(1) kayâs ayîsiyiniwak mistahi kî-kitimâkisiwak, oskac ôtê ê-ayâcik, nama kêkway ohci kî-pakitinikôwisiwak. kî-mosêskatêwak. nama kêkway ayiwinisa ohci ayâwak; nama kêkway môhkomân. nayêstaw oskan kî-omôhkomâniwak. nama kêkway ohci ayâwak iskotêw. acosis piko kî-ohci-nipahêwak pisiskiwa, oskana ê-kikamohtâcik wîpisisiwâhk. nama kêkway; kî-kitimâkisiwak. kîtahtawê iskotêw kî-osîhtamâsôwak, ômisi ê-tôtahkik;¹

ê-kisitêyik, piyisk êkota kî-otinamwak iskotêw.²

piyisk asiniya ê-pakamahwâcik, ê-wâsaskotêpayiyit, êkotê êkwa kî-ohtinamwak iskotêw ayîsiyiniwak. êkwa asiskiy kî-otaskihkowak. mîna kî-wâtihkêwak, pahkêkin ê-asiwatâcik, asiniya ê-kisâpiskiswâcik; êwako ohci wiyâs ê-kîsisahkik. êkwa kîtahtawê amiskwayâna kî-otayôwinisiwak.

(1) The people of old were in a piteous state, when first they lived here on earth. The Higher Powers had put them down here with nothing at all. They went naked. They had no clothes, no knives. All they had for a knife was a bone. From the beginning they had no fire. With merely an arrow they killed animals, fastening bones to their arrows. They had nothing; they were in a piteous state. Presently they made fire for themselves, doing it like this; when it was hot, they got fire from it. Also they pounded a stone, and when it sent out sparks, from this, too, the people got fire. Their pots and kettles were of earth. Also, they would dig a hole and put in a hide, and heat some stones; in this way they cooked meat. Then in time they began to have beaver-pelts for their clothes.

(2) kîtahtawê pêyak kî-pawâtam ê-wî-kapâyit môniyâw-iyiniwa wâpiski-wiyâsa. âcimôw tâyispîhk ta-kapâyit. tâpwê ânwêhtawâw; âtiht tâpwêhtâk. êkwa êkotê mâmihk ispiciwak, cîki kihcikamîhk.

(2) Then at one time a certain man dreamt that the Canadian, the White Man, would land here. He told when they would land. Truly, he was not given credence; only some believed him. Then they moved their camp out there to the east, close to the great sea.

(3) "êkwa wîpac kâ-wî-pê-kapâcik!" itwêw; "mâskôc ahpô mitoni kiyipa," itêw ayîsiyiniwa.

(3) “Now the time is close at hand when they will land!” he said; “Surely very soon,” he told the people.

(4) tahto kîkisêpâ nitawi-ay-itâpiw mâna nipîhk. kîtahtawê kâ-pêtisâpahtahk cîmâna.

(4) Every morning he would go and look out upon the water. Then at one time he saw boats coming.

(5) ôta ê-pê-takohtêyit, sakicihcênitôwak; atamiskotâtôwak. cikêmâ êkosi nistam kâ-isi-wâpamât ayîsiyiniw wâpiski-wiyâsa.³

kahkiyaw kêkway kî-miyik kita-ôh-pimâtisit: môhkomân, pâskisikan, kita-âpacihtât kahkiyaw kêkway pâskisikêwin. êkosi êkota ohci kiskinôhamawâw kita-isi-pamihtât pâskisikan. êkota ohci êkwa ati-miyw-âyâwak ayîsiyiniwak. kîtahtawê êkota ohci piyisk atimwa ayâwêwak, ê-otâpahâcik.⁴

ôtê piko nimitaw ayîsiyiniwak okî-ayâwâhtâwâw kayâhtê misatimwa; nama wîhkâc ohci ayâwêw ayîsiyiniw nâtakâm kâ-itapit.

(5) When the others arrived there, they shook each other by the hand and greeted each other. For, indeed, thus it was that the Indian first saw the Whiteskin. They gave him everything to live by: the knife and the gun and all kinds of ammunition for his use. So then he began to be taught how to take care of a gun. From that time on the Indians were well off. At a certain time after this they began to have horses to pull their loads. And, strangely enough, it was only the people in the south who had horses; the Indian who dwells in the north from that time to this has never had horses.

(6) kîtahtawê osâm êkâ kêkway ê-ayâcik mawimoscikêwin, kîtahtawê pêyak nâpêw otawâsimisa ê-nâ-nipahâpâkwêyit,-- kayâs êsa nama wîhkâc kêkway ôma askîhk ohci ohpikin; ahpô maskosiya kî-kîsitêwa,-- êkwa pêyak nâpêw osâm mistahi ê-miywâtisit, kîtahtawê kâ-wîhtamâkot okîsikowa, "hâw, kika-itohtahitin itê kita-ôh-pimâtisiyan."

(6) Presently, because they had no way of worship, presently a certain man whose children had suffered to the point of death from thirst, -- for it seems that of old nothing ever grew from the earth; only grass ripened, -- then a certain man who was very good, was told by the dwellers in the sky, “Now I will take you whence you will have your source of life.”

(7) êkwa tâpwê âpihtâ-kîsikâhk itohtahik mayaw ê-nipât; êkotê ê-pawâtahk, wîhtamâkôwisiw nipâkwêsimôwikamik. êwako tahtw-âskiy kita-tôtahkik ayîsiyiniwak kî-miyâwak. êkwa ispî kiskinohamawâw tânisi ta-tôtahk; okîsikôwa kî-kiskinôhamâk. mâskôc nawac nawac ta-miywâsin kâkikê ta-pakitinamâht ayîsiyiniw; êwako nititêyihtênân. tahki kêkway kita-miyo-ohpikin. namôya maci-kêkway nipâkwêsimowikamik. wiyawâw, "kahkiyaw kêkway maci-kêkway nêhiyawak maci-manitowa atoskawêwak," itwêwak ayamihêw-iyiniwak.⁵

namôya niyanân nêhiyaw ôta askihk ohci kiki-pakitinâw; maci-manitôwa mîna manitôw okosisa namôya ohci kiskêyimêw nêhiyaw; mîna maci-manitôw kâ-isiyîhkâsot namôya nêhiyaw kiskêyimêw. âta kita-kî-tâpwêhtahk nêhiyaw, nawac manitôwa ê-kitimâkêyimikot, êkâ wîhkâc yôtinwa kâ-nipahikot. nama wîhkâc nêhiyaw nipahik yôtin. nama wîhkâc nipahik nêhiyaw piyêsiwa. nama wîhkâc nêhiyaw nipahik iskotêw. êkota ohci nititêyihtênân, nawac nêhiyaw ê-kitimâkinâkôwisit. mâskôc ê-kisiwâhât manitôwa, nipâkwêsimowikamik ê-kipihtinahk, êwako ohci mâh-mistahi kâ-ôh-pîkonahkik môniyâw-ôtênawa, nititêyihtênân; mîna iskotêw tahto-kîsikâw kâ-ôh-pîkonahk wâskahikana;⁶

tahto-kîsikâw misiwê nikiskêyihtênân ê-saskitêki wâskahikana, mayaw ôtênâhk êtohtêyâhko. mîna nipêhtênân tahto-nîpin ê-pîkwâstahki piko itê ôtênawa. namôya maci-kêkway kâ-kî-miyikoyâhk manitôw, mawimoscikêwina, nayêstaw kita-isi-nitotamihk miyo-kêkway. êkosi nikî-isi-pakitinikonân manitôw ôta askîhk kâ-nêhiyâwiyâhk. âtiht mâmaskâc mastaw ê-ihtakohki nîmihitôwina êkâ ê-kipihtinahk wâpiski-wiyâs, nanâtohk ê-isi-mêstinikêhk; mâka nipâkwêsimôwin nama kêkway mêstinikâniwa. nêhiyawak êkota tahtw-âskiy kî-miyâwak nîso-kîsikâw êkâ kita-mîcisocik, kita-nitotahkik kahkiyaw kêkway kita-miyo-ohpikiniyik, kita-nitotahkik ta-kimiwaniyik. êkosi kâ-isi-pakitiniht ôta askîhk kitimâki-ayîsiyiniw.

(7) Then truly he was taken to the place of the noonday sky, even as he slept; dreaming of that place, he was told by the Higher Powers of the Sun-Dance Lodge. The people were given the annual performance of this rite. And at the same time he was taught how to perform it; by the dwellers in the sky he was taught. Surely it would be well, if it were always permitted to the Indian; so we think. Crops would always grow well. The Sun-Dance Lodge is not an evil thing. To be sure, “The Cree perform all kinds of evil things for the Evil Spirit,” say the missionaries. On the contrary: the Cree was not put down here on earth with these things; the Cree has never known and does not know an Evil Spirit or a Son of God; and the Cree does not know him who is called the Evil One. But rather, well may the Cree believe that the Spirit looks with kindlier pity on him, since he is never killed by winds. Never is a Cree killed by wind. Never is a Cree killed by the Thunderers. Never is a Cree killed by fire. That is why we think that the Cree is favored by the Higher Powers. Perhaps it is because he has angered the Spirit by putting a stop to the Sun-Dance Lodge, that in such numbers they break up the Canadian's towns; so we think; and that every day fire destroys the wooden houses; every day we learn that everywhere houses have caught fire, every time we go to town. And every summer we hear that in many places towns have been destroyed by windstorms. It is not an evil thing which the Spirit has given to us, but ways of worship, only that good things may be prayed for. Thus did the Spirit set us down here on earth, us who are Cree. Strange, that some dances which arose much later are not stopped by the White Man, dances in which various things are used up, while the Sun-Dance involves no waste. It was given to the Cree, every year, for two days to go without eating, and to pray that all things might grow well, and to pray for rain. It was thus that the poor Indian was set down here on earth.

(8) nika-miywêyihtên niya mîna wâhyaw kita-itohtêmakahk pîkiskwêwin, êkâ ê-wâpiyân. êkosi aspin ê-ohciyân namôya niwâpin. nama wîhkâc askiy niwâpahtên. êkosi âskaw piko itê ê-itohtêyân nititohtân; nama wîhkâc niwanihon.

(8) I too shall be glad to have my speech go far abroad, I who am blind. For from the time I was born, I have been blind. Never have I seen the earth. Yet when from time to time I mean to go anywhere, I go there; I never get lost.

(9) êkosi êwako pêyak âcimôwin êwako.

(9) So much for this, for this one story.

Footnotes

¹LB: Unfortunately I did not record the gesture.

²LB: Probably kîh-ohtinamwak.

³LB on ayîsiyiniw: Here unmistakably “Indian”; below nêhiyaw: “Cree” (kept in translation) is probably meant in the same way. The proper term wâpiski-wiyâs: “white-flesh, white man” alternates with môniyâw: “Canadian” (kept in translation).

⁴LB on atimwah: Properly “dogs”, but often used for misatim: “horse”; that this is here the case is shown by the next sentence.

⁵KR: Close-quote missing in book.

⁶LB on k-ôh-pikonahkik: The actor “they” probably refers to the Thunderers.