A Dog’s Revenge

A Dakota Fable, by Michel Renville. Obtained by Rev. S. R. Riggs.

Śuŋka waŋ; ḳa wakaŋka waŋ waḳiŋ waŋ taŋka hnaka.

Dog a; and old-woman a pack a large laid away.

Uŋkan śuŋka ḳoŋ he sdonya.

And dog the that knew.

Uŋkaŋ waŋna haŋyetu, uŋkaŋ wakaŋka iśtiŋmaŋ kećiŋ

And now night, and old-woman asleep he thought

ḳa en ya: tuka wakaŋka kiŋ sdonkiye

and there went: but old woman the knew

ć̣a kiktahaŋ 3 waŋke, ć̣a ite hdakiŋyaŋ ape ć̣a kićakse,

and awake lay, and face across struck and gashed,

ć̣a nina po, keyapi.

and much swelled, they say.

Uŋkaŋ haŋḣaŋna hehaŋ śuŋka tokeća waŋ en hi,

And morning then dog another a there came,

ḳa okiya ya.

and to-talk-with went.

Tuka pamahdedaŋ ite mahen inina yaŋka.

But head-down face within silent was.

Uŋkaŋ taku ićante niśića heciŋhaŋ omakiyaka wo, eya.

And what of-heart you-bad if me-tell, he-said.

Uŋkaŋ, Inina yaŋka wo, wakaŋka 3 waŋ teḣiya omakiḣaŋ do,

And, still be-you, old-woman a hardly me-dealt-with,

eya, keyapi.

he-said, they say.

Uŋkaŋ, Tokeŋ nićiḣaŋ he, eya.

And, How to-thee-did-she, he-said.

Uŋkaŋ, Waḳin waŋ taŋka hnaka e waŋmdake ć̣a

And, Pack a large she-laid-away I-saw and

heoŋ otpa awape: k̇a waŋna haŋ tehaŋ k̇ehan,

therefore to-go-for I waited: and now night far then,

iśtiŋbe seća e en mde ć̣a pa timaheŋ 6 yewaya,

she-asleep probably there I went and head house-in I-poked,

uŋkaŋ kiktahaŋ waŋke śta hećamoŋ: k̇a, Śi,

and awake lay although this-I-did: and, shoo,

de tukten yau he, eye, ć̣a itohna amape,

this where you-come, she-said, and face-on smote-me,

ć̣a dećen iyemayaŋ ce, eye ć̣a kipazo.

and thus she-me-left he-said and showed-him.

Uŋkaŋ, Huŋhuŋhe! teḣiya ećanićoŋ do, ihomeća waḳiŋ kiŋ

And, Alas! alas! hardly she-did-to-you, therefore pack the

uŋtapi 9 kta ce, eye ć̣a, Mnićiya wo, eya, keyapi.

we-eat will, he-said and, Assemble, he-said, they say.

Ito, Minibozaŋna kićo wo, ḳa, Yaksa taŋiŋ śni kico wo,

Now, Water-mist call, and Bite off not manifest call,

Tahu waśaka kico wo, ḳa, Taisaŋpena kico wo, eya, keyapi.

Neck strong invite, and, His-knife-sharp call, he-said, they-say.

Uŋkaŋ owasiŋ wićakićo: ḳa waŋna owasiŋ en 12 hipi

And all them-he-called: and now all there came

hehaŋ heya, keyapi:

then this-he-said, they-say:

Ihopo, wakaŋka de teḣiya ećakićoŋ će; miniheić̣iyapo,

Come-on, old-woman this hardly dealt-with; bestir-yourselves,

haŋyetu hepiya waćonića wakiŋ waŋ teḣiŋda ḳa on

night during dried-meat pack a she-forbid and for

teḣiya ećakićoŋ tuka, ehaeś untapi kta će, eya, keyapi. 15

hardly dealt-with-him but, indeed we eat will he-said, they say.

Uŋkaŋ Minibozaŋna ećiyapi ḳoŋ he waŋna maġaźukiye

Then Water-mist called the that now rain-made,

ć̣a, aŋpetu osaŋ maġaźu ećen otpaza; ḳa wakeya

and, day all-through rained until dark; and tent

owasiŋ nina spaya, wihutipaspe olidoka owasiŋ taŋyaŋ ḣpan.

all very wet, tent-pin holes all well soaked.

Uŋkaŋ hehaŋ Yaksa taŋiŋ śni wihutipaspe 18 kiŋ owasiŋ yakse,

And then Bite-off-manifest-not tent-fastenings the all bit-off,

tuka taŋiŋ śni yaŋ yakse nakaeś wakaŋka kiŋ sdonkiye śni.

but slyly bit-off so that old-woman the knew not.

Uŋkaŋ Tahuwaśaka he waḳiŋ ḳoŋ yape ć̣a maniŋkiya

And Neck-strong he pack the seized, and away off

yapa iyeya, ḳa tehaŋ eḣpeya.

holding-in-mouth-carried and far threw-it.

Hećen Taisaŋpena waḳiŋ ḳoŋ 21 ćokaya kiyaksa-iyeya.

So His-knife-sharp pack the in-middle tore-it-open.

Hećeŋ waḳiŋ ḳoŋ haŋyetu hepiyana temyaiyeyapi, keyapi.

Hence pack the night during they-ate-all-up, they say.

Hećen tuwe wamanoŋ keś, saŋpa iwaḣaŋić̣ida

So that who steals although, more haughty

wamanoŋ waŋ hduze, 24 eyapi eće; de huŋkakaŋpi do.

thief a marries, they-say always; this they-fable.