Arikara/new_Story068.xml

When Bloody Hands Became an Eagle

Lillian Brave

The village was coming in a long procession

––––

and,

–

poor things

–

their (du) liv- ing among them

–

Hands

and

–

his grand- mother,

–

their (du) living pitifully,

their (du) living on the outskirts of the village

by the dung heaps,

there

alone

where the poor were,

poor things,

their (du) living there.

And

then it arose

a war.

A war

then

it arose.

He said:

"Grandmother,

–

I will go with them

–

too.

I will go with them

–

where they go

–

the young men.

Young men

however many there are

–

they now are going

–

(on) the warpath.

Myself

I will go with them."

"Not at all

–

No,

Hands,

you are pitiful.

–

You are

ugly.

You are n

ot one (ie the type) to be among them

for you to be among them

(on) the warpath.

You are pitiful.

You are ugly."

"No,

grandma,

I want

that I go."

And

again

was repeating it

his beseeching her

his grandmother.

"I want

that I go among them

(on) the warpath."

"Not at all,

grandson,

you are the ugliest baby.

You

just have a scarred belly.

Everywhere

you are just ugly.

You are n

ot one to go among them.

"No,–

grandma,

–

you have just hurt my feelings

that you

did not give me your permission

to go.

Now

but

I want

that I go

to be among them

(on) the warpath.

And

–

then he said

Hands:

"No,

grandma

–

you have

hurt my feelings.

I wanted–

to be among the

–

there

all

young men

where they are going.

I want

to be among them."

And

then she said

his grandmother:

"Certainly

now

I said:

'You ca

nnot go.'

Surely

you are ugly.

I do not want

that they tease

the men,

that they tease you,

that they call you names.

I do not want it."

"No,

grandmother,

I wanted

that I go among them.

Then I always win

–

when I go among them

–

(on) the warpath.

Then I always win.

Now

but

now

whatever it is

your

not allowing me

to go

that is how it is.

You hurt my

feelings

really,

grandma.

Really

you've hurt my feelings."

Now

when she turned around

the old woman,

why,

here

he became

an eagle.

Then he said:

"Grandmother,.

I'm going to become

an eagle,

grandmother.

I'm going to become

an eagle,

grandmother.

Then she said

his grandmother:

"Oh ho!

As ugly as you

are

how can you become

an eagle!"

When she turned around to look

–

when she saw him

–

her grandchild

and

there

there was the head attached to him

an eagle.

"No,

grandchild,

no!

I love you,

grandchild.

There

–

you can go with them.

There

–

you can go with them."

But

he had already become

an eagle.

Then she ran outside–

the old woman

–

She tied the lodge up.

She staked it down.

She staked the lodge down

–

with great vigor.

Oh my,

–

the flapping sounds were above

–

in the smoke hole.

In the smoke hole

–

that is where he flew out

–

the eagle

as he flew.

There

–

he was just flying higher and higher.

There

–

really

he was flying against the sky.

"Come down,

grandson!

I love you.

You and I are pitiful.

It is not good,

poor me

–

here–

that I should live pitifully

alone."

Then he said

the eagle:

"No.

But

you wanted it.

This is what you wanted

alone

'that I live capped in the lodge.'

Now

that is

how it will be.

Now

it will be thus:

you will live capped in the lodge

alone.

Now

but

I'll go

to the Black Hills.

That is the direction

I'll fly

the Black Hills

where the highest Black Hills are.

That is where I am going.

There

as he flew

after some length of time,

then he flew

down

the eagle,

–

but

–

his grandmother

she went there.

Then she transformed herself into it

–

a rabbit,

–

a rabbit

its lying on it

on a hill.

Then he flew down

the eagle.

There he saw her

his grandmother.

"Grandma,

I always like

to eat it

rabbit

one that is

dead,

but

this one

it is alive.

This one

it is alive

rabbit."

Again

so he soared in the sky.

Again

then he flew high.

There

after he soared into the sky

–

there

–

while he as going

after some length of time

–

there it lay yonder

–

a stag.

Ah,

it lay yonder.

–

It lay on a hill yonder.

–

He flew down

again

the eagle.

He flew down

again

the eagle.

When he saw it:

"Grandmother,

–

I always like

–

to take

bites out of it

a deer

one that is dead

but

this one

it is just looking!

It is just looking

this

stag.

It is just looking!"

Again

then he flew up high.

"Ah,

grandchild,

I want

that you come.

I want

that we be together

since

I am poor.

Alone

that I live

it is not good.

But

it was good

when you and I were together.

We were poor,

poor things,

–

what we ate

–

by the dung heaps

where we lived."

She said

his grandmother:

"Well,

go on!"

Again

then he flew up high.

There

–

as he flew

–

he flew

up against the sky.

She said

his grandmother:

"Aah,

Haaands,

here I am watching you

–

Here I am watching you.

–

You are just

wishing

–

the buzzards

–

'that you come

that you eat me up.'"

And

then she became frightened of it

the old woman.

She said:

"No,

I will just stay here,

and

buzzards

when they come

I'll just scare them away.

I'll just scare them away

the buzzards.

And

no matter what happens

–

see,

grandson

–

but

I will follow

you.

There

I will follow you

wherever you are going!

But

now I'll be flying behind.

I'll go flying behind

no matter

where you go.

There

then he got to the Black Hills.

He got to the Black Hills.

"Ah,

grandmother,

no matter where you go

–

but

–

there

I'll always be in the lead.

I'm going

where the high mountain

is,

alone

where the high mountain is."

She said

his grandmother:

"Now

there will be one thing,

grandson.

Come to the ledge

and

I'll see you for the last time

and

again

I'll see your face,

grandson."

Well,

and

then that is what he did

the eagle.

There

he went on top

there

where the high hill was.

A rock

it was.

It was a tall rock.

There

that is where he landed.

"Now,

grandmother,

here I am.

But

I let it be known.

I said:–

'But

I am now going to the Black Hills there.'

–

That is how it is.

This is where I am going to be.

But

here

this will be my

territory.

But

here

the Black Hills are where I'll roam

but

there

you'll live.

You forbade it

'that you go among

them'–

(on) the warpath.

But

while the wars are going to

–

but

I'll be sitting here.

I won't pay any attention to it,

but,

poor thing,

I'll sit on top."

There

when she arrived

the old woman

then she arrived.

There

she arrived

the old woman.

"Noow,

Haaands,

only

peep over!

Just

look!"

Then this is what he did:

poor thing,

Hands

then he perched on the ledge.

Now he sat on the ledge.

––

But–

his grandmother

–

when he looked at her

but

Hands

when he saw her

his grandmother

here

she had

become

a bear.

And

there there was

a bear,

a black bear,

his grandmother.

"Now

–

come to the ledge!

Surely

–

let me see your face!"

Hands

then he moved over.

When he looked at her

his grandmother

they looked at each other.

Oh my,

the bear

then she leaped

up into the air

–

Then she clawed down it

–

Then she fell down.

Now

there was a thump on the ground

when she fell.

"Now

wait,

Hands!

I want

that I touch your hand.

I want that

that

I touch you anywhere."

"Now

try harder,

grandmother!

Surely

but

that

that is what you want.

It is your fault

yourself.

Yourself

it is your fault.

But

–

you have hurt my feelings.

Really

–

you have hurt my feelings.

That is the

reason

when I made myself

an eagle.

But

I'll fly about over there permanently.

But

I'll roam around over here in the Black Hills.

But

there

you (pl) can live there!

You (pl) can be making wars over there!

But

I'll go around in the Black Hills here.

I'll roam all about these Black Hills here.

But

there

you (pl) can live over there."

And

–

then she said

–

the old woman:

"Ah

–

Hands,

–

again

I am going to say.

Again

I am going to say

–

'Come to the ledge!

Surely

let me see you for the last time!'"

Now

again

then he went.

Then he sat down on the ledge.

Oh my,

the bear

then she leaped up angrily.

Then she leaped

up angrily

the bear.

This time

she al

most got to the top.

Then she did it:

(with) claws

then she fell down

again.

"Now,

grandson,

and

here

you have gone."

"Yes,

I did it.

But

I am going.

There

southward

that is where I will head.

There

southward

that is the direction I'll go.

Over there

that is where they will have it

–

too

–

humans

their being the ones they make

rings.

Rock,

the blue

stone

they are the stones one sets in them,

too.

And

they can remember that,

too,

the eagle

what I did for them,

what I did for them."

Again

then she did that

the old woman:

she leaped up angrily.

Then she scratched him.

And

then she scratched him

a little.

She fell down

again.

Well,

now

this was the last time.

"Now,

Haaands,

I loved you.

You and I were pitiful.

Poor things,

we were pitiful."

And

then she cried

the old woman.

"Now,

–

my grandson

–

this will be the end.

I am tired.

My having been jumping

I am now tired.

And

that is all now.

I will let you go.

I will let you go

and

there

you can go on

there

where you say

southward.

There

you can go yonder.

You have made it difficult for me.

I canno

t get there

there

where you are going.

It is land

rock(y).

It is difficult.

That is where you are going.

–

You have left me

really.

–

And

that is how it is,

too.

You hurt my feelings.

We have

hurt each other's feelings

both."

The old woman,

also

–

the eagle,

both

–

they hurt each

other's feelings.

That is all.

But

the eagle

–

there

it was headed

–

southward.

"But

that is where I am now headed,

but

this is where you'll be going about."

"Now,

–

grandson,

–

grandson,

you have made it hard for me.

Over there

–

it is difficult

–

to go.

It is land

only

rock(y).

–

Rock(y)

only

it is land.

–

There

that is where

you are now headed.

Now

whatever you want

yourself

to be,

now

–

but

–

now I am going to ask them

–

there–

for them to

use the

–

and

precious metals

–

those kinds,

precious metals

the ones inside

in the ground.

I pity them,

too.

Too

that is how they'll be

–

They will be rich

–

Indians

those who are living.

But

here

you have hurt my feelings.

Now we have separated.

There

it is truly the way

we have

separated.

The eagle

he is going all around.

He goes around

in the Black Hills.

But

there

I'll go around pitifully."

And

the old woman

then she went home.

The old woman

then she went home.

There

then she arrived.

And

there her lodge was.

"Eh,

Hands

he used to live here

here

this is

where you used to live

Hands.

Now

but

you have made plans

for yourself

yourself.

Yourself

you have now made plans for

yourself

the way you wanted.

Also

that is what I am wanting

that it be

too.

Yourself

then you made plans for yourself

the way you wanted."

But

she was talking to it

a spirit.

The old woman

she was speaking to it

the eagle.

"But

you have made plans

for yourself

yourself.

There

you'll travel around.

There

you are holy

there

–

now that you are going around

–

far away.

Now you have left me.

Now you've made me feel miserable.

But

I'll live over here pitifully,

now

whatever I'm going to do,

too."