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

105

My Father's Vision

Ella P. Waters

tiwenatunaaʾiitštáNI witiráʾ atíʾAx AhnuuxItkAxtíRA.
What I am going to tell about it is the way my father when he fasted.

noowitíʾAt niiʾAhnoxtAhkaáhu čeehaaneksaánuʾ.
Then he went where they were dancing Ghost Dance.
noowiteekaahUxítIt čeehaaneksaánuʾ.
Then they began to dance Ghost Dance.
AhnooniiteéRIt inaániʾ AxkooríkA.
Then he just saw him his brother One Horn.
kaakíʾ tiiháʾI nikuNAxkuutaánu NAx- kukaáhu.
"You sh ould not be doing this your dancing.
– anuú nuutataáwa.
– There there are graves
– anuú nikutíʾAt.
– There you should go there.
na nikutuutaánuʾ.
You should be doing that.
na nakucíkAt.
You should cry!"

na nohneeWIsítIt atíʾAx.
And then he went out my father.
nohneeWIsítIt anuú iinuutataawaáWI.
Then he went out there where the graves were.
nohníʾAt wehnaaríčI weh- načíkAt wehnaawiʾeekootIhú.
Then he went his standing there his crying, his being exhausted.

nooneewaákoʾ – kunohnikuuwíRIt.
Then he said – "Then I must have fallen.
– kunohnikitkAxí- tIt niiwenatuhnaaʾeéRIt
– Then I must have gone to sleep. What I saw,"
niinoošohnaxweerákUx anuú witiihatUhkateéhAt.
where his feet were upright there there was a wide path.
a noowiteehaátAt.
And there was a path going).
inooneehatUhteéhAt inoowitiíkUx.
Where the end of path was there it sat:
noowitiipáxkUx tanáhaʾ šohnaaritsapIsú šohnačiritsapIsú AhnitčiríkUx.
there there sat a head buffalo the horns shining, its eyes shining its watching him.

tiwehnaaheešá tákuʾ niikohnóʾ wiítA noo- witiiNAxtAhkUxíhAt.
When morning came someone whoever it was a man then he kicked his feet.
witihčirikaʾaanít nohneenuhnanoxtáʾ wehnaraawíšA na
He woke him up, then he brought tobacco for him to smoke, and
nohnihnaʾít wah tičé weNAxuh- naaʾeéRIt tiweNAxuuxaríčI nuxkatiisíʾU.
then he asked him: "Now what did you see when you stood here last night?"

nookanawituxtAtkAhaaníhIt.
Then it was not a single night.
čiitíʾIš wituuxawé AhnuuxaríčI AhnuxčíkAt.
Four it was nights his standing when he cried.

noowitiwaákoʾ – atíʾAx wah – číkuʾ kaakatuhnaaʾeéRIt.
Then he said – my father: "Now – I did not see anything.
nooteeraaníhIt – wehnikitkAxítIt – wenatuhnaaʾeéRIt.
There was a single thin – when I fell asleep – what I saw:
nuunehnaátAt niinoošinateštAhkateéhAt.
a path went there in the distance however wide my feet are (ie as wide as my feet).
nootiihatUhteeha- načíštIt niinoonatihčiRIhnaaNUhuúNU na
It was a perfectly straight path however far my eyes see, and
inuuniipáx- kUx tanáhaʾ AhšohnačiritsapIsú.
over there there sat a head buffalo, its eyes just shining."
nooWIšiteeritsa- písuʾ hawá AhnitčiríkUx.
The horns shone, also its watching him.

wah – šikanawitihnaaʾiitáWI – niikohnaraačítA tiwe- NAxatuuneéRIt.
Now – they did not tell him – whatever the reason was "when you saw the path."

tsu nikutuxwaakaahUxuúkuʾ nikutatuhnaaʾeéRIt natuuxItkAxtíRA
But that is what he used to say: "That is what I saw when I fasted."