Syllabary Texts 54: The Battle at Vermilion-Place

Fineday
Fineday
(1)maniyamanânihk kâ-nôtinitohk nama wiya nitayân. êkota awasita kisiwâk nôcokêwi-sîpîsis isiyîhkâtêw; êkota niwîcihiwân. niciwâmak mâka wîcihiwêwak. êkota ohci nikiskêyihtên tânisi ê-kî-itahkamikahk.
(1)I was not present at the battle at Vermilion-Place. Not far beyond that place there is a place called Old-Woman Creek; I was with people there. But my friends were along. In this way I know how it happened.
(2)mihcêtokamikisiwak nêhiyawak mîna nahkawiyiniwak mîna opwâsîmôwak. mâka êkospi kî-mihcêtiwak kâ-pawâmicik ê-kiskêyihtahkik nîkân kîkwa tânisi ê-wî-ihkiniyik. êkotôwahk kâhkâkiw isiyîhkâsôw.
(2)In a camp of many tents were the Cree and the Salteaux and the Assiniboine. Now, at that time there were many who dreamed so as to know how things were going to be in the future. One of these was called Raven.
(3)ê-oski-piponiyik ômisi itwêw: «anohc kâ-pipohk kiwî-iskwâhâwâwak ayahciyiniwak. nawac saskahki iyikohk, itâp ka-wîhtamâtinâwâw, cîki pê-ihtâtwâwi,» itêw ayîsiyiniwa.
(3)Early in the winter he spoke thus: «This winter you will massacre the Blackfoot. Later, when the thaw has come, I shall tell you of this again, when they are near,» he told the people.
(4)wiya ê-nakacihiht tâpwêhtawâw. sêmâk êkota ohci manâtihkasikêwak. êkosi isîhcikêwak. kapê-pipon wâsakâm wâ-wîkiwak oskinîkiwak, ê-awatâcik wiyâs. ê-manâtihkasikêcik k-ô-isîhcikêcik. mitâtaht nêpahâtwâwi, êko-tahto piko tasinamwak. êwakoni ay-awatâwak misahkamik wiyâs. êkwa piyis ati-kwêski-pipon.
(4)Because he was well known, he was believed. At once then they were sparing of ammunition. This was the way they did. All winter the young men camped in a circle round the main camp, and brought meat. It was to save ammunition that they did this way. When they killed ten head, they fired only that number of times. Those men brought in much meat. At last the winter turned.
(5)kîtahtawê kîkisêpâ papâ-sâkitôw: «âw, nânapâcihtâk kinîmâskwâkaniwâwa!» itwêw; «kikî-wîhtamâtinâwâw ê-oski-pipohk. kisiwâk êkwa pê-ihtâwak kâ-wî-nôtinikoyêkok!»
(5)Then one morning he went about announcing, «Come, get your weapons in shape!» he called; «I told you of it early in winter. They are near now who mean to give you battle!»
(6)wîpac kî-ati-ay-ispayiw. ôki wiyâs k-âwatâcik oskinîkiwak sîpîhk ê-wîkicik iskwêyânihk, natimihk kâ-pê-ohcipahtâyit atimwa; pîsâkanâpîsa tâ-tâpiskamiyiwa. ê-wî-otinâcik, tâ-tapasîhikwak. êkosi ôki atimwak kâwi nâtahipahtâwak.
(6)Very quickly it came to pass. Those young men who were bringing in meat, camping by the river, farthest out: from the woods horses came running with thongs round their necks. When they wanted to take them, they ran away from them. So those horses ran back upstream.
(7)êkosi sêmâk ôki oskinîkiwak, «âw, nîso ta-sipwêpahtâwak!»
(7)So then at once those young men, «Come, let two run off!»
(8)tâpwê sipwêpahtâwak. mitihtêwak ôhi atimwa. ê-kî-pê-itohtêcik, kâwi êkota at-îtohtêwak. êkosi kîtahtawê mâtâhêwak nîso nâpêwa. êkosi kîwêpahtâwak ôki oskinîkiwak. ê-takopahtâcik, sêmâk ati-kîwêwak; ati-wâ-wîhtamwak. êkosi kahkiyaw kîwêwak. posko-tipisk mêhci-kîwêyâmôwak. êkwa kîhtwâm ê-kîkisêpâyâk, êkwa pê-matwêhwêwak mistikwaskihkwa. nîkân k-âyâcik êwakonik kîkisêpâ ê-nikohtêyit pa-pakamahwêwak iskwêwa êwakonik. âta êkwa ê-kiskêyihtahkik ê-âyimaniyik, nama nânitaw. mâka âsay nama nânitaw ta-kî-tôtahkik; osâmêyatiyiwa ayîsiyiniwa. âta ê-tapasîcik, osâm sêkâpisinwak, ayîsiyiniwa ê-osâmêyatiyit. êkwa ôki nêhiyawak têkohtêcik, tâpwê piko sôskwâc pimohtêwak kiyâm. âta âtiht ê-kâ-kawahohcik, mâka mihcêtiwak nêhiyawak. êwak-ôhci sôhkêyimôwak, tâpwê piko sôskwâc ê-pimohtêcik, êkwa ôki ayahciyiniwak nitawâc ati-asêhtêwak. ispi êkwa tâpwê ê-pêtisâpamâcik, nanânis ê-pâ-pêtâpêkamoyit, nitawâc êkwa ati-tapasîwak, nisihk pêskis ê-nôtinikêcik; mâka ati-mêscihâwak. kêhcinâ onôtinikêw-iyinîmiwâwa ati-mêscihimâwa. nitawâc tapasîwak, êkota kâ-wêhcihocik. êkwa wiya ê-tahtakwahcâyik nêyawapitwâwi, otihtinâwak; tahkamâwak; nipahâwak. piyêsi-k-ôtêskanit êkwa mâyawêstikwânis ayiwâkês itâcimâwak nîsôtêwak.1 pêyak wêtihtinâci, pêyak pakamahwêw, «wâ-tôtawat nitâhkosê!» ê-ititocik. êkosi pêyak ê-môskîscikêt, kotaka ê-miciminahkik, êkosi tahki ê-pakamahamâtocik.2 piyis cîki sîpîhk ê-posiskatinâyik takwâmôwak. pakicîwak; mitoni ka-kîhcitawakonênamwak onîmâskwâkaniwâwa. êkosi ê-ati-âmaciwêyâhtawicik, êkota itohtêw, kinosêw isiyîhkâsôw nêhiyaw, kâ-miyohoyit piko ê-pimwât. mitoni ê-kî-têpêyihtahkik, iyiko ê-nipahâcik, ê-ati-sipwêyâpêkamoyit, nama wiya pisiskêyimêwak.
(8)Accordingly they ran off. They followed the trail of those horses. They went back whence they had come. Then presently they came upon the tracks of two men. Then those young men ran home. When they arrived on the run, at once they went home; as they went they kept telling of it. Then they all went back. That same night they all fled back to the camp. Early the next morning they were heard as they came, beating wooden drums. The vanguard clubbed some women who were gathering firewood early in the morning. Although now they knew that danger was near, they did not care. But by this time they could do no more harm; there were too many people. Although they made to run away, they were in a bad plight, because the people were so many. Now the Cree came up to them, calmly marching straight ahead. Although some were felled by shots, yet the Cree were numerous. Therefore they were confident at heart and merely marched straight on. Then the Blackfoot needs kept retreating. And when they really saw the others filing up from different directions, they were compelled to continue their flight, only in places from time to time fighting back; but they were being killed off as they went. It was certain that their fighting-men were being exterminated as they went on. They could do nothing but flee, since here they were an easy prey. But when they stopped to take breath in an open spot, they were caught; they were put to the knife; they were slain. Horned-Thunder and Straight-Head are most spoken of, the twins. When one of them caught an enemy, the other would club him, and «What are you doing to him, Sister-in-Law?» they would say to each other. So, one attacking, while the other held the enemy, they kept clubbing them for each other. At last close to the river they came in flight to a gully. They gave up the fight; they shoved their weapons deep into the snow. When thus they were climbing up the slope, a Cree named Fish went there, shooting only those who wore fine raiment. Since they were entirely satiated with killing them, when the others continued to march away in single file, they paid no more attention to them.
Footnotes
  1. This word is known to me only as “twins.” The record of reading has nisuhtêwak, probably an error of the author’s or mine; there seems to be no such word. More likely we have here some meaning unknown to me of nîsôtêwak. For the two men were brothers-in-law, as appears from Text 52 and from their calling each other “sister-in-law” with the word used by a woman to a woman, in the next sentence, where they are using inverted language, in the manner of Windigo-Dancers.
  2. So written and read, but the construction seems mixed up. I translate as though it were ê-miciminâyit.