Plains Cree Texts: Volume XVI

Publications, American Ethnological Society Vol. XVI

1. ANCIENT LIFE. THE SUN-DANCE.

nah-namiskwakapaw.

(1) kayas ayisiyiniwak mistahi kih-kitimakisiwak, uskats otah
ah-ayatsik. nama kakway uhtsi ki-pakitinikowisiwak. kih-
musaskatawak. nama kakway ayowinisah uhts ayawak; nama
kakway mohkuman. nayastaw uskan kih-umohkumaniwak. nama
kakway uhts ayawak iskutaw. atsusis pikuh kih-nhtsih-nipahawak
pisiskiwah, uskanah ah-kikamuhtatsik wipisisiwahk. nama kakway;
kih-kitimakisiwak. kitahtawa iskutaw kih-usihtamasowak, 5mis
ah-totahkik^ ; ah-kisitayik, piyisk akutah kih-otinamwak^ iskutaw.
piyisk asiniyah ah-pakamahwatsik, a-wasaskutapayiyit, akuta
akwah kiy-ohtinamwak iskutaw ayisiyiniwak. akwah asiskiy kih-
utaskihkuwak. minah kih-watihkawak, pahkakin ah-asiwatatsik,
asiniyah ah-kisapiskiswatsik; ayakoh uhtsi wiyas ah-kisisahkik.
akwah kitahtawa amiskwayanah kih-utay5winisiwak.

(2) kitahtawa payak kih-pawatam a-wih-kapayit moniyaw-iyini-
wa wapiski-wiyasah. atsimow tayispihk ta-kapayit. tapwa anwah-
tawaw; atiht tapwahtak. akwah akuta mamihk ispitsiwak, tsikih
kihtsikamihk.

(3) ''akwah wipats ka-wih-pa-kapatsik!" itwaw; "maskots ahpoh
mituni kiyipah," itaw ayisiyiniwah.

(4) tahtuh kikisapa ntaw-ay-itapiw mana nipihk. kitahtawa ka-
patsapahtahk tsimanah.

(5) otah ah-pa-takuhtayit, sakitsihtsanitowak; atamiskutatowak.
tsikama akusi nistam ka-isih-wapamat ayisiyiniw^ wapiski-wiyasah.
kahkiyaw kakway kih-miyik kit-5h-pimatisit : mohkuman, paskisi-
kan, kit^apatsihtat kahkiyaw kakway paskisikawin. akusi akutah
uhtsi kiskinohamawaw kit-asi-pamihtat paskisikan. akutah uhtsi
akwah ati-miy^-ayawak ayisiyiniwak. kitahtawa akutah uhtsi
piyisk atimwah* ayawawak, ah-utapahatsik. otah pikuh nimitaw
ayisiyiniwak ukih-ayawahtawaw kayahta misatimwah; nama
wihkats uhts ayawaw apsiyiniw natakam k-atapit.

(6) kitahtawah usam aka kakway ah-ayatsik mamustsikawin,
kitahtawa payak napaw utawasimisah ah-na-nipahapakwayit, —
kayas asah nama wihkats kakway omah asldhk uhtsih uhpikin;
ahpoh maskusiyah kih-kisitawa, — akwah payak napaw usam
mistahih ah-miywatisit, kitahtawa ka-wihtamakut ukisikuwah,
"haw, kik-atuhtahitin itah kit-6h-pimatisiyin."

^ Unfortunately I did not record the gesture.

* Probably klh-uhtinamwak.

* Here unmistakably "Indian" ; below ndhiyaw: "Cree" (kept in translation)
is probably nieant in the same way. The proper term wdpiski-wiyas : "white-
flesh, white man" alternates with moniydw: "Canadian" (kept in trans-
lation) .

* Properly "dogs", but often used for misatim: "horse" ; that this is here the
case is shown by the next sentence.

Bloomfield, Plains Cree Texts 3

1. ANCIENT LIFE. THE SUN-DANCE.

Louis Moosomin.

(1) The people of old were in a piteous state, when first they lived
here on earth. The Higher Powers had put them down here with
nothing at all. They went naked. They had no clothes, no knives.
All they had for a knife was a bone. From the beginning they had
no fire. With merely an arrow they killed animals, fastening bones
to their arrows. They had nothing; they were in a piteous state.
Presently they made fire for themselves, doing it like this; when it
was hot, they got fire from it. Also they pounded a stone, and when
It sent out sparks, from this, too, the people got fire. Their pots
and kettles were of earth. Also, they would dig a hole and put in a
hide, and heat some stones; in this way they cooked meat. Then
in time they began to have beaver-pelts for their clothes.

(2) Then at one time a certain man dreamt that the Canadian, the
White Man, would land here. He told when they would land.
Truly, he was not given credence; only some believed him. Then
they moved their camp out there to the east, close to the great sea.

(3) "Now the time is close at hand when they will land!" he said-
"Surely very soon," he told the people.

(4) Every morning he would go and look out upon the water.
Then at one time he saw boats coming.

(5) When the others arrived there, they shook each other by the
hand and greeted each other. For, indeed, thus it was that the
Indian first saw the Whiteskin. They gave him everything to live
by: the knife and the gun and all kinds of ammunition for his use.
So then he began to be taught how to take care of a gun. From that
time on the Indians were well off. At a certain time after this they
began to have horses to pull their loads. And, strangely enough, it
was only the people in the south who had horses; the Indian who
dwells in the north from that time to this has never had horses.

(6) Presently, because they had no way of worship, presently a
certain man whose children had suffered to the point of death from
thirst, — for it seems that of old nothing ever grew from the earth ;
only grass ripened, — then a certain man who was very good, was
told by the dwellers in the sky, "Now, I will take you whence you
will have your source of life."

4 Publications, American Ethnological Society Vol, XVI

(7) akwah tapwa apihta-kisikahk ituhtayik mayaw ah-nipat;
akuta ah-pawatahk, wihtamakowisiw nipakwasimowikamik. ayu-
kuh tahtw-askiy kita-totahkik ayisiylniwak kih-miyawak. akwah
ispih kiskinohamawaw tanis ta-totahk; uldsikowah kih-kiskino-
hamak. maskots nawats tah-miywasin kakika ta-pakitinamaht
ayisiyiniw ; awaku nitayihtanan. tahkih kakway kitah-miy-ohpikin.
namuya matsi-kakway nipakwasimokamik. wiyawaw, "kahkiyaw
kakway matsi-kakway nahiyawak matsi-mant5wah atuskawawak,
itwawak ayamihaw-iyiniwak. namuya niynan nahiyaw otah askihk
uhtsih kikih-pakitinaw; matsi-manitowah mina manitow ukusisah
namuya uhtsi kiskayimaw nahiyaw; minah matsi-manitow k-
asiyihkasut namuya nahiyaw kiskayimaw. atah kita-kih-tapwah-
tahk nahiyaw, nawats manitowah ah-kitimakayimikut, aka wihkats
uhtinwah ka-nipahikut. nama wihkats nahiyaw nipahik yotin.
nama wihkats nipahik nahiyaw piyasiwah. nama wihkats nahiyaw
nipahik iskutaw. akutah uhtsih ntayihtanan, nawats nahiyaw
ah-kitimakinakowisit. maskots ah-kisiwahat manitowah, nipa-
kwasimokamik ah-kipihtinahk, awak ohtsi mah-mistahi k-6h-
pikunahkik^ moniyaw-otanawa, nitayihtanan; min iskutaw tahtu-
Msikaw k-6h-pikunahk waskahikanah ; tahtu-kisikaw misiwa ni-
kiskayihtanan a-saskitakih waskahikanah, mayaw otanahk atuh-
tayahkuh. mina nipahtanan tahtu-nipin ah-pikwastahkih pikw
Ita otanawa. namuya matsi-kakway ka-kih-miyikuyahk manitow,
mawimustsikawinah, nayastaw kit-si-nitutamihk miyu-kakway.
akusi nkih-isih-pakitinikunan manitow otah askihk ka-nahiyawi-
yahk. atiht mamaskats mastaw ah-ihtakuhkih nimihitowinah aka
ah-kipihtinahk wapiski-wiyas, nanatuhk ay-isih-mastinikahk; maka
nipakwasimowin nama kakway mastinikaniwa. nahiyawak akutah
tahtw-askiy Idh-miyawak nisu-kisikaw akah kita-mitsisutsik, kita-
ntutahkik kahkiyaw kakway kita-miy-ohpikiniyik, kita-ntutahkik
ta-kimiwaniyik. akusi kah-isi-pakitiniht 6t askihk kitimak-
ayisiyiniw.

(8) nika-miywayihtan niya mina wahyaw kit-atuhtamakahk
pikiskwawin, aka ah-wapiyan. akusi aspin ah-uhtsiyan namuya
niwapin. nama wihkats askiy niwapahtan. akusi askaw pikw ita
ah-ituhtayan nitituhtan; nama wihkats niwanihun.

(9) akusi ayoko payak atsimowin ayoko.

Bloomfield, Plains Cree Texts 6

(7) Then truly he was taken to the place of the noonday sky, even
as he slept; dreaming of that place, he was told by the Higher
Powers of the Sun-Dance Lodge. The people were given the annual
performance of this rite. And at the same time he was taught how
to perform it; by the dwellers in the sky he was taught. Surely it
would be well, if it were always permitted to the Indian; so we
think. Crops would always grow well. The Sun-Dance Lodge is
not an evil thing. To be sure, "The Cree perform all kinds of evil
things for the Evil Spirit," say the missionaries. On the contrary:
the Cree was not put down here on earth with these things; the
Cree has never known and does not know an Evil Spirit or a Son
of God; and the Cree does not know him who is called the Evil One.
But rather, well may the Cree believe that the Spirit looks with
kindlier pity on him, since he is never killed by winds. Never is a
Cree killed by wind. Never is a Cree killed by the Thunderers.
Never is a Cree killed by fire. That is why we think that the Cree
is favored by the Higher Powers. Perhaps it is because he has
angered the Spirit by putting a stop to the Sun-Dance Lodge, that
in such numbers they break up the Canadian's towns; so we think;
and that every day fire destroys the wooden houses; every day we
learn that everywhere houses have caught fire, every time we go to
town. And every summer we hear that in many places towns have
been destroyed by windstorms. It is not an evil thing which the
Spirit has given to us, but ways of worship, only that good things
may be prayed for. Thus did the Spirit set us down here on earth,
us who are Cree. Strange, that some dances which arose much
later are not stopped by the White Man, dances in which various
things are used up, while the Sun-Dance involves no waste. It
was given to the Cree, every year, for two days to go without
eating, and to pray that all things might grow well, and to pray for
rain. It was thus that the poor Indian was set down here on earth.

(8) I too shall be glad to have my speech go far abroad, I who am
blind. For from the time I was born, I have been blind. Never have
I seen the earth. Yet when from time to time I mean to go any-
where, I go there; I never get lost.

(9) So much for this, for this one story.

Bloomfield, Leonard. 1934. Plains Cree Texts.
New York: G. E. Stechert and Co.