Otterskin | Otterskin |
(1)kayâs iyiniwak nama kêkway pahkwêsikan kîh-wâpamêwak. pisisik wiyâs mîciwak. nama kêkway pâskisikan, piko acosis, tâpiskôc ômisi; nipahêwak mostoswah.1 êkosi wêmistikôsiw kîh-pê-takosin ôtah askîhk. êkwêyâk pahkwêsikan, nihtîh kîh-ayâw, mîna pâskisikan. êkosi mistahi kîh-mihcêtiw awa mostos. mitoni kîh-môskinêw misiwêw mostos. êwakô iyiniw kayâs ôpimâcihôwin; pikw îtê êtâpit kîh-wâpamêw mostoswa. kahkiyaw pisiskiw kîh-mihcêtiw ôtah askîhk. |
(1)The old-time people had never seen any bread. They ate only meat. They had no guns, only arrows, like this; they killed buffalo. Then the Frenchman arrived in this land. Only then they had bread, and tea, and guns. The buffalo was very plentiful. Every place was full of buffalo. This was the people's way of living of old; wherever they looked, they saw buffalo. Every game animal was plentiful on this earth. |
(2)êkos ânohc âyiman kây-isi-pimâcihoyâhk. mistahi apwêsiwin ihtakon ôtah. kayâs nâspic âpisîs nikîh-atoskânân. |
(2)But nowadays it is hard, the way we make our living. There is much sweating here. Of old, extremely little we worked. |
(3)êkosi kîh-nôtinêwak kaskitêwayistah, nanâtohk iyiniw nêhiyaw. kih-nôtinitôwak kayâs. êkosi mânah kîh-nipahitôwak. êkwah anohc êwakô miywâsin, wiyâpamâyâhkwâwi, ê-sakicihcênâyâhkok. |
(3)They fought against the Blackfoot (the Blackfoot proper), did the Cree and various peoples. They made war, of old. They used to kill each other. But nowadays it is a good thing that, when we see them, we shake hands with them. |
(4)êkosi anohc niyân kiskimanacîhk, nama kêkway ayâwak mêtawêwin; nîmihitôwin nama kêkway mtoni ayâwak kiskimanacîhk. êkosi wâsakâm askiyah ôtah iyiniwak nîmihitôwak. tanêhk êtokê k-ôh-ispayik, niyân ôtah nama kêkway êwakô? êkosi pikoh kotak iskonikan itohtêyâhkoh niwâpahtênân miyâwâtamôwin. |
(4)Nowadays, we at File Hills, - they have no play; they have altogether no dancing at File Hills. But in the districts round about the Indians dance. Why is it so, I wonder, that we in this place have none of it? So, it is only when we go to another Reserve that we see a celebration. |
(5)êkosi niya nk-âcimon. kihci-môhkomân-askîhk nikîh-ayân nkotwâsik askiy. nkîh-atoskân. êkosi mtoni nkîh-miywêyihtên. êkotê mitoni kîh-wêyôtisîmakan sôniyâw. |
(5)Now I shall tell of myself. I was six years in the United States. I worked. I liked it very much. That place is very rich in precious metals. |
(6)iyiniwak nama kêkway pîwâpisk, âpisis, kayâs. asiniyah acosis kîh-oyatahwêwak. êh-kâsisit awah asinîs, êkotah êkwah kîh-takopitamwak acosisihk, êh-nipahâcik mostoswah. êkwah oskan môhkomân kîh-osîhtâwak. asiniyah kîh-kînipotâwak, oskan, êw-osîhtâcik môhkomân. pisisik pâhkêkin kîh-kikiskamwak. êkosi kîh-kotawêwak; kîh-pihkohtâwak, êh-kotawêcik asiniyah ohci. nama kêkway kîh-kikiskamwak; kî-mostâpêkasêwak. êkosi êsah kayâs kâh-isi-pimâtisicik. tâpiskôc nisto kawikihkâwin âniskê ômah k-âtotamân anohc. |
(6)The Indians had little or no iron of old. They shaped arrows out of stone. When a little stone was sharp, they tied the thing to an arrow, and then killed buffalo. They made knives out of bone. They would sharpen stones or bone to make knives. They wore only hides. They made fire; they managed to make fire with stones. They wore no inner garments; they went bare. This, it appears, was the way they lived of old. Three spans of an old person's life, as it were, laid end to end, it is from this of which I tell to the present. |
(7)êkosi. |
(7)That is all. |