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

51

The White Horse: A Crow War Story

Alfred Morsette

wetatunaaʾiitíštA.
I shall tell a story.
tiraaʾiítUx naaʾiitUxitUhkaákaʾ niiNIštaaʾiiwaatIhú –
It is a story a Crow story what they used to tell –
NAtkotkawookUxúku – NIhkunaaʾiiwaawaátI.
when I used to listen – when they told stories.

tUhkaákaʾ AhnuuxunuuwaáWI tuuháʾ skaweéraaʾuʾ na wiiteešútš
Crows while they traveled over there west, and young men
NIhkuraaWIhkAhunuuwaáWI tinaraanátA wewitiiNAhčiiwaakaroókuʾ NAhnunáhtš.
when they were out hunting as they were going, they were butchering them deer.
noowitiraaNIswátAt a čiišaahnunuuwá haáwaʾ.
Then they came in sight, and here they were roaming around also.
tehnáʾIt sanánat.
They must have been Sioux.
hawá nikuwituúʾUt ninaaničitáWI xaawaarúxtiʾ tinaRAsatataátA
Also it was that way: when they rode horses their leading them
witinaná tsástš.
they had it meat.

tinaaríčI wiiteešútš wehnuutačiríkUx xaačiišawatá witiitawéʾ.
This young man as he watched them a white horse there was among them.
witiraná tsástš.
It had it meat.
witiRAsaahpiiná xaawaarúxtiʾ.
It carried it on its back the horse.
čiríkU wituhné xaačiišawatá.
Oh my, it was pretty the white horse.
tinaaríčI wiiteešútš nootiiNIsštoóʾAt.
This young man then he admired it.
toosuuxaaxuuníkUt wehnaWIskáʾA aatataʾuútI apAhníniʾ.
"Let me catch the rope! when he wanted 'that I steal it' secretly.
wewitikatistátAt wehnaraanátA.
Now it was dark as they went.

tehnáʾIt sanánat.
They must have been Sioux.
tsu tinaraanátA tUhkaákaʾ nootuhnaanapítaahAt.
But these Crows then they turned around.
tsu tinaaríčI wiináxtš noowituhni- raanúʾAt – xaačiišawatá
But this boy then he continued doing it – the white horse
– aatootuuníkUt.
– wishing'that I catch it.'
nooWIšitiiNIštaanipákuʾ tUhkaákaʾ.
Then they did not want him to do it the Crows.
nooNUsúx.
"Do not do it!
xtakuunaahnáʾAx nikuʾaaxUsuuxaáNA.
They will chase us if you do that."

kaakitákukuʾ tinaaríčI wiináxtš.
He did not heed them this boy.
noowitunaʾiwaahakUxítIt xaačiišawatá.
Then he began to head it off the white horse.
witikatariíʾI xaačiišawatá NAhkuunáxI.
It was swift the white horse when it ran.
witIhaxwaníkuʾ.
He was shooting at the rope.
witIhaxtaaruxtá.
It dragged a rope.

wah wehnaátA niikohniiraawiiʾót noowituutituuneéRIt.
Now as he went however far it was then he saw a village.
nuu noowitiitunaáhkUx sanánat.
There there was a big village Sioux.
nikuwituhnaanuhwiʾúʾ tinaraanátA – niinanaáhNA – tsástš.
They were headed there these who were going – the ones having it – the meat.
wah uu čiišanuutitUhtaakákUx.
Now, oh, here the village was in a circle.
– tehnaahawaahákUx.
– It must have been on an island.
– noowitiRAhnuúkUt niitineetúhkUx.
– Then they entered where this village was.
weNAhkuWIskáʾA aatsaaxuuníkUt tinaaríčI xaačiišawatá noowituúNAx.
While he was thinking 'that I catch the rope,' this white horse then it ran on.
noowitihWIhuunáwaʾ.
Then it left him behind.
niku- wituutaánuʾ.
That is what it was doing.
noowitiwísAt.
Then it ar- rived.
noowititawátU wehniinaNAhuukátA ninaaničitáWI
It was an open space where they drove them inside the ones who were riding
tsástš niinanaáhNA niiʾAhnuutitUhtaakákUx.
the meat their carrying it where the village was in a circle.

nuu witaanáka akAhpaátu ituunuukaríkAt.
There there was a lodge in the distance a tipi in the middle of the village.
nikunoowitíʾAt wiítA AhnaranaáhNA tsástš a
Then that is where he went man the one carrying it the meat and
xaačiišawatá nikunoowitistatatáʾAt.
the white horse then he followed behind that one.

wehnuhnaačiriikawaáWI wewititskatoosá wehnuhnaaweerikú.
As he was observing things now he lay flat on his stomach while he looked at things.
haa číkuʾ aatootaáNA aatootuuníkUt xaačiišawatá inaaxaríčI.
"Hey, what am I to do that I might catch you, white horse you standing there?"
– wehnuhteeriiʾaáhNA.
– as he spied on it.
– tsu tiNAhunuuwaáWI noowitinaNAhuupooxítIt tsástš
– But these (people) going around then they began to take it inside the meat
niitinaakaáWI akAhpaátu.
where this lodge was tipi.
wewitikatistátAt.
Now it was dark.
xaawaarúxtiʾ noowitinaaní- ʾit ituunuukaríkAt weNAhunuuwaáWI.
The horses then they turned them loose in the middle of the village as they roamed around.

tinaaríčI wiináxtš nootíʾAt wehnuhteeriiʾaáhNA xaačiišawatá na
This boy then he went as he spied on it the white horse and
inoowitiihaaxtaaruxtá siíno.
there it dragged the rope still.
noowi- tiwískaʾ šuuxUhuunetkAxítIt.
So he thought: "Let them go to sleep for a while!
neetootuuníkUt.
I'll catch you."
AhnačeekaraanoótA noowitičeewaawiritkUxítit wewitohniinawoósA.
The line of fires then the fires began to go out when they went to bed.
noowitiretkAxítIt čituúʾuʾ.
Then they slept everyone.
tiinawiʾooxíNIt.
Everything quieted down.

tinaaríčI wiináxtš nootíʾAt niiʾAhnaaríčI xaačiiša- watá.
This boy then he went where it was the white horse.
nootuutuuníkUt.
Then he caught it.
nootsaakatareépI.
Then he tied a rope to its mouth.
nootiičitawiítIt.
Then he mounted it.
tiwehnaraawakaahtaʾá xaátš tinaaríčI wiiteešútš – nootuuNAhnáʾAx –
While they were barking dogs this young man – then he ran them –
xaawaarúxtiʾ wehnakUxuunaWIsítIt niiʾAhnatawatúRA.
the horses as they ran out where the open space was.
tsu noowituhnoohuunapítaahAt.
But then he quickly turned them.
nikunootíʾAt oopiínuʾ.
Then he went thus a different one (ie way).
wah hunaanapsíniʾ nikuwitiwískaʾ aataátA.
Now south that is where he wanted 'that I go.'
a čiišaahtawátU haáwaʾ.
And here there was an open space also.

wehnaRAhčirikaʾaáNA wehnawakaahtaʾá sanánat xaawaarúxtiʾ
When they awoke while they were yelling out the Sioux (their) horses
šiʾaasiinaakaʾiwaáhAt tsu tinaaríčI wiináxtš wehneečitáWI
wanting'that we catch them,' but this boy when he rode it
xaačiišawatá nootuuNAxhíNIt.
the white horse then he made it run.
wituutUhuuniikaʾuúkUt niitiʾAhnatawatúRA.
He ran into the middle here where the open space was.

wah xaawaarúxtiʾ wehniitAhnaanawaʾuuníkUt tinawaaríčI sanánat
Now horses when they caught them these Sioux,
wiiteešútš noošitiináʾAx.
the young man then they chased him.
WIšitiiteérikuʾ tinačiišawataáNA.
They saw it this white one.
nooWIšitiináʾAx.
Then they chased him.
a niiwehnuutUhwi- ʾuúʾA a čiišaahkaaxIšuúhAt.
And where he was headed and here there was a washout.
nooWIšitiitawitAhúNA.
Then they were catching up with him.
tiwehnuutUhuunapítaahAt – a – štoh nootitaʾiwát xaačiišawatá.
When he quickly turned around, – and – again then he whipped it the white horse.
či wešeeNAhuunukaáʾ xaawaarúxtiʾ.
Here now it jumped the horse.
anuú AhnawaakatAhkáʾU witikataʾuúkUt weneékUt.
There the other side of the hill it hit against it when it fell.
nakaaxatUhkáWI – witeešuhtawíhAt – AhnaʾaahkawiteéhAt.
Its hind leg – the foot slipped down – on the edge of the bank.
nuu wekutuutUhuúnuʾ.
There it continued.
nuu nootíʾAt šohnihwaawani- kUxítIt.
There then he went on while they began shooting at him.
noowitiiNAhnaačiteeʾá iiʾAhnakaaxIšúhAt.
Then it became difficult for them where the cut bank was.

tinaákUx wiiteešútš nooteéʾaʾ nuu wenaáʾa wenaáʾa weneehaahtawiitikú.
This young man then he came there, his coming, his coming when it was becoming daybreak.
witeenaaWIškaaʾaáhuʾ.
There was smoke coming out in the distance.
a či – nikiišaáNIt – niiʾAhnaraanoótA Ahniš- tíRA.
And here – they were the ones – where they were (camped) the ones he had been with.
noowitiwísAt.
Then he arrived there.

hee wetAhnapískaʾ wešitehnaakoótIt.
"Hey, we thought they must have killed you.
Axtóh kananaaxkuutaruhkukú.
Surely you did not heed (us)."

tsu tinaaríčI xaačiišawatá tatinistéʾ.
"But this white horse I liked it.
xaačiišawatá nikutuhnaanáʾA.
The white horse that one was the cause.
– taanikutuutAxítIt.
– This is what happened.
– taanikutatuúta.
– This is what I did.
wetatuu- naáhNAt.
I took it away.
neešiineekuunáʾAx.
Then they chased me.
a či kohnakaaxIšúhAt.
And here there was a cut bank.
tinaaríčI– xaawaarúxtiʾ– weneehuunukaaʾá a sitikiihUhkaríštoʾ wenaaxuhtawíʾa.
This– horse– when it jumped, and they weakened me when its foot slipped.
wetehnaaweešítIt tsu neehuunukaataʾuúkUt.
Now it must not have quite made it but it got to the bank.
niihuhčitawaátAt niitinaʾaahkáWI.
It jumped over it here where the bank is.

wah nooteeraánaʾ.
"Now then they are coming.
suxtaahnaasíštA.
Be on the lookout!
wetata- kuunaahnaaxíštA.
They are going to chase us."

nooWIšitinipaána – tinaaríčI – xaačiišawatá.
Then they hid it – this – white horse.
nooWIšitih- witáNIt šikanaʾaaxiiteériku.
Then they put a blanket over it 'so that you would not see it'.

wah taanikuwituúta tinaákUx – wiiteešútš – tUhkaákaʾ.
Now this is what he did this – young man – Crow.
tUhkaákaʾ – tiraaʾiítUx nuuNUxtaaʾiiwaatihUxukú – kuNAhúx natiniiNIštaákUx.
Crow – it is a story one that he used to tell – the old man our in-law who lived.