Then it backed off.
– čiríkU noowitetskaáʾ tstoóxuʾ.
– Oh my, then it came out water.
noowiteečiisaWIhúxaʾ wehnaatsuutaáhu.
Then the water rose in volume as the water rose.
čiríkU tinaaríčI wiináxtš noowewiti- čiikaáhuʾ atíštIt.
Oh my, this boy then he was drinking well.

a noowitiwaákoʾ – wah wetoonaahnaawiítIt – šee- NAxuhnaahnaaníčI.
And then he said: – "Now revenge will come to you, – you main ones who did it."
weNAhkuriišuhkaawíhA hawá witiihuuniričíšAt wah
When he would nock his arrow also he would fell it elk
niinooNAhkuúʾU wehnaakawooruutíkA.
whatever kind it was as he was killing various ones.
wah štoh aaxuhnaáka.
"Now again do not do it!
štoh itiína kaakunaahee- ráxtA.
Again if I come it is not going to be good."
weNAhkuriišawaníkA noowitanaanúkAt koóhAt
Whenever he would shoot the arrow then he would bring them down geese
weNAhkukawootíkA katoóRIt.
when he would kill them cranes.
hawá štoh nooNUsuxtaánuʾ wačéh tinatinihnunuuwaáWI saNIštaapé.
"Also again let it be all, poor things, these of mine human beings!
štoh itiína kaakunaaheeráxtA.
Again if I come it is not going to be good."

nootíʾAt anuú neskoóhAt.
Then he went there the sky.

wah nikutiraačítA wačéh tinataraakunuuwaáWI
Now that is the reason, poor things, these of us living
číkuʾ kananatakukuhnaaNAhuunuúku niiʾaNUsuxtaaʾuúčI pakúhtuʾ.
their not molesting us at all as things used to be long ago.
natakuxtaahNAhnunuuwaáWI – niinooNAhkuúʾU – natšičiitunuuwaáWI
When they were opposing us – different kinds – (of) wild animals,
tehništoohaáNIt aniNUsakuuníčI.
they must have been angry (in) those days.
tinawaaríčI arikaraánuʾ wenehkuWAhnaáhu noowitihnuuníNIt.
These stags when they bellowed, then they burned them.
arikaraánuʾ na wáh – na – witiinawiruuwíhuʾ
The stags and the elks – and – they were running into them
niinooNAhkuúʾU tiNAhunuuwaáWI nihwirinoosíčI.
different kinds these going around the ones that were fierce.
wah niiháʾ nikunoowitiraaninuʾá.
Now right here then they were the ones that became frightened.
wah wekaakuúʾUt.
"Now no longer is it that way.
wekaakuutáxtA iiʾaNUsuxtaáka.
It is not going to be that way," as it used to be."

wah – tinaákUx – wiináxtš – štoh noowitíʾAt – tineskoóhAt niikohnoóxaʾ.
Now – this – boy – back then he went – this sky wherever he came from.