(1) kayâs mostoswak, paskwâwi-mostoswak, nânitaw mitâtaht tipahikan, êkoyikohk askiy nama kêkway nôkwan, ê-akoskahkik paskwâwi-mostoswak. êwako âcimôwin namôya kayâs, mâskôc niyânano-mitanaw askiy êkospî ôma iyikohk ê-mihcêticik mostoswak. nâpêwak niyânan êwakonik ê-âcimocik ê-wâpamâcik, piko ê-pimohtêcik ôki nêhiyawak, akohpa ômisi ê-wêpinahkik, ê-tawitisahwâcik mostoswa; êkwa ôtê nâway kâwi ômisi ê-pê-tipwayâyit ê-misihtawayâyit.1 2 3 êkwa mitâtaht tipahikan êkoyikohk isko ê-ayâcik paskwâwi-mostoswak, iyikohk ê-mihcêticik, êkâ ê-tawâyik ita kâ-pimohtêcik. êkoyikohk isko, mitâtaht tipahikan isko mihcêtiyit mostoswa, ê-wâpamâcik nêhiyawak kayâs, nânitaw niyânano-mitanaw askiy. êwako pêyak âcimowin. kahkiyaw êkosi. | (1) The old-time buffalos, for a distance of some ten miles the earth was not visible, as the buffalos covered it. This story is not old, perhaps fifty years ago it was, when the buffalos were so many. Five men they were who told of it, having seen it when they were out for a walk, these Cree. They shook their blankets like this, to drive the buffalos apart, and behind them the herd closed in again. And for a distance of ten miles there were buffalos so numerous that there was no opening where they walked. Ten miles in length was the herd of buffalos which these Cree saw of old, some fifty years ago. That is a story; that is all there is to it. |
(2) pêyak nâpêw powâmêkan isiyîhkâsôw; êwako kâ-wâpamât ôhi mostoswa. êkwa pêyak nâpêw tâmpêsin isiyîhkâsôw.4 êkwa pêyak wataniy isiyîhkâsôw. êkonik ê-wâpamâcik iyikohk ê-mihcêtiyit paskwâwi-mostoswa. êkosi êwako. | (2) One man was called Powamekan; he saw these buffalos. And one man was called Tampesin. And one was called Bird-Tail. They saw the herd of buffalos that was so great. That is all. |
Footnotes1LB on êh-tawocahwâcik: Probably the normal form is êh-tawitisahwâcik, initial stem taw-: “open”, transitive verb final -tisahw-: “drive” (cf. pimitisahwêw: “he drives him on”). 2LB on ê-misihtawayâyit: The last two words are no doubt wrongly recorded; the only correction I can suggest is too far from the text: êh-pê-kipwâyik ê-misih-tawâyik “it closed up, the big opening.” The meaning was clear from Coming-Day's gestures. 3CHECK êh-pê-tipwayâyit: ?? cf. kipwâw 4LB on tâmpêsin: So recorded; is this the tawipîsin who occurs in text 10? | |