(1) kayâs ayîsiyiniwak ômisi kî-pakitinikôwisiwak: kahkiyaw kêkway kî-kitimâkêyimikwak, tahto kêkway kâ-wâpahtamihk, mîna êkâ kâ-wâpahtamoht. kahkiyaw kêkway kî-pawâtamok. ahpô wâkayôsa kî-kiskinôhamâkwak kêkway. awêkâ ohci kayâs ayîsiyiniwak kâ-ôh-kî-manitôwicik.¹

(1) Of old men were placed here on earth by the Powers in this wise: they were pitied and befriended by every kind of thing, by as many things as are seen, and by the things that are invisible. They dreamt of every kind of thing. Even the bears taught them things. That is why the old-time people had manitou power.

(2) êkwa nika-âtayôhkân.

(2) Now I shall tell a sacred story.

(3) kîtahtawê yâhki pêyak nâpêw pêyakoyiwa otawâsimisa, êkwa mistahi êsa ê-kitimâkêyimât, mîna ê-miyo-pamihât. êkwa kîtahtawê, wayawîtimihk owîkimâkana ê-atoskêyit, kîtahtawê kâ-wanihâcik otawâsimisiwâwa. namôya kî-kiskêyihtamwak tânisi isi ê-isi-wanihâcik. êkwa êsa mistahi pakwâtamwak, êkwani ê-wanihâcik ôhi otawâsimisiwâwa. nâpêsisa êsa êwako ani nistam êsa otawâsimisihtâwâw, êwakoni piko. nama kiskêyihtamok tânisi ê-isi-wanihâcik. êkwa piko itê âta ê-kakwêcihkêmocik, êkwa piyisk pônêyimêwak.

(3) Once upon a time, long ago, a certain man had one child, and it seems that he dearly loved him and took care of him. Then at one time, as his wife was working out of doors, suddenly they lost their child. They could not make out how they had lost track of him. They were greatly distressed at having lost their child. The little boy had been their first child, and the only one. They did not know how they had lost him. Having made inquiry everywhere, at last they gave up.

(4) êkwa awa awâsis nika-âcimâw, tânisi ê-kî-isi-pimâtisit. êkota êtokê takohtêw; wâkayôs êkwa anihi awâsisa êsa kî-kimotiw. êkwa piyisk papâ-wîcêwêw, niyîpiniyiki.

(4) Now I shall tell of the child, how he managed to stay alive. He came to some place or other; it appears that a bear had stolen the child. Soon he went about with the bear in summer-time.

(5) êkwa kîtahtawê itwêw awa nâpêw: "ahpô êtokê nikosis pimâtisiw!" itwêw mâna.

(5) Then at one time that man said, “Perhaps after all my son is alive!” he would always say.

(6) pawâtam âskaw mâna ê-wâpamât okosisa.

(6) Every now and then he would dream that he saw his son.

(7) kîtahtawê pêponiyiki mâna kanawêyimik ôhi wâkayôsa. êkosi tahto piko itê ayîsiyiniwak kâ-mawimoscikêyit, âsay kiskêyihtam awa wâkayôs. ahpô kâ-oyaskinahtâkot kiskêyihtam.

(7) Then in winter-time the bear would take care of the child. As often as anywhere men performed their worship, at once the bear knew it. He knew even when a pipe was filled for him.

(8) ômisi êsa mâna itêw ôhi awâsisa: "nôsisê, âsay mîna ninatomikawin," itwêw êsa.

(8) This was what he must have said always to the child: “Grandchild, again I am being invited,” he must have said.

(9) tâpwê êkota kî-ohci-pimâtisiw ana awâsis. piyisk tâpiskôc ayîsiyiniwa kî-itêyimêw êsa wâkayôsa, ê-owîcêwâkanit.

(9) So in this way the child stayed alive. In time he looked upon the bear, his companion, as a human person.

(10) êkosi piyisk mihcêt askiy ê-ohpikihikot, êkwa kêkâc ê-nâpêwit, ômisi itik wâkayôsa: "êkwa kêkâc kikîs-ôhpikin." "wîpac êkwa kita-wayawîn," itik êsa; "kôhtâwiy, anohc kâ-wî-nîpihk, kêkâc mêstihkasoci kôna, êkospî nika-nipahik," itik êsa; "êkota sêmâk wayawîhkan." "'kiya êcika ôma, nôhtâ!' itâhkan, mayaw wâpamaci;" "'nôhtâ, nêwo-tipiskâw namôya ayîsiyiniw nika-wâpamik, iskwêwak têpiyâhk.'" "'kiyawâw mîna namôya ka-wâpaminâwâw.'" "'kîspin wâpamitwâwi iskwêwak, êkosi nika-kotâwaskamikîn.'" "'kakwê-tôta,' kika-itâw kôhtâwiy, wâpamaci," êkosi itwêw awa wâkayôs.

(10) Then finally, when the latter had brought him up through many years and he was near to manhood, the bear said to him, “Now you have almost grown up. Soon now you will go outside,” he must have told him; “Your father, this coming spring, when the last of the snow is about to melt away, then your father will kill me,” he must have told him; “then at once do you go outside. ‘And so it is you, my father!’ do you then say to him, as soon as you see him; ‘My father, for four nights let people not see me, women at least. You and my mother, too, I shall not see. If women see me, I shall sink into the earth. Try to do this,’ you will say to your father when you see him” spoke that bear.

(11) "wâpahki ka-takohtêw kôhtâwiy," itwêw êsa awa wâkayôs; "mâka niwî-nipahik," itêw êsa ôhi; "sêmâk takohtêci, kî-nipahici, wayawîhkan," itwêw êsa.

(11) “Tomorrow your father will come,” the bear must have said; “But he will kill me,” he must have told the lad; “As soon as he arrives and has killed me, then do you go outside,” he must have said.

(12) tâpwê wiya kisêyiniw awa ê-pê-mâcît, miskawêw wâkayôsa, ita ê-apiyit.

(12) Then truly, theold man, for his part, as he came that way on the hunt, found the bear where it was staying.

(13) "tâpwê nimiskawâw wâkayôs," itwêw êsa.

(13) “Truly, I have found a bear,” he must have said.

(14) êkwa tâpwê nitawi-nipahêw. êkotê mistikwa otinêw, ê-isi-sikwatakahikêt. tâpwê pê-wayawiyiwa ôhi wâkayôsa. êkwa êkosi isi nipahêw. mayaw ôhi wâkayôsa ê-nipahimiht, awa oskinîkiw wayawî-kwâskohtiw.

(14) Accordingly, he went to kill it. There he took a long stick and prodded the hole that was in the ground. Truly, the bear came forth. Then, accordingly, he killed it. As soon as the bear had been killed, the youth leaped from the hole.

(15) "êwako êcika awa nôhtâwiy!" itwêw êsa.

(15) “And so this is my father!” he must have cried.

(16) êkwa, "tânêhki, oskinîkiw, kâ-ôh-isiyan?"

(16) Then, “What do you mean, youth?”

(17) "niya ôma, nôhtâ!" itwêw êsa; "wâkayôs ê-kî-kimotamâsk, kâ-oh-kî-wanihiyan," itwêw êsa awa oskinîkiw.

(17) “It is I, father!” he must have said; “Because the bear stole me from you, is why you lost me,” the youth must have said.

(18) êkosi ê-itwêt, awa kisêyiniw, "âyimâc niwâpamâw nikosis!" itwêw êsa.

(18) When he said this, then the old man must have said, “At last I see my son!”

(19) "nôhtâ, ôma piko kita-isi-nayômiyan," itwêw êsa awa oskinîkiw.²

³

(19) “Father, there is only this, that you must carry me on your back,” said the youth.

(19b) tâpwê kisêyiniw okosisa wîwahôw êsa, ê-nayômât.

(19b) So the old man took his son on his back and carried him.

(20) "êkwa êkotê nêwâw piko kika-âh-âywêpin," itêw êsa ôhtâwiya awa oskinîkiw.

(20) “And until we get there, only four times are you to stop and rest,” said the youth to his father.

(21) tâpwê awa kisêyiniw nêyawiskosoci ayiwêpiw ê-nayôhcikêt.⁴

mitoni mistahi kosikwatiyiwa, pâskac êsa ostikwânihk ê-tahkopisot, iyikohk ê-miywêyihtahk okosisa ê-wâpamât. ohpimê wâhyaw mânokêw êsa.

(21) So whenever the old man wearied under his burden, he rested, with his load on his back. The latter was very heavy, the more so, as the old man had tied the strap round his head, so glad was he to see his son. Then far off to one side he set up a tipi.

(22) "nêwo-tipiskâw namôya nika-wâpamikwak ayîsiyiniwak," itwêw êsa.

(22) “For four nights people are not to see me,” he said.

(23) tâpwê kisêyiniw osk-âya papâ-nitâhtâmôw apahkwâson mîna apasoya nêwo. êkwa êsa oskinîkiwa otinêw, êkâ cêskwa iskwêwa ê-âpacihâyit; ayisk êsa kayâs kî-kanâtisiw ayîsiyiniw, nayêstaw kanâci-askîhk ê-kî-ayât. mâmaskâc êkwa kanawêyimêw ohpimê okosisa awa kisêyiniw; nêwo-tipiskâw ayisk itik kita-ka-kanawêyimât.

(23) So the old man went about borrowing unused tent-covering and four unused tent poles. [no translation] [no translation] In a way to cause wonder then the old man guarded his son, away from the camp; for he had told him to guard him for four nights.

(24) mwêhci nisto-tipiskâw ê-kanawêyimât, ê-nipât, kayâhtê, "nôhtâ, êkosi êcika ana êkâ wîhkâc kê-wâpamiyan!" itwêw awa oskinîkiw.

(24) When he had guarded him for exactly three days and nights, as he slept, suddenly, “Father, and so you are never more to see me!” called the youth.

(25) âsay apisîs piko kî-sâkiskwêw, askîhk ê-kotâwaskamikît.

(25) Already his head was but a short way above the earth, into which he was sinking.

(26) êkosi êsa mîna kîhtwâm, "êkosi êsa ani namôya wîhkâc kita-âpisisin ayîsiyiniw!" itwêw êsa awa oskinîkiw; "itâmaskamik kita-nahinâw ayîsiyiniw, ispîhk ohpikihitoci!" itwêw, iskwêyâc ê-pîkiskwêt awa oskinîkiw.

(26) Then once more, “And so then, it appears that never again shall a mortal man come back to life!” said that youth; “Under the ground man shall be laid away, as the generations go on!” said the youth, speaking for the last time.

(27) mâka wiya awa iskwêw namôya êsa ohci wâpamêw okosisa, êkosi ê-isi-nipiyit.⁵

(27) But as for the woman, she never again saw her son, who in this wise now had died.

(28) êwako pêyak âtayôhkêwin.

(28) That is one sacred story.

Footnotes

¹CHECK awêk. Should it be êwak??

²LB on pîci-nayômiyin: The prefixed particle is doubtless wrong; perhaps read kitsi-, which seems to be an allegro variant of (a) kitah-isi-, kit-êsi, i.e., kitah-, tah-: “that, in order that,” plus isih-: “thither, thus,” and (b) kitisi-, i.e., isih- with personal prefix ki-, kit- of second person.

³CHECK

⁴LB on ê-nayôhcikêt: The normal form seems to be nayômâw: “he carries him on back,” nayahtam: “he carries it on back,” and, derived from the latter, nayahcikêw: “he carries on back”; but we find also nayôhtam, nayôhcikêw. Menomini has nayômêw, nayôhtam, but for the former also nayâhêw.

⁵LB on mâka wiya awa iskwêw: i.e., it was his mother who had violated the command; either the tale is laconically told or I missed a sentence above.