Syllabary Texts 113: The Windigo-Dancers

pimutat
pimutat
(1)kotak âcimôwin.
(1)Another discourse.
(2)mistahi kî-sêkisiwak ayahciyiniwak ê-wâpamâcik ayîsiyiniwa ê-nipahâyit mostoswa. nâciyôstawêwak. kisiwâk ê-otihtâcik, nama wiya nisitawinawêwak.
(2)Greatly frightened were the Blackfoot when they saw some people who were killing buffalo. They stole near them. When they got near, they did not know who they were.
(3)«kîkwayak ôki?» itwêwak.
(3)«What kind of people are these?» they asked.
(4)kitâpamêwak. mâka âsay kiskêyimikwak ôhi nêhiyawa.
(4)They gazed at them. But by this time those Cree knew of their presence.
(5)êkwa kîsihtâwak wiyâs; pasikôwak; mâci-nîmihitôwak ôki nêhiyawak.
(5)So now they finished preparing the meat; they arose; the Cree began to dance.
(6)kîtahtawê ômisi itwêwak ôki ayahciyiniwak: «mahti pâskiswâtânik!» itêw awa pêyak ayahciyiniw.1
(6)Soon the Blackfoot said, «Let us shoot at them!» -- so said one of the Blackfoot.
(7)tâpwê pâskisokwak ôki nêhiyawak. tâpiskôc êkâ ê-kiskêyihtahkik ê-âta-pâ-pâskisokocik, âhci piko nîmihitôwak.
(7)So they shot at those Cree. The latter kept right on dancing, just as if they did not perceive that the others were shooting at them.
(8)kêtahtawê ômisi itwêw awa kâ-nîmihitôwinihkêt: «êkâ wiya pâskisohkok!» itwêw.
(8)Presently, thus spoke the leader of the dance: «Do not shoot at them!» he ordered.
(9)tâpwê pâskiswâwak. nipahâwak nîso ayahciyiniwah.2 êkosi sêkisiwak ôki ayahciyiniwak. tapasîwak.
(9)So they shot at them. They killed two of the Blackfoot. Then the Blackfoot grew frightened. They fled.
(10)«kîkwayak êtokê kâ-sôhkisicik?» itwêwak; «nama wiya kipikwâhwânawak!» itwêwak; «nitawâc sôhki tapasîtân!» itwêwak.
(10)«What kind of invulnerable people may they be?» they asked; «We did not hit them!» they said; «We had better flee as quickly as possible!» they said.
(11)tâpwê sôhki kî-tapasîwak ôki ayahciyiniwak.
(11)And so the Blackfoot fled as fast as they could.
(12)êkwa ôki nêhiyawak mâ-maniswêwak ôhi ayahciyiniwa.3 wiyâs â-otinamwak, ê-nâ-nayahtahkik kahkiyaw êhtasicik ôki nêhiyawak.4 tâpwê kîwêwak itê k-ô-kî-ohci-pê-mâcîcik.
(12)Then those Cree cut pieces from those Blackfoot. They took flesh from them, and each of the Cree carried some. Then they went back to whence they had come on this hunt.
(13)ômisi itwêwak ôki mîkiwâhpihk k-âyâcik: «êkwa wâpamâwak kâ-kî-mâcîcik wîhtikôhkânak! kêhcinâ âpohtêwak. pê-nâ-nayahcikêwak. mâcikôtân wâpamihkok; kî-nipahêwak kêhcinâ ayahciyiniwa,» itâwak.
(13)The people who had stayed in the camp said, «The Windigo-Dancers who went hunting have been sighted! They must be bringing meat. They are carrying something as they come. Just look at them; surely, they must have killed some Blackfoot,» was said of them.
(14)tâpwê môskîstawêwak. awîn-ôhi kâ-nayahtamiyit! sâkihtâyiwa. ayîsiyinîwiskâta ês ôhi kâ-nayahtamiyit!5
(14)So they ran out to meet them. What was that they were carrying! They kept it strictly to themselves. It was human legs they were carrying.
Footnotes
  1. This paragraph and the first two words of the following were mixed up in reading: kêtahtawê ômisi itwêw: «ôki ayahciyiniwak mahti pâskiswâtânik!» itwêwak. awa pêhtawêw ayahtciyiniw. tâpiskôc pâskiswêwak. «Presently he said, ‘Let us fire at these Blackfoot!’ they said. That Blackfoot heard them. They shot simultaneously at the others.»
  2. The MS. ends the last word with k; it was read correctly, as in the text.
  3. Written: ma-ma-ni-swa-wa-k; he read: mâh-maniswâwêwak.
  4. In reading, he added by way of explanation, the words: ohcikwaniyihk kâ-kîskisamwak: «at the knee they cut them off.»
  5. He read ayîsyiniw oskâtah.