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

62

Bounding Head

Lillian Brave

anuú – kuwiteetuunúʾaʾ – tsu
Over there – the village was coming in a long procession – and
NAhkuhunuuwaáWI – atíštIt – atíštIt NAhkUhunuuwaáWI.
their traveling (ie living) – well, – well their traveling.

ahnoowiteeraaʾiitUxwísaʾ wewitaáʾ pAxukúkuʾ.
Then someone just brought word there: now he was coming Bounding Head.
noowitipAxUhuuwiraáʾ áriišIt.
Then the head rolled along itself.

nooWIšitininoosítIt.
Then they began to be afraid of him.
kanawituuNUxé pAxukúkuʾ tsu noowituxtoohuunuhkáʾIt niikananuhnaahiwaarakoóčI.
He was not good Bounding Head, but then he had various habits ones that were not good.
sápat NAhkuRAhkaawaáWI – na – WIšitiininóʾ.
Women wherever they were living – and – they were afraid of him.
kanawitsuxtaanuunawíʾAt na noowitúx aawaanúx
He did not behave properly and then he was deceitful
NAhkiisAhkawaawanú pAxukúkuʾ.
when he wandered around the village Bounding Head.

noowituxtóxwoʾ sápat áxkUx – aataahtakúʾU – pAxukúkuʾ.
Then he admired her woman one – wanting'that I marry you' – Bounding Head.

noowitiwaákoʾ sápat a sinoó tikuhWIs- aáhuʾ wiítA.
Then she said woman: "And yet he is always coming to my bed the man.
tikuhWIsaáhuʾ wiítA.
He is always coming to my bed the man.
aahnootohkhaanawíre.
He just smells so nice!"

sakúxtš niikohnarána wituhkAhúʾ.
Indian perfume whatever he had he had it on.
aahnoowi- tuhkAhaanawíre wenehkutóxwo.
He just smelled so nice when he courted her!
atsú – sápat – kana- witeeninustéʾ.
But – the woman – she did not like him.

na noowitiináNAt – xuuNIsáhniš – Ahnuxkaroó- ku.
And then he took them from her – moccasins – ones she had made
– na noowitiináNAt.
– And then he took them.
– či weešaahkAhuukawaakároʾ sUxkót.
– Here he wiped his nose on them snot.
či weešaahkAhuukawaakároʾ sUxkót.
Here he smeared it on them (du) snot.

witiwaákoʾ sápat koxtuutuuníkUt.
She said the woman: "I'll catch him.
neešiisihpAxtskA- huukawaakároʾ.– sí NIhúxuʾ tíʾ páxuʾ.
Then we'll crush his head."– See, only it is a head
– koxtuutuuníkUt.
– "I'll catch him.
neešiisihpAxtskAhuukawaakároʾ
Then we'll crush him."

čiišaahwaaRUxtíʾ.
Here he was holy!

WIštéh.
"Wait!
koxtuutuuníkUt.
I will catch him.
neetuhpIstanooʾaahnuuxítIt.
Then I'll start taking the lice off him."

nikunoowituúta.
Then that is what she did.

tikiisíšWA niinaawataaNUhunuúkAhu.
"Let's go over here where the light comes in!"

na nikiškupIstanooʾaáhnuʾ.
"Why, that is where you'll take the lice off me!"

sápat nikunoowituúta.
The woman so that is what they did.
noowitíʾAt wiítA.
So he went the man.
noowitipAxkawiítIt.
Then he put his head in (her lap).
noowitipAxúkAt tiiháʾ nikooNUsuxpAxoóhtA taNIhtáʾuʾ.
Then she cut it here wherever the head was joined to it the body.
niikooNUsuu- xoóhta nikunoowitiíkAt.
Wherever it was joined to it then that is where she cut it.

noowituunikúxAx.
Then she ran away with it.
nuu noowituunikúxAx.
There then she ran away with it.
witíRAt.
She took it.

nooWIšitiináʾAx itáhniʾ na Išáxtiʾ siʾaanuúxU.
Then they chased after her his sisters and his mother if it were them.
nooWIšitiináʾAx.
Then they chased her.

noowiwiteewíroʾ – pís áriišIt – sápat.
Then she changed into it – a louse herself – the woman.
noowitikaáʾAt hunaaníniʾ.
Then she went into it in the earth.

nuu – wehnakaáWI – witiraaNUhtáʾAt.
There – while she was inside there – they went past.
noo- witikawátAt.
Then she got out.
noowituutuuníkUt – štoh – páxuʾ.
Then she took it – again – the head.
anuú noo- witíRAt tsu wehnaWIskáʾA aatapAxtiWIsátA šiʾaaxihpAxtskAhuukawaakaráʾU.
There then she took it but her wanting 'that I arrive with the head' 'so that you could smash the head.'

nuu – noowitíRAt niikohnaaninuunáka – akanaana- taáʾuʾ.
There – then she took it wherever her lodge was – the earth lodge.
nikunootíRAt.
Then that is where she took it.
tiriwísAt.
She arrived with it.
nooWIšitiiteéRIt wešohnitčiríkUx.
Then they saw it as they looked at it.
uu kanawitúhne.
Oh, it was ugly!

witiwáčiʾ wah šiisišpAxtskAhuukawaakároʾ.
They said: "Now let's smash the head!"

nooWIšitinaWIsítIt.
Then they took it outside.
wenehkuriwaáta kaatarátš aatapAxíšA nuukuwitaahpAxúʾAt.
When it was raised an axe 'that I strike the head' he flew off way over there.
noowi- tiiNAhnaačiteeʾá šiNIhkukootíkA.
Then it was impossible for them for them to kill him.

hawá na nootiinaakiškáwatAt.
Also and then he escaped from their hands.
tiinaakiš- káwatAt pAxukúkuʾ šohniiNAxwé wešohnihniRAhwaawanú.
He escaped from their hands Bounding Head while they were looking for him when they were chasing after him.
parúNIt šiisišpAxtskAhuu- kawaakároʾ
"Quickly let's smash his head!"

na štoh tiweNUsaáhNA šiʾaasiituuníkUt noowi- tiiNAhnaačiteeʾá.
And again when they tried it 'that we catch it,' then it was impossible for them.
a či weešeéna šáxtiʾ šeenaáʾU.
And here it was she his mother the main one.
čiišaáʾA huupirítš.
Here she was whirlwind.

nooWIšitiituuníkUt štoh.
Then they caught him again.
nooWIšitineesAhkáʾAt.
Then they took him into the center of the village
WIšitineesAhkáʾAt.
They took him into the center of the village.

nuu wehnaáʾa witaraawiínaʾ itáhniʾ.
There when she was coming, she came charging his sister.
thaáwiʾ wešiʾaxkunuutuuníkUt atinás.
"It seems that you caught mine my brother."

hąąʾ tiwešinéhna.
"Yes, we have him here.
wešitAtpAxtskAhuukawaakaróxtA.
We are going to crush his head."

noowitiihunaaNIsaNAxá – wačéh – sápat.
Then she became hysterical, – the poor thing, – the woman:
kaakíʾ axuhnaáka.
"You sh ould not do it.
sí tiwaaRUxtíʾ.
See, he is holy.
tiwaaRUxtíʾ.
He is holy."

noowitiinaakiškáwatAt štoh.
Then he escaped from their hands again.

tíNI táWIt tiinaakiškáwatAt.
Now three he escaped from their hands.

či – weešeenaawiínaʾ – itáhniʾ.
Here – she now came angrily – his sister.
na itáhniʾ nikuwitíʾ – suxtiikIsíš.
And his sister she was the one – Old Woman Spider.
nootiitaakuúnikUt – suxtiikIsíš.
Then she caught them – Old Woman Spider.
nootiinaNAhkátAt síš.
Then she trapped them Spider.
nootiitAhnaanuuníkUt.
Then she caught them.

wah – tiíNI– nikunooWIšitihpAxtskAhuukawaakároʾ wačéh pAxukúkuʾ.
Well, – now– then this is where they smashed his head, poor thing, Bounding Head.
WIšitihpAxtskAhuukawaakároʾ.
They smashed his head.
noowituuxaWIskaaRAxá šáxtiʾ huupirikúsuʾ tiwehnaáhu wehninaNAhkakúxkA.
Then she had even become angry his mother Whirlwind when she came when she attacked them.
tsu – hawá – siš – nikunootiitAhnaanuuníkUt.
But – also – Spider – then that is the one who caught them
– noo- tiinaakawíRAt.
– Then they were overcome by him.
tiinaakawíRAt pAxukúkuʾ.
They were overcome by him Bounding Head.

noošikaakihkoótIt – tsu – weniituuneéRIt šáxtiʾ
Then they did not kill him – but – now they stood up for him his mother
na itáhniʾ.
and his sister.
WIšitikaáRAx ápIs tinaákUx huupirikúsuʾ na tinaákUx
They (du) were powerful both this Whirlwind and this
náʾU hIsíš.
the one Spider.
sís nikunootiitAhnaanuuníkUt.
Spider then that one trapped them.
síš nootiinaNAhkákux.
Spider then she attacked them.
nootiiNAhnaačiteeʾá číkuʾ niinakuraanátA.
Then it became impossible for them for them to go anywhere.
nookaakíʾ NIhkurikUxkawátAt tsu síš nataaričiísA.
Then they could not find a way to escape, but spider (web) the sticky one.
– nootiitAhnaanuuníkUt.
– Then they were caught.
– tiitaNAsatáte.
– They were stuck to it.

hawá – štoh – čiitíʾIš nooteeRAhWAtwáʾ.
Also – again – four (times) then they made an effort.
witeeRAhWAtwáʾ – štoh – čiitíʾIš.
They made an effort – again – four (times).
wah – Axtóh tiíNI šiisiškoótIt.
"Now – truly now let's kill him!
šiisiškoótIt.
Let's kill him!
wah koxteeraakAhíNIt.
Now we will build a fire.
neešiisihpAxIskukakúx.
Then we'll put the head on the fire.|"

na – nikunoowitIsá – šohneenaʾá páxuʾ.
And – so then that is what they did – when they brought it the head
– nuukuwitaahpAxúʾAt.
– The head flew way off over yonder.
– wehneehuunukaaʾá kuwewitaahpAxúʾAt.
– When it flew up the head flew way off over yonder.
noowitiiniinakúxAx štoh.
Then he ran away from them again.

na – hUhtiísuʾ tiíNI– nootiiNAhnaačiteeʾá.
And – finally now– then it became impossible for them.
witiinaakawíRAt pAxukúkuʾ.
He overcame them Bounding Head.

na nikutiraačítA NAhkuwačeéhu šuxtaahnaanaʾooxíku.
And this is why their saying: "Be careful!
naahkú pAxukúkuʾ.
It might be Bounding Head.
tiinaakawíRAt.
He overcame them."