XML version dated March 02, 2004. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.

118

The Wild Buffalo

Dan Howling Wolf

nuu wehnataraahnaána na nikuwitsaáh- nuʾ
There as we were coming (upriver) and that is what they were doing
kuNAhúx nehkuraaʾiitawaaWIhú NAhkuWAhtá-
the old men their telling things as he sat on the
kUx NAhkuWIhtikú wešitAxuuteérištA taNAhoosánax.
earth lodge speaking his calling out: "You are going to see it a wild buffalo.
taáʾ.
It is coming.
a tiwanúʾ.
And it is going around."

aa nikuwitiwaakaáhuʾ NAhkuWAhtá- kUx
Ah, that is what he was saying while he sat in the lodge vocalizing
nehkuraaʾiitawaaWIhú niiweNAhkuutAxiruutIš- táNIt nuu wehnataraahnaána.
as they were telling things things that were going to happen then when we were coming.

wah niiwekohnataraahNAhwísaʾ– tuuháʾ nootiraáNAt.
Now however far we had come– there, then they went off.
tiRAhpaaniíšAt.
They went on a hunt.
teeraánaʾ nuu koohaáhkAt tuuháʾ koohaáhkAt.
They came there north, over there north.
iiháʾ noowitiitUhwiítIt.
There then they camped.

tsu čiričeerísuʾ šiNAhkiihuuniRAxwanú
But the scouts as they (du) would be going in the lead
aniwešinawáNA nooWIšituunátkoʾ čikohnáʾU AhnaWAhnaáhu.
when they (du) went there then they (du) heard it something when it was making a sound.
nikunooWIšituúta nooWIšitíWA.
Then that is what they (du) did: then they (du) went.
nuu wešinawáNA šiNUsunaaNUhuunaawaanú.
There when they (du) went they (du) were going to and fro.
witiwoo- níwiš.
It was a broad hill
nikunoošitiitaánuʾ nooWIšitikatáWA WIšitirikaahtáWA.
Then this is what they did: then they (du) went up, they (du) peeped over it.
noošituuteéRIt na inoowitii- wanúʾ wešohnutčiríkUx.
Then they saw it, and there it was going around as they (du) watched it.

na WIšitiwaákoʾ nawáh niineewanúʾ.
And they (du) said: "Now, there it goes around.
niku- tehnóʾ taNAhoosánax šinihtaraʾó
It must be the one, the wild buffalo the one they talk about,
šiniiniitaWIhú kuNAhúx.
the one they tell about the old men.
tikutéhnoʾ.
This must be the one."

weNAhkoorikuNAhwiítIt noowituutaánuʾ weNAhkUhunaahka- tarátA.
When it put its horn down then it did it its plowing the earth.
číkuʾ nuukuwitiiraáʾAt.
There was a long furrow.
hawá tuuháʾ nikunoo- wituúta wenehkišweéhu
Also over there then it did that: when it was pawing
číkuʾ nuukuwituutúʾIt hootaáʾuʾ.
they were so big the sods!
číkuʾ nuukuwiteekUxuhwiwát.
It threw them up into the air.
noowituhwirinoósiʾ.
Then it was fierce.

WIšitiwaákoʾ čiričeeríšuʾ wah tuusíšWA.
They (du) said a scout: "Now let's go over there!
siisuuxAhnaaʾiitáWI niinataraakítAt.
Let's tell them where our camp is!"

nikunooWIšituutá štoh šiNUsunaaNAhuunaawaanú.
Then they (du) did that: again they (du) went to and fro.
nooWIšitiisAhkaʾíšWA.
Then they (du) went into the village.

WIšitiraaʾiitáWI.
They (du) told about it.
nawáh witiišuxtaakawireéhAs.
"Now ready yourselves!
tuuweneewanúʾ taNAhoosánax.
It is going around there a wild buffalo.
wešitatuuteéRIt tiiháʾ.
We (du) have seen it here.
tiwanúʾ.
It is going around.
wešitatuuteéRIt.
We (du) have seen it."

nikunoowitsá wehninaaničitawiiruútIt weši-
Then that is what they did as they mounted up after
NAhkuNItkuNAsareewaapíhA niinooNAhkuutaáNA weNAhkuraaničitawiiruútIt.
they had tied their (horses') tails when different ones did it when they all mounted up.

na nootiinakiráxAt čiričeerísuʾ.
And then he went ahead the scout.
nuuwehnaraanátA nuuwehnaraanátA iiʾAhnaweeníWIš taanikutiíhiʾ.
As they went there, as they went there where the broad hill was: "This is it."
tiRAsakaáhAt.
They dismounted.
hunaaníniʾ nootiRAsáʾAt.
On foot then they went up it.
nootiraa- nikaahtáʾAt na nooWIšitiiteéRIt.
Then they peeped over and then they saw it.

nawáh anineewanúʾ.
"Now there it is."

kanawitUtwirinoosičiraʾá naáNIt.
It was exceedingly fierce truly!
wituhwirinoósiʾ naáNIt weNAhkooriikuNAhwiítIt čiríkU
It was fierce truly: when it lowered its horn, oh my,
weNAhkUhunaahkatarátA číkuʾ nuukuwitiiraáʾAt.
when it gored the ground, it stretched a long way.
hawá uunakatAhkáʾU wenehkišwíʾa uu kuwitUsootaaʾuúʾIt weNAhkukUxuunukaaraʾá.
Also on the other side when it pawed, oh, the sods were so big when it threw them up into the air!

nooWIšitiininoosítIt.
Then they began to fear it.
tsu áxkUx wiítA Ahna- tawé nootiihUhtaawátAt.
But one man who was among them then he separated from them.
tiihUhčiiwíhAt.
He sneaked away.
štoh noowitikaaʾiíšAt.
Back then he went home.
nootuúta tiwehnaátA nuu witiwísAt iiʾAhnaraanoótA.
Then he did it: when he went there he arrived where they were.
witiwísAt.
He arrived.

kóstš haačipIšawíʾuʾ koswaapIsíšuʾ noowituúta noo- tirooʾá.
A pail handle a metal pail then he did it: then he took it off.
noowitikákAt.
Then he cut it up.
nootikákAt.
Then he cut it up.
niku- nootuúta nootirištAhkaáWI áriišIt awít
Then this is what he did: then he put it in a gun himself formerly
niiʾAhniisuusaahnuuxukú áriišIt AhništištAhkaawihU- xukú.
as they used to do, themselves when they used to load a gun.
tiiháʾ tatswákoʾ noowititakúx.
Here the charge then he put it on it.
tiriš- tánoʾ aninoóčI koswaapIsíšuʾ haačipíšuʾ
He put the shells in it the ones the iron pail the handle
wehnaka- kátkA na nootíʾAt.
after he had cut it up and then he went.

nuu wehnaátA noowitiwísAt niiʾAhnačita- roósI šohnitčiríkUx.
There after his going then he arrived where they lay on the hill as they watched it.
tsu tuukunoowitiíhAt tuuháʾ.
But then he passed another way over there.
witiweeníWIš haáwaʾ.
It was a broad hill also.
nikunoowituutá noowitikatáʾAt iiʾAhnawanú teškúNIt.
Then he did that: then he went up it where it went around close by.

wehnakataátA Ahnoowiteeraawakaahtáʾ aa nooNUsúx.
As he went up then they just yelled out: "Ah, let it be!
wetAxtaanoóxAt.
You are now erring.
kaakunaáhe.
It is not a good thing.
kaakúhne aninawánu.
It is not good that one going around."

nootitawiraáʾAt.
Then he went down.
nootíʾAt niiʾAhnawánu na wehniiteéRIt
Then he went where it was going about, and when it saw him
nootunaawiíNAx wehniiteéRIt.
then it charged, when it saw him
tsu wetipaahuNAhwiítIt áxkUx.
But he got down on a knee one.
nootuutaánuʾ tiiwáNIt.
Then he did it: he shot it.
wehniiwaníkA nootuhnunaahtáʾIt.
When he shot it, then he knocked it to the ground.

noowiteeraawakaahtáʾ wetikoótIt.
Then they hollered: "He has killed it."
nootuutá štoh nootirištánoʾ awitaRAsíniʾ.
Then he did it again: then he loaded the gun rapidly.
nootuúNAx iiʾAhnaáxA.
Then he ran where it lay.
iiʾAhnapAxtáWI nootiiwáNIt štoh.
Where its head was then he shot it again.
aa tikohnaaNIšíštoʾ naáNIt.
Ah, he truly killed it truly.

na nikunootsá nootiRAsawiraáʾAt.
And then that is what they did: then they went down.
wah čiraátoʾ šiisiiteéRIt.
"Now let's go see it!"

nootiraáNAt.
Then they went.
nootiRAhwísAt niiʾAhnaáxA.
Then they arrived where it lay.
tiiháʾ natihníniʾ načiswaraaNUxwaáWI wituhnaathaanáwiʾ– xaawaarúxtiʾ.
Here on the nap a shaggy mane it resembled it– a horse.
na naRItkunaaNIsákUx witičeésIt haáwaʾ.
And the tip of the tail it was long also.

wah šiisiščiiwaánoʾ.
"Now let's butcher it!"

nikunootsá WIšitihčiiwaánoʾ.
Then this is what they did: they butchered it.
sapániʾ wešiniinukátkA noowitiráʾA Itkaánuʾ.
The stomach when they cut it then it was full of it dirt.
hoorúhtuʾ noowitíʾ.
Mud there was.
kanawituhnaaninoosičiraʾá noowititsastihAxiítIt.
It was terrifically that way the meat was tough.

wah anikuWIšitiiNAhuúnuʾ taNAhoosánax niišoh- niišiitawihUxukú.
Now that is what they did to it the wild buffalo the one they used to talk about.
šitAxuuteeríštA.
"You are going to see it.
kooxeé- ʾaʾ.
It will come.
šitAxuuteeríštA.
You are going to see it."

nikuwituúta wiítA wenakootíkA taNAhoosánax haačipIšawíʾuʾ weniiwaníkA.
He did that the man when he killed it the wild buffalo the handle when he shot it.
taanikuwituutAxítIt šoh- ništaraʾó taNAhoosánax.
This is what happened when they talked about it the wild buffalo.