XML version dated October 16, 2025. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.

53

The Priest Who Turned into Stone

Alfred Morsette

waxtóh kanatuhneesiíšuʾ niikohniíhiʾ niiwenuu- tAxítIt –
Now surely I do not know it wherever it was where it happened –
nuuNAhunaanoótA – hunaanapsíniʾ wenaahtakuwáʾa nuu
that land extending – south when they came migrating long
naapakúhtuʾ tsu tatuuxAtkookUxuúkuʾ weNIhkuunaaʾiiwaa- waátI
, long ago, but I used to hear it when they told stories
niinatuxtaahnaanoótA atípaʾ na atíkaʾ
where they lived my grandfather and grandmother,
nuxtAhwaawanú wiítA AhnuuxunuuwaáWI.
when they were going around men the ones who used to live.
wah – neeneetétkoʾ – niinaaʾiitIhú – niiʾAhnuutAxítIt – anuú
Now – I did hear it – when they told – what happened – then
naapakúhtuʾ karuúxuʾ tiništanaáhNA.
long ago sacred bundles these that they had.

a – weNAhkuRAhpaanišwáNA – nuu – čéstIt –
And – when they went on a communal buffalo hunt – there – far off –
weNAhkUhunuu- waáWI na witaRAhWIswáʾ wiiteešútš.
their going about and they came back young men.
wetaahtakuʾaáhuʾ paaniíšuʾ.
"They are returning the hunting party.
wetaraánaʾ paaniíšuʾ.
They are coming the hunting party."
tsu witiraanawaáhAt sIhkAhaáhniniʾ niikohniíhiʾ Ahnux- taanoótA.
But they were staying there in the village wherever it was their living there.

na – kunahUxčitawíʾuʾ – naawaaRUxtiíʾuʾ niinakuraanuhkoóčI
And – the leading pries – the holy things the ways they had
karuúxuʾ – ništanuhkoóčI aninuutunaanuúʾA – noowitIhuuNIskáʾAt.
sacred bundles – their having them at that time – then he went to meet them.

noo tákuʾ witiíkUx.
There someone there he sat.
noowitiwaákoʾ wah škunuu- suuxoohtawaáWI.
Then he said: "Now open the bundle for me!"
nikutehnišwačeehUxuúkuʾ.
That is what they must have used to say.
číkuʾ šinehkuráʾU piiráʾuʾ – WIšititwakaraanúʾAt
After they had born one a baby – they prayed for it
šinihkuhnaaniiweehítkA – kuNAhúx ništaanuhkoóčI naawaaRUxtiíʾuʾ.
while they incensed it – old men ones who had them holy ways.
– hawá – wiináxtš škunuu- suuxá.
– Also: – "Boy bless mine!
tikunuuNUxtaaxíhuʾ anuú natuxtaakunuuwaáWI.
Mine was sick there when we were going around."
nikuwitsaapaahnúʾ.
That is what they were doing.

atsú áxkUx– kuNAhúx – kunahUxwaaRUxtiíʾuʾ wehnakataweétA tákuʾ kanawitiinaasíhtš.
But one– old man – a priest as he passed by no one paid any attention to him.
nuu wehnaátA noowitiraanatúhkA wehnaaraána.
There as he went then they were in the rear when they came.
wešohnaawaʾá wiítA na sápat nooWIšituutawíʾ.
When they (du) were coming a man and woman then they (du) stopped.
tsu wehnawísAt kuNAhúx.
But he arrived there the old man.
šuuxUhuhwiítIt.
"Sit down awhile!"
noowitiwiítIt.
Then he sat down.

aa wešitikuhAstaahIškootíhuʾ.
"Ah, we are dying of thirst.
tstoóxuʾ šikaakAtči- rána.
Water we do not have any."
wah tinaákUx tineenáxkUx haátuʾ.
Now this one: "Here it is a tongue."
noowitičituúʾ haátuʾ tanáhaʾ.
It was whole a tongue buffalo.
nooWIšitikúx.
Then they (du) placed it.

wah niikohnawaákoʾ -- kaakinaaʾiitawíhuʾ -- wah tsu tišinaákUx nooWIšititeeriwaátaʾ.
Now whatever he said -- they did not tell -- now but these (du) then they (du) arose.
tstoóxuʾ WIšitihAstaahíškUx.
Water they (du) were sitting thirsty.

tinaákUx wiítA noowitiirút nátš.
This one man then he picked it up a stick.
noowitUt- čipIšáWI tinaákUx haátuʾ.
Then he stuck it through it this tongue.
noowitiiNAsštáʾa tákuʾ wekana- niitunaáhNA wešikananiinaasíhtš.
Then his feelings were hurt no one having invited him their paying him no heed.
nuu nootíʾAt.
There then he went.
nootikatáʾAt.
Then he climbed up.
witiwaákUx.
There was a hill.
noowitičitawiítIt.
Then he sat down on top.
wehneesaáWI haátuʾ tiwiítIt.
After it was up in the air the tongue he sat down.
witeesštaahuúna.
His feelings were hurt.

nooWIšitiiNAxweesítIt.
Then they began to look for him.
čuwekunáʾAt.
"Where did he go?"

nuu nootíʾAt.
"There then he went.
tutuuNIskáʾAt.
He went to meet them."
nikuwetiraaxaáʾA nakutuuNIskaátA číkuʾ šiʾaxkuutunaáhNA.
That is the meaning (of) going to meet someone 'that you invite me somewhere.'

nikunooWIšitiiNAxweesítIt anináʾU wiítA niiwekohniihawé
Then they began looking for that one that one man however many days it was
wekanaahníʾU anináʾU wiítA.
his not being around that man.
Axtóh nikunoošitAxuuxatúhkA.
"Surely you (du) were the last ones."

hee tuxwísAt niišinatišwaʾá.
"Hey, he arrived whence we came.
na wešineekuhAstaa- hIškootíhuʾ parúNIt šiʾaasehWIswaʾá.
And we were dying of thirst quickly that we come back.
na neešiineetuuta- NAxkúx haátuʾ.
And we put a cooked one down for him a tongue.
tatískaʾ kooxihtatatáʾ na itaraapIsaáhuʾ na – tiiháʾ–
I thought he might follow and then we would come back and – here–
kaahaahníniʾ atíštIt číkuʾ neešiiteekaanúnoʾ.
inside the lodge nice we would cook something for him.
na tiwešinatihwaʾá šitaatičinaanuúʾU.
And when we (du) were coming we (du) were in a hurry.
a či wekaakaáʾ.
And here he did not come (with us).
wah niiwekohnáʾAt.
Now I do not know where he went."

wešinehkukoótIt.
"Perhaps they killed him."
nikuwewitiwaawačiʾaáhuʾ.
That is what they were saying.

čiišaahčitákUx waahíniʾ AhnawaákUx.
Here he sat on top on the hill where the hill was.
noowitiRAhkatáʾAt wešohniRAxwé
Then they went up onto the prairie as they looked for him
niikohniihawé kanaahníʾU.
however many days it was his not being.
nooWIšitihnunáx.
Then they found him.
inoowitiičitákUx waahíniʾ waawičéskAt.
There he sat on top on the hill on a high hill.
witiwaawičeé- ʾIs niiwehnačitákUx.
It was a high hill where he sat on the top.
inoowitiiwé nátš.
There it was upright the stick.
haátuʾ witiisaaʾá.
The tongue it hung from the end.
na inoowitíʾ kanítš.
And there there was a rock.
na – wiítA tinaákUx– či – weešaána – kanítš
And – man this one– here – he had become – stone
wehnakariikaána tákuʾ wekananiitunaáhNA tákuʾ wekananiinaasíhtš.
after he pouted no one having invited him, no one having noticed him.
na neeraanuhkáʾIt naawaaRUxtiíʾuʾ karuúxuʾ tiraná.
And he had them the holy things: the sacred bundle he had it.

nikuwewitiwaawačiʾaáhuʾ tákuʾ wekaakAxunaasíhtš.
That is what they were saying: "None of you noticed him.
wetAxtaNAhnaanoóxAt.
You did wrong.
wah wetuutAxítIt.
Now it has happened.
weteesštaahuúna kunahUxwaaRUxtiíʾuʾ
You offended him the holy man."

nooWIšitihnaaWIšUhaaruúsAt.
Then they offered him smoke.

nawáh niikohnuutAxítIt nookanawitiišítIt.
Now, whatever happened then he did not live.
niikoh- nuutAxítIt tákuʾ kaakuhneesiíšuʾ.
Whatever happened no one knows.
noowitIhunáhAs haáwaʾ.
Then he disappeared also.

WIšitiisuuxunaanehkUxuúkuʾ iinahAtčitáWI.
They used to call the place 'where the tongue is on top.'
nii kuNAhúx načitákUx hawá nikunoowitiwáčiʾ.
'Whe re the o ld man sits on top' also that is what they used to say.

nikutatuuNAtkookUxuúkuʾ wiítA kutuuxAxaáʾA Asškaʾipaátu.
That is what I used to hear from him a man he was named Enemy Heart.