Syllabary Texts 55: Struck-on-the-Spine

Harry Achenam
Harry Achenam
(1)wâwikanihk-k-ôtamahoht ê-âcimiht mîna onôtokêma.1
(1)Of Struck-On-The-Spine and of his wife.
(2)ôta niwî-osîhtân âcimôwin, tânisi kâ-kî-itahkamikihtâcik kayâs ayîsiyiniwak.2 pêyak nôtinitôwin nik-âtotên.
(2)Here I want to set down a story of how the Indians of old conducted things. I shall tell of one battle.
(3)kîtahtawê kî-mâwacihitôwak nêhiyawak, ê-nitawi-nôtinikêcik. êkosi tâpwê kî-sipwêhtêwak, ê-nitonawâcik pîtos-âyîsiyiniwa. êkosi kî-mihcêtiwak. êyiwêhk mitoni miyawâtamwak ê-ati-pimohtêcik, mîna iskwêwak ê-wîcihiwêcik. êkosi êkoyikohk ê-nipahâcik paskwâwi-mostoswa mitoni ê-mihcêtiyit.3 namoya ê-nitawi-kimoticik, sôskwâc ê-nitawi-nôtinikêcik. âskaw oskinîkiwak sipwêpahtâwak, ê-nitawâhtâcik.
(3)Once the Cree assembled to go to war. Accordingly they set out to look for the enemy. They were many. They made much celebration as they marched, and the women went along. They killed plenty of buffalo, which were numerous. They were not going to steal, but directly to fight. At intervals young men ran off to reconnoitre.
(4)kîtahtawê kî-wâpamêwak ita ê-wîkiyit. êkosi êkwa mîna kotakak oskinîkiwak sipwêpahtâwak, ê-nitawi-kêhcinâhocik, mahti mîkiwâhpa kîspin ta-mihcêniyiki. êkosi tâpwê kî-wâpahtamwak. namoya kî-mihcêniyiwa, nânitaw nê-mitanaw. êkosi mitoni kî-miywêyihtamwak ta-nôtinikêcik.
(4)Presently they got sight of where the others were camping. So then again other young men ran off to ascertain whether there were many tipis. Then really they saw these. They were not many, some forty. Then they were very glad that they were going to fight.
(5)êkosi kî-pêhôwak ta-tipiskâyik, kisiwâk ta-nâtahkik mîkiwâhpa. tâpwê ê-tipiskâyik itohtêwak cîki mîkiwâhpihk. pêhôwak. êkosi âsay ê-wâpahk, mitoni kîkisêpâ, mêkwâc ê-nipâyit, môskîstawêwak; nôcihêwak. êkwa ôki kâ-nôcihihcik pâwistikôyiniwak pêyakwayak ê-sîpîsisiwahcâk, êkotê itâmôwak. wîkiwâwa wâsakâm itamohtâwak. êkosi êyiwêhk namoya nôkosiwak. êkota ohci tâ-tawahwêwak.4 piyis mihcêcis kî-miswêwak. êkosi mitoni êkota pêhtâkwan ê-mawimocik awâsisak, mîna iskwêwak ê-mâtocik.5 êkosi anima ita k-âsiwasocik mêniskihk namoy-âwiyak cîki kî-itohtêw; ayis namoya wâpamêwak; wiyawâw wâpamikwak. êkosi âtiht ê-nâpêhkâsocik mitoni cîki nitawi-pimisinwak, nâ-nâway êt-îsi-têpêyimocik. kêkâc mitoni wâsakâm ayâwak nêhiyawak, ê-mawinêhotocik awîna cîki t-âyât. êwak-ôhci kâ-tâ-tawahokocik. tânêhki k-ô-tôtahkik? wîhôwin ê-wî-kakwê-ayâcik.6 kîtahtawê pêyak mitoni cîki pimisin mêniskihk, êkota misatim ê-nîpawit ê-miyosit, ê-wî-kakwê-otinât, opâskisikan ohci ê-wî-kakwê-otâskwahahk minoskwêpicikana.7 mâka namoya kî-kâhcitinam. êkosi mitoni nôhtê-ayâwêw misatimwa, osâm ê-miyosiyit. êkosi pêyak êtokê konit-îtê kî-ohci-nôtinikêw awa pâwistikôyiniw. êkwa ê-kiskêyihtahk kî-wî-sâkohihcik, kî-tapasîw ita kâ-mâmaw-âyâcik, êkota ê-at-îsi-kâ-kwâskohtit. mwêhci cîki ê-ayât, kâ-wâpamât nêhiyaw ê-otihtapisiniyit ita ana kâ-nîpawit misatim. êwako pâwistikôyiniw pâsici-kwâskohtiw, ê-pakamahwât ospiskwaniyihk ahcâpiya ohci. êkota kî-otinam wîhyôwin: wâwikanihk-k-ôtamahoht kî-isiyîhkâsôw.
(5)Accordingly they waited for darkness that they might approach the tents. So when it was dark, they went near to the tents. They waited. Then, when day was dawning, very early, while the others slept, they attacked them; they assaulted them. Then the Rapids People who wee being assaulted fled to a spot where a brook ran in a ravine. They hung up the skins of their tents round about. In this way, at any rate, they were not visible. From this place they kept shooting the others. In time they wounded quite a few of them. Then very audible there were the children crying and the women as they wept. Now no one had gone near to that earthwork within which they were; for they could not see them; but they themselves were visible to the others. So then some brave warriors went to lie very close, at various intervals, one behind the other at whatever distance satisfied each one's ambition. Almost entirely surrounding the place were the Cree, vying with each other as to who could come nearest there. It was through this that the others were able to pierce them with shots. Why did these men do thus? It was because they wanted to win a name for themselves. Then at one time one lay very close to the earthwork, and there stood a handsome horse; wishing to take it, he tried to catch his gun in the bridle and pull it toward hi. But he could not get it. Now he was very eager to have the horse, for it was a fine one. Then some Rapids Man must have been fighting all round there. Now, when he realized that they were going to be beaten, he fled for the place where all the rest were, leaping high as he went on. When he got near his goal, there he saw that Cree lying face down, close to where that horse was standing. The Rapids Man jumped over him, hitting him on his back with his bow. From this he got his name: Struck-On-The-Spine he was called.
(6)êkosi mitoni sâkohêwak. âtiht otinêwak awâsisa, nânitaw niyânan. êkosi kotaka kahkiyaw nipahêwak. awâsisa k-âpisîsisiyit otihtinêwak, ê-pakamaskamikisimâcik, ê-nipahisimâcik, mîna iskwêwa ê-pakamahwâcik. êkosi ê-pôyocik, kahkiyaw kîkway otinamwak. sôskwâc wawêyîwak iskwêwak, ê-pê-kîwêpicicik, mitoni ê-pê-miyawâtahkik. êkosi aniki kâ-mêscihihcik pêyak piko kî-pimâtisiw, ê-têhtapit, ê-tapasît.
(6)Then they thoroughly defeated the others. Some adopted children, about five of them. The others they all killed. They seized the small children and dashed them against things, killing them, and they clubbed the women to death. When they had done, they took all the things. At once the women made ready to move camp homeward, rejoicing greatly. Then of those who had been massacred, only one remained alive, one who fled on horseback.
(7)kayâs ôma, nânitaw têpakohpo-mitanaw askiy.
(7)This was long ago, about seventy years ago.
Footnotes
  1. The first two words are written at the head of page 1 of the copy-book, the other two at the head of page 2. As Achenam wrote only on one side of the page (the left-hand side, beginning at the back of the book), these two headings did not face each other, but he had torn page 1 loose and laid it so as to face page 2. The latter two words of the heading apply to Text 56, which begins on page 3.
  2. He read kâ-kî-itahkamikahk: “the way things went on.” which leaves the next two words out of construction.
  3. Written with pi- for ê-, i.e. the symbol is pointed upwards instead of downwards, and the base closed instead of being left open. Two words later paskwâwi-: “prairie-“ is written pa-s-ka-. Both words were read correctly. Such errors of writing will not be noted in the sequel unless there is doubt as to the spoken form.
  4. Faulty transition: êkuta: “there” refers to the place outside the earthwork, and the Cree are the subject of the verb.
  5. End of page 1 of the MS. The words mîna unôtukêma: “and his old woman (i.e. wife),” here given as part of the first sentence of this text, stand at the top of page 2; cf. note 2.
  6. To be taken literally; for an exploit one gets a name suggestive of it, by which one is after that called.
  7. So he read; written mê-s-ni-ki; the word is correctly written a few sentences back.