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

106

The Killing of the Chief's Son

Ella P. Waters

tiwenatunaaʾiitUxtáNIt tiraaʾiítUx naaʾiitUxpakúhtuʾ niiʾAhnuutAxítIt pakUhnaawaawiriíkuʾ.
What I am going to tell it is a story an old story what happened a long, long time ago.

anuú - iiʾAhnatoxtaakítAt - wiítA noowitiraáNAt naawiinakuúnuʾ.
There - where our village used to be - men then they went (on) the warpath.
- kanawituxtaaNIhuúʾU.
- There were not many.
- wituxtawéʾ wiiteešUtčipiríhtš a noowehnaRAhkaaʾiišá
- There was among them a very young man, and as they came home
noowitiiNAhnaaWIš- kaaNAsšoosítIt.
then they began to want tobacco.

noowituhnaanawí.
Then they stopped.
číkuʾ niikohniíhiʾ noowituhnaanawí.
Wherever it was then they stopped.
noowitineeWAtwá - a - nooWIšitiitakaaneéRIt akanaaNIšíšuʾ.
Then they looked all around - and - then they saw a dwelling a log house.

noowitihwáčiʾ anuunaanaká akanaaNIšíšuʾ.
Then they said: "There is a house there in the distance a log house.
tákuʾ tehnakaákUx.
Someone must live in it."

a noowitiwaákoʾ wiináxtš koxtíʾAt.
And then he said the boy: "I will go.
naaWIškaánuʾ koxtiisawíʾAt.
Tobacco I will beg for it."

nooWIšitiiNIštaanipákuʾ- saNIštaaká tíʾIt.
Then they opposed it: - "White men they are
- axíʾAt.
- Don't go!"

a noowitiwaákoʾ wiináxtš Axtóh šitiitAsiíšuʾ atíʾAx
And then he said the boy: "Certainly they know him my father,"
niiʾAhniišAhneešaáNU sáhniš.
the one who used to be a chief of them Arikaras.
šitiitAsiíšuʾ atíʾAx.
"They know him my father."
wetinaaríčI wiináxtš witíʾ piiraneešaánuʾ.
This boy he was a chief's child.

šikanawitiniisuxtaaʾiíwoʾ aaxátA - natsú - noowiti- taRAhtštAhuuʾá
They were not willing 'that you go,' - but - then he was determined
aataátA - aateesaweétA - naaWIškaánuʾ.
'that I go - that I beg for it' - tobacco.

hUhtiísuʾ nooWIšitinihnaawiíʾAt nakiisaweétA naaWIškaánuʾ.
Finally so they gave him their consent to go beg for it tobacco.

noowitíʾAt.
Then he went.
nooWIšitiiteérikuʾ nuuwehnaahnuukátA iiʾAhnaakaáWI.
Then they watched him as he entered there at a distance where the house was.
kanawituxtaačeéʾA nooWIšiteenuusiRAx- kaáʾ.
It was not long, then they brought him out.
- WIšitiitawaáhUt.
- They were holding him.
- a čiišaáNIt saNIštaaká.
- And here they were white men!

a nooWIšitihpiNUxítIt oowátkAt wešohnih- pinú šohnihpinú.
And then they began whipping him outside, their whipping him, their whipping him.
nooWIšitiitawaʾuuníkUt na nooWIšitiisiRAxuúkAt štoh.
Then they each took hold of him and then they took him inside again.

atsú tiiháʾI weWIšitiiteérikuʾ iiʾAhniš- tíRA.
But here they now saw him those who had accompanied him.
WIšitiiteérikuʾ wešohnihpiNUxwanú.
They saw him as they went around whipping him.

na tiwešohniisiRAxuukátA - kanawituxtaačeéʾA - na štoh -
And after they took him inside - it was not long - and again -
nooWIšiteenuusiRAxkaáʾ - wešohneenustareewaapíhA.
then they brought him out - after they had tied him up.
na áxkUx wiítA noowiteeranaahUxítIt nátš wehnaroo- sIhú nátš.
And one man then he began bringing it wood, when he was placing it wood.

tiwešohniisiRAxuukátA štoh číkuʾ šiʾehkootíkA na
After they had taken him inside again, if they had killed him or
aanuxtšičiítU kaakinaaʾiitawíhuʾ.
whether he was alive he did not tell.
na tiwešohneenuu- siRAxkaaʾá - a nooWIšitihnuučitaʾús
And when they brought him out - and then they laid him on top
ii - nátš AhnaroósI.
there - the wood its lying.
nooWIšitihkuNIstoohaásAt.
Then they set it (the wood) afire.
nooWIšitihnuuníNIt.
Then they cremated him.

atsú - tinaraanoótA - kanawituxtaaNIhuúʾU wiítA wetihnaa- ʾeérikuʾ
But - those, - there were not many men, they were watching
niiwešohniiNAhuunuúʾA saNIštaaká wiináxtš.
what they did to him the white men the boy.

tiwehnaRAhkaaʾiišátA nootiinaaʾít.
After they went home then they told of it.
wah tsu noo- tiiNAhnaparaasšá čeésuʾ saNIsahníš.
Now but then they became furious too the Indians.
a noowitihwáčiʾ wah - WIšteetóʾ.
And then they said: "Now - wait!
tooNUxtaahnaahuníkUx - anuukuNAhuu- ʾá - nakuuhuúnuʾ.
Let's wait for it - for it to come float- ing (upriver) - the boat!
wah - nikUšikoosiinakuníkUx nakuuhuúnuʾ - NAhuuʾá na - neešiisiniitaNAhkawátAt.
Now - we will wait for that one the boat - when it floats by and - we'll come out fighting."