(1) êkwa kotak.

(1) Now another story.

(2) êsa mîna sipwêhtêpayiw ê-pêyakot, ê-nêpêwimikot oskinîkiskwêwa, ê-wî-kakwê-isîhkawât, "osâm tâpwê wiya êkâ êhtakohk kâ-ocikihkwêyan, ka-nôcîhkawin," ê-itikot.

(2) Another young man went off alone, because a young woman had taunted him to shame when he paid court to her, saying to him, “Truly, if it were not that you are pock-marked on your face, you might woo me with success.”

(3) êkwa sipwêtatwêmôw, tahki nayêstaw ê-mâtot. êkwa kêtahtawê kâ-miskawât ayîsiyiniwa.

(3) At that he went off weeping, and wept off alone all the time. Then presently he found some people.

(4) "tânêhki ôma kâ-ôh-mâtoyan?"

(4) “Why are you weeping like this?”

(5) "ê-nêpêwimit iskwêw, 'tâpwê wiya êkâ ihtakohk kâ-ocikihkwêyan, ka-isîhkawin,' ê-isit."

(5) “Because a woman has taunted me to shame, saying to me, 'Truly, if it were not that you are pock-marked in your face, you might woo me.'”

(6) "hâw, nôsisê, mahti êyiwêhk nika-kotêyihtên."

(6) “Why, grandchild, let me at any rate see what I can do for this.”

(7) matotisânihkêw. êkwa tihkisam pimiy, wâkayôsi-pimiy; wiyâkanihk astâw. êkwa tahkopitam maskosiya.

(7) He built a sweat-lodge. Then he melted some fat, bear's-grease; he put it in a bowl. Then he tied up some herbs.

(8) "hâw, êkwa matotisitân!" itêw.

(8) “Come, now let us take a sweat-bath!” he told him.

(9) êkwa kêtayôwinisêw oskinîkiw. pîhtokêwak êkwa matotisânihk, pimiy mîna ôma, masko-pimiy. akwanahamwân omatotisâniwâw. êkwa êkosi ê-sîkahasiniyêt kisêyiniw, ê-pôh-pôtâtât oskinîkiwa, piyis namôya ta-ihtakoniyiw ôma kâ-ocikisiyit. piyis ê-mêstinahk pimiy ôma, mîna kîhtwâm pîhtokatâwân. êwako ê-mêstinahk, âsay nama kêkway ihtakoniyiw ocikisiwin. êkwa ê-pâskît, namôya kakêtihk ta-kahkâpêwiw oskinîkiw.¹

(9) Then the youth took off his clothes. Then they entered the sweat-lodge, with that fat, that bear's-grease. Their companions covered their sweatlodge for them. Thereupon, when the old man poured the fat on the stone, and kept blowing on the youth, at last the pock-marks on his face began to disappear. When he had used up that fat, some more was handed in to them. When he had used this up, his pock-marks were gone. And when he opened the lodge, whole and without flaw in body was the youth.

(10) "êkwa ka-kîwân, nôsisê," itik ôhi kâ-kî-nitawihikot; "êkwa sipwêhtê; iskwêw ana kâ-kî-kîhkâmisk ka-nahâpason, wî-pê-itohtêci kisiwâk," itik omosôma. kiskinôhamâk ta-ispinêmât.

(10) “Now you will go home, my grandchild,” he was told by him who had doctored him; “Now depart; your sense of smell will tell you when that woman who insulted you is coming near,” his grandfather told him. He taught him how to scold her.

(11) êkwa kâ-kîwêt. takohtêw wîkiwâhk.

(11) Then he went home. He came to their camp.

(12) "wahwâ!" itwêwak ayîsiyiniwak; "mistahi miyosiw oskinîkiw kâ-kî-sipwêhtêt."

(12) “Dear me!” said the people; “Very handsome is the young man who went away.”

(13) êkwa awa iskwêw kâ-kî-pakwâtât maskisinihkêsiw, ê-wî-nitawi-miyât. êkwa ê-kîsihtât, itohtêw. kêswân oskinîkiw wayawîw; wâpamêw. pê-âkwâskâk iskwêwa.

(13) Then the woman who had scorned him made some moccasins to give him. When she had finished them, she went there. Just then the youth was going out of his tent; he saw her. The woman came to head him off.

(14) "nah ôhi êyiwêhk," itik.

(14) “Here is a little present for you,” she said to him.

(15) otinam; kwâhciwêpinam.

(15) He took them and flung them aside.

(16) "hêy, nika-wî-nipin," itwêw iskwêw awa.

(16) “Oh dear, I wish I were dead,” said the woman.

(17) "namôya niya êkosi nôh-itwân, ê-kîhkâmiyan," itêw oskinîkiw.

(17) “I did not say anything like that when you insulted me,” the youth told her.

(18) êkwa kîwêw awa oskinîkiskwêw; nêpêwisiw. têpiskâyiki nitawâpamêw.

(18) Then the young woman went home; she was ashamed. Of a night she would go to see him.

(19) "pê-wîhcêkan," itwêyiwa, kisiwâk êtohtêci. nama nânitaw isi kî-wâpamêw oskinîkiwa.

(19) “A nasty smell is coming this way,” he would say whenever she came near. She was not able to have any converse with the youth.

(20) mîna êwako otâcimôwiniwâw ayahciyiniwak, ê-kî-mamâhtâwisicik kayâs ayahciyiniwak, mêkwâc paskwâwi-mostoso-wiyâs ê-mîcicik. êyakonik otôtamôwiniwâw mîna ayahciyiniwak kâ-kîsihtâyân. mâmaskâc kîpa êkâ ê-ihtakoniyik ocikihkwêwin. wiya êwako nikîsihtân âcimôwin.

(20) This too is a Blackfoot story, of how the Blackfoot of old had mystic power, when they used to eat buffalo-meat. That of which I have just finished telling is another custom of the Blackfoot. It is wonderful that in a short time the pock-marks disappeared from his face. So now I have finished this story.

Footnotes

¹LB on kakêtihk: Unknown word