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. |