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

92.


Bear's Teeth, the Man

Given Horse Medicine

Ella P. Waters

ačitaánuʾ sáhniš wiítA wituxtaáNAt tUhkaakákAt.
Tribe Arikara men they had gone to Crow country.
NIhúxuʾ wiítA witíʾIt.
Only men they were.

anuú noowitiRAsáʾAt waahíniʾ číkuʾ niikohna- waákUx.
There then they climbed up on a mountain wherever the mountain was.
nuu wituxtsčitákUx.
There a lake was on it.
witiroohuNIhuúʾU AhnuxtsčitákUx.
It was a large one the lake that was on top.

na noowiteeRAsawiraáʾ čituúʾuʾ.
And then they came down all.
na wiítA áxkUx noowitIhunáhAs.
And man one then he was lost.
kanawituhneesiíšuʾ niiʾAhnuxtsaátA.
He did not know where they had gone up.

tiwenawanú tiwenawanú wehnahnaNAxwé
As he was going around as he was going around, when he was looking for them
hUhtiísuʾ noowiteehawaátaʾ xaawaarúxtiʾ.
finally then it came out of the water a horse.
xaakaatít noowiteehawaátaʾ.
A black horse then it came out of the water.

noowitiwaákoʾ xaawaarúxtiʾ šitohnuníkUx.
Then it said the horse: "They are waiting for you.
anuú neehaahkAhunuuwá.
There they are at the base.
šitaRAxwéʾ atsú koxtohnaaʾiitáWI niinakoótA nuu nakutawiraátA.
They are looking for you but I will tell you where to go there to go down."

niiháʾI nikunootihnaaʾiitáWI xaakunaáʾuʾ niinakuutaáNA
Right there then that is what it told him horse medicine what to do
xaawaarútiʾ NIhkunaawihUxítIt nakuNAhuunuúʾA na xaakunaáʾuʾ nakuraanoóku.
a horse when it gets sick to doctor it and horse medicine to sing.
nikunoowitihnaaʾiitáWI.
So that is what it told him.
hawá nakutsUhihkAxaahú nikunoowitihnaaʾiitáWI wenaa-
Also to call the rain then that is what it told him when the
kutsUhiiná kananakuhnaanaawiʾuúʾA nakutsUhiNIhuúNU.
rain comes when it looks bad its being a big rainstorm.
hawá noowitihnaaʾiitáWI niinakuutaáNA číkuʾ oopiínuʾ tuuku- nakoótA.
Also then it told him what to do to go over ther e some- where else.

noowitiwaákoʾ xaawaarúxtiʾ wah škaaʾiišátA nuu tiisunaaniitáWI.
Then it said the horse: "Now when you go home," there it told him the land.
noowitiwaákoʾ iiháʾI thaátAt.
Then it said: "There there is a trail.
nikuneešaáNAt.
You'll go on that.
neešaahnunáx piíNUx.
You'll find it a whip.
neešaanírut natsú na tirá.
You'll pick it up and keep it.
nikutitáweʾ xaakunaáʾuʾ píNUx.
It is part of that horse medicine the whip."
wenikunoowitihnaaʾiitáWI nuu wehnawanú.
Then this is what it told him there as he went around.

noowitiwaákoʾ wah toosuuxiRAxtawiraáʾAt.
Then it said: "Now let me lead you down!
wah hawá xaawaarúxtiʾ neešiRAxwéʾ niitinatuutuúʾA
Now also a horse you'll seek the way I am
IškaaʾiišátA xaakaatít číkuʾ kananakuučiišáwatAhtakUx
when you go home, a black horse its not having any white spot on it,
nuunakuú- ʾU xaakaatít.
its just being a black horse."
kunoowitihnaaʾiitáWI.
Then that is what it told him.
na naaʾiitúxuʾ tihnaaʾiitáWI haáwaʾ.
And songs it told him also.

noowiteetawiraáʾ.
Then he came down.
noowitihnaaʾiitáWI xaawaarúxtiʾ niinakoótA nakutawiraátA.
Then he was told by it the horse where to go to go down.
noowiteetawiraáʾ na inooWI- šitihnuníkUx siíno.
Then he came down and there they were waiting for him yet.

tiwehnaRAhkaaʾiišá tiiháʾI sAhkAhaáhniniʾ noowitíʾAt wiítA
When they came home, here in the village then he went the man
niiʾAhniisuxtaaʾiitawíhA xaawaarúxtiʾ tiišá píNUx.
where it had told him the horse: "There it lies a whip."
nuu weNAhatUhkaátA na inoowitiišá píNUx pakúhtuʾ piNUxpakúhtuʾ.
There when he went on the trail, and there it lay the whip, an old one, an old whip.
noowitipakút.
It was old.
noowi- tiírut.
Then he picked it up.
noowitiírut píNUx natsú wetih- naaʾiitáWI niinakuutaáNA
Then he picked it up the whip, and it had told him what to do
nakuraáhNA xaakunaáʾuʾ naku- taʾiíNA xehtakhuúnuʾ.
to keep it horse medicine, to put it on it a horse medicine bundle.
nikunoowituúta.
Then that is what he did.

natsú tinuxwanú kuNAhúx kutuuxAxaáʾA watoohíʾA.
And this one who was living old man he was named Watohia.
watoohíʾA kutuuxAxaáʾA.
Watohia he was named.
kuuNUxaánuʾ hawá kunuuxAxaáʾA.
Bear's Teeth also he was named.

nuusuuxaawaanuuxukú tsuxtsUhihkAxaawaáhuʾ.
When he used to perform he used to call the rain.
na nikutuúʾUt xaakunaáʾuʾ.
And it was thus horse medicine.
sápat wenihkuraaNAhkaroóku ničiíšuʾ nooWIšititkáxaʾ wah NUsuuxá.
Women when they planted them corn then they called him: "Now let him perform!"
a noowiteéʾaʾ kuNAhúx.
And then he came the old man.
noowituxčiiRAxkataatút xaawaarúxtiʾ niinuuthú NAhkuwaawaapIsú.
Then he drew lightning streaks on it the horse, its being like to be lightning.
nuu noowiti- katáʾAt niiʾAhnawaákUx.
There then he went up where the hill was.
noowitiraanookUxítIt.
Then he started singing
kaaka- tuhnaaʾiitUxsiíšuʾ.
I do know the song.
noowituhnanaʾuúhAt niiwenaakaáWI niiwenaakunuunaakaanuúNU xaakunaáʾuʾ.
Then he waved his arm where he now lives the one who prepared the meal horse medicine.
siinó kanawi- tiiWIswóʾ na wewitatsUhiinawísaʾ.
Yet he had not reached it and now the rain arrived.

hawá noowitihnaaʾiitáWI phiináNIt AhnoonakoótA.
Also then he was told by it: "Slowly just go there.
kananakiihUhkatariíNU.
Do not be fast."
witiwaákoʾ xaawaarúxtiʾ nikukooxuú- ʾUt inoošiihUhkatariíNU
It said the horse: "It will be thus: if you are fast
kooxeetsUhiínaʾ awitaRAsíniʾ.
the rain will come rapidly.
atsú phiináNIt šuxweereetíkuʾ.
But slowly go (lit gallop).
nikukooxuúʾUt hawá atíštIt kooxeetsUhiínaʾ.
This is how it will be also: nicely (ie gently) the rain will come."

sinó tinúxkUx wiítA tatsuuxeéRIt niiʾAhnii- suxkaapaatštíRA xaawaarúxtiʾ.
Still this one who lived man I saw him the one who was pitied by it the horse.