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

129

Coyote and the

Ghosts of the Dead Sioux

Dan Howling Wolf

sčiríhtš nookananiitawaruúʾUt nakuriWIhteewaawanú.
Coyote he is truly a vagabond, his going around hungry.
noowitIhuusáʾAt weNAhuusawaawanú.
Then he went along the creek, as he wandered along the creek.
sčiríhtš noowitiwísAt.
Coyote then he got there.
noowitiiʾiinús.
There lay dead bodies.

číkuʾ tehnuxtAxUhuúna.
There must have been a fight.
noowitíʾIt sanánat.
There they were Sioux.
noowituutiikaʾá.
Then he went among them.
číkuʾ noowiteeninuhnuuNUxiwá.
Their clothing was nice.

áxkUx noowitiišá sanánat.
One there he lay a Sioux.
noowiteškaruúWAt.
He took his moccasins off.
tanuhniwá.
His were nice.
noowitohneešúhNIt sčiríhtš.
Then he put them on his feet Coyote.
wewi- tohnuutAxtAhčiríkUx.
Now he looked at his feet.
wewiteehuunukaawaʾaáhuʾ wehnaakaáhu.
He was jumping around as he danced.

anuú nootíʾAt nooNAhiínaʾ.
There then he went farther on.
noowitiišá.
There he lay (another).
tanuhné kUxkaniiʾuukawíʾuʾ.
His was nice breechcloth.
sčiríhtš– noowitunoóʾa.
Coyote– then he removed his.
noowitiroóʾa.
Then he removed it
witohNItkUxkaniiʾuukáWI.
He put the breechcloth on himself
noowi- tohnuutawiʾeériku atíštIt noowituúʾUt.
As he was then looking at himself nice then he appeared.

nuu wehnaátA na noowitiišá áxkUx sanánat.
There as he went and there he lay one (another) Sioux.
tiraná tinaátš na niíšuʾ.
He had them a bow and arrows.
noowitunoswaakároʾ haáwaʾ.
Then he took them from him also.
noowitiranuhkáʾIt.
Then he kept them.

wenaátA noowitiišá haáwaʾ.
As he went there he lay also (another).
witootIskUhkákUx.
He wore a roach.
noowitunoóʾa.
Then he took his off him.
noowitohnuutIskUhkákux.
Then he put the roach on himself.

wewituhnaanihAxiikaʾá sčiríhtš wehnaakaáhu wehnaakaáhu.
Now he went among them dancing Coyote as he danced, as he danced.
witIhuuNUxá.
He was donated to.

anuú nootíʾAt nihnačiisúhAt nihnawarooʾátA hiíš.
There then he went where the river was where woods were in the evening.
wewitiíhiʾ hiíš.
Now it was in the evening.
noowitiiRAhwakaah- kákUx sčiríhtš.
There they were howling in the woods coyotes.
uu noowitíʾAt.
Oh, then he went.
noowitu- NAsaakákUx wehnihkahIhníkA uukaríkAt
Then they were seated around it as they made a fire in the middle
wehnaRAhkaáhu sčiríhtš.
as they danced coyotes.
nootiihUhtaʾiítIt.
Then he joined them.

wenuutakoóčI wewitshuúʾU.
Dressed up he was in finery.
wewituhnaanihAxwánuʾ sčiríhtš.
Now he was dancing by them Coyote.
nooWIšititčiríkUx wešiniiteéRIt.
Then they watched him when they saw him.

hee čuwekuNAxištanaawáʾ.
"Hey, where did you get those things?"

witiwaákoʾ áriišIt tatuxkawaakaroókuʾ.
He said: "Myself I made all of them."

sčiríhtš noowiteewíʾAt.
Coyote then he was tired.
tsu nootikáʾAt.
But so he went in the woods.
iiháʾ noowitohnikáʾus wehnaaweétA.
There then he lay down in the woods when he was tired.
noo- witohníʾus.
Then he lay down.

uu wehnakatiisiʾaáNA čiríkU takohnáʾU noowiteéʾaʾ.
Oh after it became dark, oh my, someone then he came.
nooWIšitiitAxuuníkUt.
Then they grabbed his feet.
nooWIšitiitAxaWIšihkúkuʾ.
Then they were pulling his feet.
witiiNAxkaruúWAt.
His moccasins were taken off.
noowitiitapeerawiítIt na noo- witiíkUx sáhniš.
Then he sat up and there he was sitting a person.
či nikiišaáʾA wehnax- karuuwátI áwit.
Her that was the one his having removed his moccasins first.
noowitiíkUx.
There he sat.

číkuʾ kanawitiiwaákoʾ sčiríhtš wewitiiNAxkaruú- WAt.
He did not say anything Coyote when his moccasins were taken off.
neksaánuʾ witíʾ weniiNAxkaruu- wátI.
A ghost it was the one who took his moccasins off.
noowitohneešúhNIt sáhniš.
Then he put his moccasins on the person.
nootikaʾií- šAt.
Then he went into the woods.

hawá noowitihtawíʾIš.
Also (another) then it touched him.
noowitihkUxkaniiʾuu- karíkUt.
Then his breechcloth was taken off.
noowitiíNAt.
Then it was taken by him.

inoowitíʾIt neksaánuʾ.
Those were ghosts.
nootikUxiriwátAt sčiríhtš.
Then he jumped up Coyote.
nootuxkúxAt.
Then he ran.
wehnakUxaátA tikaskáWI.
When he ran he looked back.
nooWIšiteenuhni- raánaʾ.
There they chased him.
wehnakaátA noowitiwískaʾ čą́ą́ kaakatiriíʾux nakukUxtaátA.
As he went in the woods, then he thought: "Say, I don't know how to climb up (a tree)."

nootunaačiteeʾá.
Then it became difficult for him.
wenooteeraaníhIt načiisoótA.
"There remains one way the river.
koxtIhaʾuúkUt.
I will jump in the water."

nootuúNAx wenaátA iinačiisoótA.
Then he ran as he was going where the river flowed.
weWIšitiitunaaWIsúhtA.
They were about to catch up with him.
noowiteehuunukaáʾ.
Then he jumped up.
noo- tIhaʾuúkUt.
Then he went in the water.
kaneetehnihnostiíʾux sčiríhtš.
He did not know how to swim Coyote.
niiweNAhoótA niiwekohnawísAt nootuu- tuuʾiitikUxítIt.
Where he went in the water wherever he had arrived then he began to submerge.

tsu iweNAhukaatawaáRIt witíʾIt neksaánuʾ
But where they stood by the water they were ghosts
wešinihniraanátA wenuNAhtawaʾuútI.
the ones who were chasing him (for) his stealing their things.
weNAhoótA čiríkU noowitIhuučinikUxítIt.
As he went in the water, oh my, then he began to drown.

a tinawaaríčI neksaánuʾ witiraanaʾiítIt.
And these ghosts they went into the water.
číkuʾ niiwekooNAhawísAt wačéh sčiríhtš.
It is not known however far he went in the water, poor thing, Coyote.
noowitIhuučíNIt.
Then he drowned.

číkuʾ niikohnáʾAt aniiháʾ.
It is not known where he went from there.
číkuʾ niikooNA- huúʾAt.
It is not known where he floated.

wetuhnaánuʾ.
That is all.
tireskaáʾAt.
The gut went in.