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

87

When the Bears

Attacked the Arikaras

Ella P. Waters

wetatunaaʾiitíštA čeésuʾ – niinatuuxAtkáʾU – nuxtaana- wáNA
Now I am going to tell myself – what I heard – the ones who lived
naaníhtš niiNIštaaʾiitawaaWIhú.
old ones what they used to tell.

nuu pakúhtuʾ – witatoxtaakítAt – na – áxkUx – sápat
Long , long ago – we lived in a village, – and – one – woman
noowitiwaraakaʾiíšAt weNAhunaanoóku.
then she went into the brush to till the ground.
waraákAt nikutišunaahkawaakarookUxuúkuʾ neésuʾ ničiíšuʾ WAhúx
In the brush that is where they used to plant them corn, corn, squash,
na átit niiNIštaaNAhkawaakarookUxúku.
and beans where they planted gardens.

wah tiwehnakaʾíšwo wehnuutaánu
Now when she was going into the brush when she was doing it
weNAhunaanoóku noowitikaaʾiíšAt hiiš.
when she was tilling the ground, then she went home in the evening.
noowitiraakaaNUhkawaakároʾ wewitinuhnaakaanunanaáhNA.
Then she cooked a meal as she carried her meal for herself.

na noowitAheéšaʾ na – štoh – noowitiwaraakaʾiíšAt niiʾAhnaanunuhnunaáNU.
And then morning came and – again – then she went into the brush where she had her garden.

noowiteečeswaátaʾ wiítA na noowitiwaákoʾ wah koxtootIštatataʾuúhAt.
Then he came out of the brush a man and then he said: "Now I will help you."

tsu tišehneeNAhtakúʾU wiítA nootikaákUx iiʾAh- nuuxitúhkUx.
But her main husband the man he was at home where the village was.

na nikunoowituúta tiwehnaačeswaáta wiítA
And then this is what he did the one coming out of the brush man
wehnawaákA koxtootIštatataʾuúhAt.
the one who said: "I will help you.
koxtootunaanaRUtkawaakároʾ.
I will soften the ground for you."

a noowitíʾ kuúNUx tiwehnuNAhwanú kuúNUx
And there it was a bear, as he worked the bear
weNAhunaanawaraawaawaníkA wehnešwíNAhkatateeruútIt hunaaníniʾ wehnutunaahkaroóku.
as he scratched up the ground when he put his claws into it in the ground when he was making a garden for her.

na witAheéšaʾ.
And morning came.
hiiš weNAhkukaaʾiišátA na noowitiraakaaNUhkawaakároʾ.
In the evening after she went home, and then she cooked a meal.

a noowitiwískaʾ wiítA tičé tAxuúʾUt
And then he wondered the man: "I wonder why it is
NAxtaakaanunaaNIhuúNU tiNAxtanikaʾišwó.
your having a lot of food your taking it into the brush?"

tsu nootuhteeriiʾaaNIšítIt naahtakúʾU.
And then he began to spy on her his wife.
atsú sápat noowitiwaraakaʾiíšAt – iiʾAhnaanunuhnunaáhkUx –
But woman then she went into the brush – where her garden was –
Ahnaraa- NAhkaroóku.
where she was planting.

wah– tiwehnačeswaatátA – na – noowitíʾ – kuúNUx.
Now– when he went from the brush – and – there it was – a bear.
a nooWIšitiišawá AhnaahtakúʾU wiítA.
And there they (du) were lying together his wife the man.

a niiháʾI– noowititinaakírut – a noowitiiwáNIt.
And here– then he took up his gun – and then he shot it.
kuúNUx noowitikoótIt.
The bear then he killed it.

noowitikaaʾiíšAt sápat.
Then she went home the woman.
noowituhnaʾít neeNAh- takúʾU tičé nuúʾUt niiweNAxkuutaánu.
Then she asked him her husband: "Why was it your doing that?"

noowitiwaákoʾ sápat Axtóh wetikutunaanaRUtkawaa- károʾ.
Then she said the woman: "Surely he softened the ground for me.
wetikunuutaaNIštát.
He finished doing it for me.
tičé nuúʾUt nooweNAx- kuukootíkA.
Why was it your killing him?
oopiínuʾ wetAxuúta.
Wrong you did."

na wiítA wewititeesštaníkUx.
And the man he pondered it.

a či wiítA – tiwehnaačeswaatAhú – kuúNUx witíʾ.
And here the man – when he came out of the brush, – a bear it was.
a čiišaáʾA piiraneešaánuʾ kuúNUx.
And here it was the chief's child bear.

na nikunoowituutAxítIt a niiʾAhnuutunaanuúʾA kuúNUx
And then that is what happened: and at that time bears
AhnatakuraakhiitúsA kuúNUx wehnohnaána čeésiʾ –
their killing us the bears as they came to fight themselves –
wewitinitkawiitikú – wešinihkootíkA kuúNUx piiraasštawíʾuʾ.
their avenging themselves – after its being killed the bears the beloved child.
nikunoowituutAxítIt noowiteeniíʾaʾ čituúʾuʾ kuúNUx
Then that is what happened: then they came in a horde all the bears.
nikuwituutunaánuʾ AhnatakuraakawootíkA saNIsahníš kuúNUx.
That was the time their killing us human beings the bears.