(1) kêtahtawê pimohtêw wîsahkêcâhk; mâka mîna nôhtêhkatêw. kîtahtawê wâpamêw mostoswa nîso, takwahinâwa pêyak, pêyak iyâpêsisa.

(1) Once upon a time Wisahketchahk was walking along; as usual, he was hungry. Presently he saw two buffalos, a bull and a young steer.

(2) ômisi itêyihtam: "tânisi nika-nipahâwak?" itêyihtam.

(2) This is what he thought: “How shall I kill them?” he thought.

(3) nama kêkway pâskisikan ayâw. êkwa sipwêhtêw. ê-wâpamikot, wî-tapasîyiwa.

(3) He had no gun. Then he went from there. When they saw him, they wanted to run away.

(4) "cêskwa, nisîmitik! miywâsin âcimowin ka-âcimostâtinâwâw."

(4) “Wait a bit, my little brothers. I shall tell you a good story!”

(5) cêskwa nîpawiwak mostoswak; namôya tapasîwak. êkwa takohtêw wîsahkêcâhk.

(5) Soon the buffalos stood still; they did not run away. Then Wisahketchahk walked up to them.

(6) ômisi itêw: "ayisiyiniwak ê-itwêcik, 'takwahinâw wîhkimâkosiw; miyosiw,' ê-itwêcik, kotakak ayisiyiniwak ômisi itwêwak: "iyâpêsis miyosiw; wîhkimâkosiw," ê-itwêcik, ê-kî-kîhkihtocik." "êwako ohci wî-kisiwâsiwak." "'mahti cêskwa niya nika-wâpamâwak; awîna wîhkimâkosiw,' nititwân, kâ-pê-nitawâpamitakok," ê-wî-wayêsimât ôhi mostoswa.

(6) This is what he said to them: “Some men said, ‘The bull smells good; he is beautiful,’ but then some others said, ‘The young steer is beautiful; he smells good,’ and so they quarrelled. On this account they were getting quite angry. ‘Just wait a bit, while I go look at them to find out which smells better,’ said I, and so I have come to see you,” he spoke to deceive those buffalos.

(7) tâpwê tâpwêhtam awa mostos. êkwa tâhkinêw; ômisi isi miyâhtam ocihciy; kotaka mîna ôhi ôtê. omôhkomân otinam.

(7) The buffalos really believed him. So he touched one; he smelled his hand like this; and then the other one. He took his knife.

(8) ômisi itêw: "kiya kiwîhkimâkosin; kiya kimiyosin," itêw iyâpêsisa.

(8) He said to him, “You, you smell good; you, you are handsome,” he said to the young steer.

(9) miywêyihtam iyâpêsis ê-miyosit, ê-itêyihtahk. omôhkomân tahkamêw watâyihk. tapasîyiwa.

(9) The steer was glad to think himself beautiful. He stabbed him in the belly with his knife. The other one ran away.

(10) "maci-kakêpâtis! tânita kê-wîhkimâkosit!" "ninôhtêhkatêwâh!"

(10) [“]Stupid fool! How should he smell good? It is hungry I was!”

(11) nipahêw; nipiw awa iyâpêsis. êkosi ê-pahkisiniyit, ê-nipiyit, itohtêw wîsahkêcâhk.

(11) He killed it; the young steer died. So when it fell down dead, Wisahketchahk walked up to it.

(12) "hay hay hay! êkwa nika-mîcison," itwêw.

(12) “Splendid! Now I shall eat,” he said.

(13) êkwa wiyanihêw, ê-pahkwêkiswât.

(13) Then he cut it up, stripping off the hide with his knife.

(14) êkwa ômisi itwêw wîsahkêcâhk: "wiyin nika-ayân," itwêw.

(14) Then thus spoke Wisahketchahk: “I shall have the fat meat,” he said.

(15) ôma ospiton, wîsahkêcâhk ospiton"namôya!" itwêw, "niya nika-ayân wiyin," itwêw.

(15) His arm, Wisahketchahk's one arm, said, “No! It is I shall have the fat meat,” it said.

(16) kotak ospiton: "namôya! niya nika-ayân."

(16) His other arm said, “No! It is I shall have it.”

(17) êkosi pîkiskwêwak, tâpiskôc nisto ayîsiyiniwak, ê-pêyakot wîsahkêcâhk. kisiwâsiw âsay awa; awa mîna kisiwâsiw.

(17) So they spoke, as if they were three persons, though there was only Wisahketchahk. The one had already grown angry; now the other, too, got into a rage.

(18) "namôya kika-ayân wiyin; niya niwî-ayân."

(18) “You shan't have the fat meat! I, I shall have it!”

(19) wîsahkêcâhk ômisi pîkiskwêw: "êkâ wiya, nisîmitik!" "konita kiwî-kisiwâsinâwâw wiyâs ohci."

(19) Wisahketchahk spoke thus: “Don't, little brothers! Needlessly you are growing angry over this meat.”

(20) "â, namôya! ohcitaw ê-âsponisit."

(20) “Oh no! He simply insists on being selfish.”

(21) "â, êkâya nânitaw itwê!" "kika-tahkamitin."

(21) “Oh, keep still! I'll stab you.”

(22) "â, nîsta ka-tahkamitin."

(22) “Oho, it's I who will stab you.”

(23) "â, cêskwa nisîm! namôya ta-miywâsin ta-nipahitoyêk wiyâs ohci."

(23) “Now, wait, little brother! It wouldn't do for you two to kill each other for the sake of this meat.”

(24) konita mâka kisiwâsiw.

(24) But he got into a foolish rage.

(25) "â, êkâ nânitaw itwê!"

(25) “Ho, keep still!”

(26) môhkomân ômisi tahkamêw; ôma ospiton tahkahtam. kwêski miyisôw ômisi môhkomân. kotak mîna ospiton tahkahtam. êkosi êkwa pahkihtin môhkomân; nipahêw ospitona. nipahitôwak.

(26) With his knife he stabbed him like this; he stabbed that arm of his. Across to the other side he handed himself the knife, like this. He stabbed his other arm, too. And so then the knife fell down; he had killed his arms. They had killed each other.

(27) êkwa wîsahkêcâhk nîpawiw, ospitona ômisi. êkwa wîsahkêcâhk namôya mîcisôw; sipwêhtêw; nakatam wiyâs. ayis ospitona âhkosiw; nipiyiwa ospitona; namôya kî-miciminam môhkomân.

(27) There stood Wisahketchahk, with his arms like this. And Wisahketchahk did not eat; he went away; he left the meat. For he was sick in his arms; in fact, his arms had died; he was not able to hold a knife.

(28) êkosi êwako âtayôhkêwin.

(28) Thus goes this sacred story.

Footnotes