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

54

The Fight between the

Bear and the Buffalo Bull

Alfred Morsette

wah wetatunaaʾiitíštA wah áxkUx.
Now I am going to tell a story now one.
tsu tatuu- NUxAtkookUxuúkuʾ tinaraaʾiitúxkUx šitiisuxtehkUxuúkuʾ Pete
But I used to hear it from him this story they used to call him Pete
Beauchamp na nikunuuxAxaáʾA hukós tiíkUx.
Beauchamp, and that is what he was named Sitting Bull.
tuuNUxtaaʾiíwat – niiháʾ – nuuxakaáWI agency.
He used to tell it – there – where the building was agency.
tsuusiinawaáhuʾ híNAx.
He used to work at night.
nootatíʾAt niiNUxkaákUx wenakukunuunaaʾiiwaawaátI.
I just went there where he lived when he would tell me stories.
niinuunaaʾít tinaraaʾiitúxkUx wenatunaaʾiitštáNI –
He told it this story what I am going to tell –
nuuʾAhnuuxunuuwaáWI – áwit naapakúhtuʾ.
when they used to live there – formerly long ago.
niikohniiraawiiʾót Axtóh kanatuhneesiíšuʾ.
However long it was surely I do not know.

wah – nehkuraaWIhkAhunuuwaáWI wiiteešútš –
Now – when they were going around hunting young men –
waanaaNIsanáxkAt nooWIšitiitaakeérit tanáhaʾ.
in rough, hilly terrain, then they saw them buffalos.
uu tiraaNIhuúʾU Ahnaka- ništaanoótA.
Oh, there were many where the herd was.
wewitihčitAxá AhnihnaačiríkUx.
They lay on a hill as they watched them.

noowitiwáčiʾ noowetiiraawiiʾót tinaraanaahUxukú weNIhkučiíka wenakUsakUhteerípiRIt.
Then they said: "It is time now when they usually come for them to drink its being past noon.
tihčiíkaʾ a nootiRAhkatáʾAt weNIhkUhuhwaawáʾA.
They drink and then they go up onto the prairie to eat grass.
saxtš niraanukaatoókUt – neešiisiNAxwéʾ číkuʾ niikananakuRIhuúNU
As soon as they reach the bank – we'll look for it a small one
nuunakutawé hukós.
its being there among them a bull.
itaraakaakawáʾAs atíštIt.
Then we will eat well."

wah wehnaraanoótA noowituhníWIs kuuNUxkúsuʾ.
Now while they sat then it appeared a large bear.
uu witiRIhuúʾU kuúNUx wehnaahuusaʾá.
Oh, it was big the bear when it was coming along the stream bank.
noowituutáwi.
Then it stopped.
– wewitireewaawátI.
– It looked all around.
– nuukuwitireewáʾAt Ahnuutaakeériku tanáhaʾ.
– It looked over there as it saw them the buffalos.
noowitiihUhkatariína.
Then it moved quickly.
noowi- tikatáʾAt.
Then it went up the bank.
iiʾAhnakaapiniwóxkUx noowitikawiítIt.
Where there was a clump of buckbrush then it sat down in it.

tsu – wehnuútA wehniinaahuníkUx – noowitiraaniruuWAtwaáhAt tanáhaʾ.
But – after a while while they were waiting – then they arose the buffalos.
áxkUx – Ahnoowiteehiráxaʾ.
One – then it just came in the lead.
uu – wituhné hukós čiitíʾIš weniitapsiwaahnuuxukú.
Oh – it was nice looking a bull, four when it usually has winters.
wewitiRIhuúʾU.
It was large.
wehnaáʾa – wewitAhiráxaʾ – wenaaraaná tanáhaʾ wenaakaniíša.
When it came – it came in the lead – when they came the buffalos as the herd came.
noowituutáwi.
Then it stopped.
withaáwiʾ uuhneesiíšu wehnihnuníkUx kuúNUx.
It seemed as if it knew when it waited for it the bear.
na štoh noowiteéʾaʾ.
And again then it came.
wewitAhoowiisaʾiišAhíštA.
Now it was going to come to the edge of the hill.
teškúNIt noowiteéRIt.
Close by then it stood.

kuúNUx noowitiirikaahtáʾAt.
The bear so it peeped over the hill.
noowitiihuuniriwátAt kuúNUx wehnunaawiináxI.
Then it jumped up the bear when it charged.
wah tinaaríčI hukós nikunoo- tuúta čeésuʾ.
Now this bull then that is what it did too.
nooWIšiteépAt.
So they (du) fought.
uu wituhwirinoósiʾ tinaaríčI – hukós.
Oh, it was fierce this – bull.
anuú kuWIšiteenawáNIt – kuúNUx.
There it was thrown a distance – the bear.
wah tsu kananiitaraanaáʾAs čeésuʾ kuúNUx weWIši-
Now but it was indeed (as) fierce itself the bear when they
tohnaruuwanú weWIšitohnaruuwaʾaáNA.
(du) were fighting each other, when they (du) hurt each other.

na WIšitiʾoóxIt.
And they (du) ceased.
tinaaríčI hukós noowitíʾAt niitsíniʾ na kuúNUx noowitikatáʾAt.
This bull then it went backwards, and the bear then it went up (the hill).
wah niiʾAhnuxkawiítIt noowitikawiítIt štoh.
Now where it had sat down in the brush then it sat down in the brush again.
wehnakákUx uunaaríčI hukós noowitiwiítIt.
While it sat in the brush that other bull then it sat down.

tsu tinaákUx kuúNUx noowitiwaaRUxtiiʾaanuuxítIt.
But this bear then it began to become holy.
noo- witeetkAhtaráʾ kuúNUx niiʾAhnakákUx.
Then it raised the dust the bear where it sat in the brush.
Itkaá- nuʾ noowititkAhtareeʾuúxIt.
The dust then it was blue dust.
noowitiʾoóxIt AhnaWAhnaáhu AhnaWAhnaáhu.
Then it ceased its growling, its growling.

wah tsu tuunaákUx hukós nikuwituúta wehnačisWAhnaáhu wenakootIhú.
Now but that bull it did that as it was snorting as it was dying.
wah witiʾoóxIt.
Now it ceased.

wah – nootiinuuwáʾAx tanáhaʾ – čeésuʾ.
Now – then they ran away the buffalos – too.
noowi- tinikUxkatoorúhkUt.
Then they scattered out running.

we naaníhtš niiweNAhkuhneeswaaWIšú noowitih- wáčiʾ
Now the older ones the ones who knew things then they said
wiiteešútš kaakunaáhe niiwenuutAxítIt.
(to) the young men: "It is not good what has happened.
weWIšititiruuwaʾá tišinaákUx.
They (du) both hurt each other these (du).
tinaákUx kuúNUx tehnuuxískaʾ číkuʾ aatAhaakawáʾAs.
This bear it must have thought 'that I would eat something.'
wenuunaačiteeʾá.
It became difficult for it."

wah noowitiRAsawiraáʾAt.
Now, then they went down.
nooWIšitihnaaWIšUhaásAt tinaákUx kuúNUx.
Then they offered smoke to it this bear.
– nooWIšitiisaakatáWI.
– Then they gave it a pipe.
– nooWIšitiNAhpAhaáhnoʾ.
– Then they painted it.

uukunoowitiraáNAt iiwenaáxA hukós.
Then they went over the other way there where it lay the bull.
noowitihwáčiʾ weWIšitiitAxtuuwaʾá.
Then they said: "Now you (du) have hurt each other."
niikohnuuxískaʾ nikunakuútA niikohnuuNUxtaatawaátoʾ kuúNUx
Whatever it had thought that would be; whatever it had wished for the bear
nooWIšititkáWI kuutarúhtuʾ.
then they put it on its head a soft plume.
nooWIšitihnaaWIškúx číkuʾ nakuraáwiš.
Then they offered it smoke for it to smoke.

noowitiwáčiʾ – wah – toxtaakaaʾišwóʾ.
Then they said – "No – let's go home!
číkuʾ šikoosihnunáx NAhnunáhtš.
We will find some deer.
wekaakuhnaanaawiʾúʾ niiweWIšitinuNAhuu- nuúʾA weWIšitinaruuwaʾaáNA.
It is a bad omen what they (du) did to each other, when they (du) hurt each other.
wah toxtaakaaʾišwóʾ.
Now let's go home!"

nooteeRAhkaaʾiíšaʾ – nuu – weNIhkukawooruutikú.
Then they came home – there – when they were killing various ones.
nooWIšitihkawoótit NAhnunáhtš.
Then they killed them deer.

nootiinaaʾít.
Then they told of it.
taanikutuutAxítIt nuuwenatux- taakunuuwaáWI skaweéraaʾuʾ.
"This is what happened when we were traveling around out there (in) the west.
WIšiteépAt kuúNUx na tanáhaʾ.
They (du) fought a bear and a buffalo.
nooWIšitiineekoótIt ápIs.
Then they (du) killed each other both.
wešitIhunáhAs.
Now they (du) are dead."

awiraaníhtš noowitihwáčiʾ ka číkuʾ šiNAxiniíta.
The older ones then they said: "Did you do anything for them?"

noowitihwáčiʾ šineeNAhpAhaáhnoʾ kuúNUx.
Then they said: "We painted it the bear.
witinuxkaa- nuNAxwé wenuunaačiteeʾá.
As it looked for a meal for itself it became difficult for it.
tinaákUx šeenuxwirinoosíʾU tanáhaʾ hawá nikUšiineetiniíta.
This the fiercest one buffalo also that is what we did for it.
šineeraaWIšá.
They (du) smoked.
šineetAhuunúxtoʾ witinuuNUxiiWIsú.
We dressed it as it tried to save itself.
wah neetinaakaaʾiišaáhuʾ.
Now we were coming home.
wah číkuʾ kaakiraačitéʾ NAhnunáhtš nakukawooruutíkA.
Now it was not at all difficult deer to kill them."

wah nikuwetuhnáʾA kuúNUx wetaraahnaaʾú atsú wešikohnaaxAsšteéRAt.
"Now that one was the cause: the bear it gave you a way (ie fortune) and you must now be thankful."

wah taanikuwituutAxítIt.
Now this is what happened.