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

141

The Girl Who Became a Bear

Matthew White Bear

noowitIhunuuwá piirátš wewitinehkuhnaNAhuúNA.
They were going around children when they were playing.

na áxkUx suúnatš noowitiwaákoʾ nikukoxtíʾ kuúNUx.
And one girl then she said: "I will be the one a bear."

nikuwehnuutaáNA noowitiʾá kuúNUx.
After she did that, then she became a bear.
nooWIšitii- ninuʾá wehnaakawootíku.
Then they became frightened when she was killing them.
NAhkuuteéRIt nootunaawiíNAx.
When she saw one, then she charged him.

nootiinuuwaawáʾAx.
Then they all ran off in different directions.

na suúnatš – tinaákUx – kutehnaahnáʾA iwaaníRIš.
And girl – this one – she must have had them uncles.
číkuʾ tehníštAt nehkuraaWIhkaʾaáhNA.
They must have gone off their going hunting.
tuhnaánuʾ tšaápis.
They numbered six.
tšaápis wituhnaánuʾ.
Six they numbered.

tiwehniinuuwaáxI – tsu suúnaaxuʾ nootikaáʾAt –
After they had run away, – but the young woman then she went inside –
kuúNUx niikohneenunuhnaáʾuʾ.
bears where they have their way.
nikuwetiká.
That is where she was inside now.

tsu áxkUx noowituutuuníkUt inaániʾ.
But one then she caught her her sister.
kanawitiiraa- níhtš.
She was not old.
noowitiihuuNAhkawáNIt.
Then she threw her in the hole.
wah čituúʾuʾ wehnii- nuuwaáxI – tsu suúnatš –
Now all after they had run off – but the girl –
nikunooWIšitikaawiiruútIt niiʾaNAhunaahnatáWI.
then that is where they (du) lived inside where the hole was.

noowitiwaákoʾ koxkuhnanáʾ WIsuúkaʾ.
Then she said: "You must bring them to me turnips.
škuusuxkaruúWAt.
Dig them up for me!"

na wačéh suúnatš noowiteeWIsítIt weNAh-
And, poor thing, the girl then she went outside for her
kukaruuwaawaatú WIsuúkaʾ.
to dig them here and there turnips.
noowitoh- nanáʾ.
Then she brought to them for her.
– nootuhnoósI.
– Then she placed them for her.
– tsu witiíkUx.
– But she sat there.

wah štoh tiwehnaátA wehnakawátAt witiree- WAtwá.
Now again when she went when she got out, she looked all around.
noowituutaakeéRIt iwaaníRIš wehnaRAhWIsá kukohnaaraáNU iwaaníRIš AhništaaWIhkaʾaáhNA.
Then she saw them her uncles as they returned hers her uncles after they had been hunting.

nooWIšitihnunáx.
Then they found her.

nikunootiniNAhnaaʾít taanikuwetuúta áNA.
Then she told them that: "This is what she did my sister.
wetíʾa kuúNUx.
She has become a bear.
wekaneenúhne.
She is not good now!
čituúʾuʾ weteekawooruútIt.
All she has killed them
– weneekuutuuníkUt.
– Now she has caught me.
– hee nikuwe- tatiniisiinawáʾ.
– Hey, now I am working for that one."

nooWIšitihnaaʾiitáWI suúnatš tiwenaaxátA
Then they told her the girl: "When you go (back),
kooxeenunuhnoohuuniránoʾ – niikohnaraaʾaanúʾ – šiNAtkukootíkA.
you will learn from her – what the way is – that we kill her."
WIšitiišaWIswaníkuʾ.
They were even shooting at her.
šohnišwaawanikú číkuʾ šikanawitiitAhuNAhuunuúkuʾ.
When they were shooting at her they were not able to do anything to her.
nikuwetiraačítA wenihWIskáʾA aaxunaahúNAx axtaaʾiitawíhA.
That was the reason their thinking: "You should find the way that you tell (us)."

na suúnatš noowititkaruúWAt WIsuúkaʾ.
And the girl then she dug them for her turnips.

noowitiwaákoʾ – kuúNUx – číkuʾ ka nawánuʾ
Then she said – the bear: – "Is there something going around
nakukhaanáWI sáhNIš.
its smelling like a human?"

witiwaákoʾ suúnatš – tatuxwanúʾ.
She said the girl: – "I was going around.
– tatuxpiNUxká- ʾIt niinaanuunawaáwa.
– I was picking things up what they left (behind).
nikutatuxwanúʾ.
I went around there.
nikutehnaraačítA nikukAhaasaáNA.
That must be the reason that I smell like it."

na noowiteesšoóxAt.
And then she (the bear) calmed down.

wituhnoósI.
She laid them down for her.
nootuhnaaʾiitawihUxítIt.
Then she began telling it.
nootuhnaaʾít číkuʾ niikohnaraaʾaanúʾ šinaakukootíkA.
Then she told it what the way might be for them to kill her.

nootiniinaaʾít kuúNUx.
So she told her (the girl) the bear.
witiwaákoʾ naákUx ščiskaawítA inoo číkuʾ iikiišukátkA kooxikuúkot.
She said: "The one the little toe there if mine is cut at all, I will die."

štoh aniweNAheešá suúnatš wehnakawátAt nuu wenawanú
Again when morning came the girl when she got out there as she went,
tsu weWIšitihnuníkUx.
but they waited for her.
WIšitihnunáx štoh.
They found her again.

nootiniNAhnaaʾít.
Then she told it to them.
– tiwaakaáhuʾ – číkuʾ iikuušukátkA tinaatIščistáWI kooxikuuhunáhAs.
– "She says: – 'If you cut mine this toe of mine, I will die.'"

noowitUtkaruúWAt WIsuúkaʾ.
Then she dug them for her turnips.
noowituhnaNAhaahkaʾiíšAt.
Then she took them down below to her.

na noowiteeNIskakawaakaróʾ niiNAhkúʾU nakiskáʾU.
And then they sharpened all of them whatever it was to be sharp.
iiʾAhnaahatáWI noowitihwaáWI.
There the hole was then they put them upright.

tsu suúnatš wewitiraNAxwéʾ WIsuúkaʾ wehnawanú.
But the girl she looked for them turnips as she went around.

nootinaaneéhAs.
Then they readied it (ie the trap).
noowitihwáčiʾ noonuxtaahnuuwáʾAx.
Then they said: "Let's run away!"

tiwehnaraawiinuhkawátAt – wehnuhneésš – noowitiiNIš- úkAt
When she charged out – when she found out, – then she cut her paw
uunariišíNIt nohniiNIšukátkA niiʾAhnawaákA.
right here where it cut the paw where she had said.
noowitikotwiʾuúʾA.
Then she fell over dead

tsu nooteeraánaʾ nohnihkhiníkA.
And then they came where they had made a fire.
nooWI- šitiiNIskukakúx.
Then they placed her on the fire.
– nooWIšitihnuuníNIt.
– Then they burned her
– nootiinuu- wáʾAx.
– Then they ran off.

noowitiwaákoʾ šuúnatš wah tiwaaRUxtíʾ.
Then she said the girl: "Now she was holy.
tiwaaRUxtíʾ.
She was holy.
toonuxtaahnuuwáʾAx
Let us run away!"

nuu – wenaraanátA nuu – wenaraanátA
Then – while they were going, then – while they were going,
číkuʾ niikohnuutAxítIt – paátuʾ – tehnatstaawátAt.
whatever happened, – blood – a drop of it must have dropped.
niikohnuutAxítIt štoh nootiiriwátAt.
Whatever happened again then she (the bear) got up.

wetaáʾ.
"She's coming!
tehnateeraahnaaniwáNIt.
We must have made a mistake."

wenaaʾá wenakawaawaaríčI tsu suúnatš
As she came as they were standing in the brush, meanwhile the girl
wewitičikAxkaáRIt wenačíkAt.
she stood in the brush crying as she cried.

witiwaákoʾ šuúhuniʾ šiíšaʾ.
It said: "Over here come!
šuúhuniʾ.
Over here!"

noowitireeWAtwá.
Then she looked around.
kukanawituuteeríkuʾ.
She did not see anything.

štoh witiwaákoʾ šiíšaʾ parúNIt.
Again it said: "Come quickly!
parúNIt.
Quickly!"

noowitireewaáta noowitiíkUx kanítš.
Then she looked: there it was a rock.

noowitiwaákoʾ šuuxuučitaʾuuneéRIt.
Then it said: "Stand on top!"

witikaNItskatóx.
The rock was flat.
nootIhuučitaʾuuneéRIt.
Then she stood up on top of it.
noo- teehuutaahUxítIt wenaáWAx.
Then it began to expand as it spread out.

nootuutakáxaʾ iwaaníRIš šohniisiRAxaáhNA šuxtaapaʾuuneéRIt tiiháʾ.
Then she called them her uncles the ones leading her: "Stand here!"

tsu siíno nuuwiteenaawiínaʾ.
But yet she was coming there angrily.

nootiwičeesaaNUxítIt nuuwekunaátA áskAt.
Then it (the stone) began getting higher as it went there up(wards).
nuuwewitiraawičeésa.
Then it became higher.

na wewitawísaʾ kuúNUx.
And now she arrived the bear.
wewitišwaa- wíkUx nuuNAxIhú nuunaWIhiíku.
Now she sat down with her paws extended after her running there while she was puffing.

noowitiwaákoʾ číkuʾ kaakAxtaNAhnúhtA.
Then she said: "You (pl) are not going to go anywhere."

noowewiteeraawiiNUhuunukaáʾ.
Then she jumped up angrily.
nuuwitištAhčita- ʾuúkUt.
There her paws (just barely) got onto the top (of the rock).
šeéNIt witsúx niiʾAhneš- tsawíʾa.
Plainly it was where the paws passed down it.

hawá štoh weneehuunukaaʾá hawá štoh nikunoo- tíʾAt.
Also again when she jumped up also again then she went that way.
štoh nootaaweešítIt.
Again then she failed (to make it).

nikunootiwaákoʾ kuúNUx wah číkuʾ kaakAxtaNAh- núhtA.
Then she said that the bear: "Now you (pl) are not going to go anywhere.
tsu tiiháʾ wetAtwanúxtA.
But here I am going to be going around."

tsu nuuNAhuučitawaaríčI wenawaaríčI nuunaaríčI šuúnatš
But those standing on top where they stood that one girl
nootiwaákoʾ wah nikiitoxtaapóʾ áskAt.
then she said: "Now let's go that way upward!"

nikunootuutAxítIt áskAt nikunootiraáNAt.
Then that is what happened: upward then they went there.
nikunootiwá sákaaʾA.
Then those became stars.
nikutuhnaánuʾ.
That is the number.
kananiRIhuúNU nikuwitíʾ suúnatš uunawaaríčI wiitanoóčI tšaápis.
The little one it is the one the girl, those others the men six.
taWIšaapiswaáNA nikunootuhnaanuuxítIt.
Seven that proceeded to be the number.
tinawaaríčI naRAsačiruúxU nikuwitíʾIt.
These the ones clustered they are the ones.

na niiháʾ niiʾAhnakaNItkáwI niinakaNItkáWI kuúNUx kanawituuNUxteešawíhAx.
And there where the rock was, where the rock was bears there was a horde.
wituxtaaNIhuúʾU niiháʾ kuúNUx.
There were many there bears.
aniweNAhuunukaaʾá NIhúhtš AhnitiwiihuúʾU niiʾAhnatoókUt.
After she jumped up slightly it (the rock) was somewhat slanted where she bumped it.