Sacred Stories 5: Wisahketchahk Stabs a Buffalo and Both His Arms

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(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.