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

101

The Woman with Red Leggings

Ella P. Waters

AhnuuxitUhkákUx itUhwiísuʾ sáhniš wewitiisuuxaNAsáʾUx.
When the village was in the woods Heart Village, Arikaras they were hungry.
wituuxiíhiʾ psíkAt na nuu wewitiisuuxaNAsáʾUx.
It was in the winter and there they were hungry then.

wewitohniinawoósA takohnáʾU šeenoowiteéʾaʾ
After they all had gone to bed someone then she was plainly coming
hunaákAt iiʾAhnaakaáWI akAhpaátu.–
on the snow where a lodge was a tipi.–
noowitireekawiraʾuúhAt akAhpaátu.
Then she moved the door flap aside the tipi.
tireekawiraʾuuhAt.
She moved the door flap aside.
noowitaaxUhuunuúkaʾ tsu sápat tiiʾAhnaáxA na wiítA AhnaRAhkaáWI.
Then she put her foot inside but a woman here where she lay and a man where they were in the lodge.

a noowitiwaákoʾ tatanuhnaánaʾ kóstš.
And then she said: "I came to borrow yours a kettle.
tátskaʾ aatanuhnaáNU kóstš.
I want that I to use yours kettle."

a noowitiwaákoʾ sápat šehniikaákUx anineékUx kóstš.
And then she said woman the main one inside (the lodge): "There it sits a kettle.
niinooNAxeeríčI niinareekáWI anineékUx.
Where you are standing by the door there it sits."

nooWIšitiitukookunaaneéRIt.
Then they saw her leggings.
witooxukookupAhaátIt nii- ʾAhniisuuxUhú saNIšwakúhtuʾ ukookútš nakuutakoóčI.
She had red leggings, as they used to do the old people leggings when one wore them.

witikúxIt kóstš.
She took it the kettle.
noowiteeWIsítIt.
Then she went out.
witireeká- WI.
She closed the door flap.
nuu šeenoowewitIhunaakáʾAt aNAhunaačiiseeWAhnaahú.
There then she now walked plainly on the snow it being the crunching sound of snow.
nooniikohnáʾAt.
It was not known where she went.

wewitiraačeéʾA.
It was a long time.
wewitAheešAhíštA štoh nooWIšitiinátkoʾ wehnaaʾá.
Now it was going to be morning again then they heard her as she came.
witireekaríkUt sápat.
She opened the door flap the woman.

noowitiwaákoʾ sápat tineešiníhkUx kóstš.
Then she said the woman: "Here is yours kettle.
wetatohnáʾ.
I have brought it."

noowitiwaákoʾ šehniikaákUx sápat aniiháʾI šuxkúx.
Then she said the main one inside woman: "There set it!"

noowitikúx kóstš.
Then she set it down the kettle.
anuú štoh noowitee- WIsítIt.
There again then she went out.

noowitiiriwátAt sápat.
Then she got up the woman.
noowitIhaakeeríWAt.
Then she opened it.
noowi- tIhoowatatót kóstš wehnaaRAhuúka.
Then she opened it the kettle after she brought it in.
na noo- witiiraawaahaáʾ tarahUhkaáxuʾ taRAhúhtš.
And there they were in (boiling) water strips of old leather, rawhide.
noowitiiraawaahaáʾ.
There they were in water in it.

tiwehnihnoowatatoókA noowitihwáčiʾ tarahUhkaáxuʾ tineeRAhkóskUx.
When they uncovered it then they said: "Worn out leather here is a pot of it."

a noowitiwaákoʾ áxkUx wiítA wah wetatakuhnaahnaánaʾ naakaWAhaánuʾ
And then he said one man: "Now she has brought us good luck."

nooWIšitiiNAxúNAt sápat híNAx niiwehnaátA hunaákAt.
Then they tracked her the woman at night where she went in the snow.
a noowitiiraaNIsAxá.
And there she lay on a scaffold.
tiwešoh- nituuNUxeéRIt nikuwitíʾ sápat AhnuuxuukátA AhnuxkatiisíʾU.
When they saw her clothes, she was the one woman the one who went in last night.
nikuwitíʾ sápat wituuxukookupAhaátIt.
She was the one woman: she had red leggings.
noowitiraaNIsAxá.
Then she was lying on a scaffold.

tiwehnaaheešá tiwehnaRAhkataátA wiítA
When morning came when they went up on the hill the men
noowitiikaníškUx tanáhaʾ.
there there was a herd buffalo.

wah nikuwituutAxítIt wehniisuuxaNAsáʾUx itUh- wiísuʾ
Now that is what happened when they were starving Heart Village
tuuháʾI AhnuuxitUhkákUx.
over there when the village was in the woods.
sápat anináʾU nikunoowitiiNAhnaačíWAt AhniisuuxaNAsáʾUx.
Woman that one that one changed their way their having been hungry.
tanáhaʾ noowitiikaníškUx.
Buffalo there there was a herd.