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

78

Coyote and Kit Fox

Lillian Brave

sčiríhtš NAhkuwaawanú NAhkuraaNAxweekoóčI
Coyote when he was roam- ing around when he was looking around for things
číkuʾ aatáʾA – NAhkiisAhkawaawanú – noowitiwísAt.
something wanting'that I eat it' – when he was going around the village – then he got there.
noowitiišá wehnakaawačiitaáNA sčiRIhkaapinát.
There he lay after he had got full Wolf.
či weešaahkaawačiíta wáRUx.
Here he had got full rabbits.

čeésiʾ nootuunaátA.
Himself then he craved it.
nootúNAt.
Then he took it away from him.
wehnawáʾA wehnawáʾA číkuʾ nuukuwitiikaNAseéhAt.
After eating, after eating, there he was with a big stomach.

noowitiwaákoʾ – tiiháʾ witiituuxUhuúnus.
Then he said: – "Here let me lay down for a while
– weti- koowíʾAt.
– I am tired.
hawá weneekisčípi.
Also I am sleepy."

wah šuuxItká.
"Now sleep!
niiháʾI witiišuúxus.
Here lie down!
šuuxItká.
Sleep!"
witi- waákoʾ pAhkátš wah šuuxItká.
He said Kit Fox: "Now sleep!
šikoxtootAsíštA.
We will watch over you."

noowititkAxWAhnaahUxítIt wehnetkAxkataRUxaáhu.
Then he began snoring while he was snoring.
a či weešanutčiriinuhkawataákuʾ.
And here his anus was going in and out.
nooWIšititčiriinúkAt weh- nuNAhnunuúWI.
Then they cut his anus while they were working around.
aráh suxčiriinúkAt.
"Say, cut his anus!"

šohnitčiriinúkAt číkuʾ kanawituhneésiš.
When his anus was cut he did not know it at all.
aa wetAxkutapít.
"Ah, you pinched me.
tehnaaxIšWIhčeésIt.
You must have long fingernails."
či weešee- núkAt.
Here it had been cut.

noowituhniikároʾ čipítkAt.
Then he washed it in a spring
– noowitikatAhkaáRIt.
– Then he turned it inside out.
– noh- nikaáWI nátš.
– Then he put it in it stick.
nuu áriišIt niiʾAhnuxwaasItkú noowitiNAhkutkataroosiNIhítkA –
There himself where he had roasted it where he had gorged himself on it –
AhnuúxA – wáRUx -- na nikunooWIšitiiNItkatáWI čiriínuʾ.
when he ate it – a rabbit -- and then that is what they put over the fire the anus.

noowitičirikaʾá sčiríhtš.
Then he woke up Coyote.

noowitiwaákoʾ čą́ą́ nootoonaakhaanawíre.
Then he said: "Say, it just smells good.
číkuʾ wetee- NAxtaNAxnaakaanúnoʾ
You must have cooked something."

witiwaákoʾ pAhkátš heeʾ neésuʾ anikutúxkUx.
He said Kit Fox: "Yes, an intestine it was the one.
neetuhniikároʾ.
I cleaned it.
neeneetiísAt.
Then I roasted it.
čą́ą́ – aráh – tačitawíʾuʾ.
Why – say, – a delicacy!
tačitawíʾuʾ či nóʾ tinaákUx neésuʾ.
A delicacy here it is this intestine!"

noowitikanéʾIs.
Then he ate it up.

uu – nuukunoowitaahčitáʾAt pAhkátš.
Oh, – then he went up a hill there in the distance– Kit Fox.
hee – šuxtaakIt- koókuʾ tiNAxtaakituunúhAt.
"Hey – you (pl) listen, you in the village!
šuxtaakItkoókuʾ.
Listen!
sčiRIhkaapinát wenakuutaáNA niiwenuutUhuunaawaanuuxukú
Wolf his doing it the deceitful things he always does
wewititUtčirih- kanéʾIs áriišIt.
now he has eaten his anus himself.
wewititUtkataroosiNIhít waRUxtAhkúsuʾ wewitikanéʾIs.
Now he gorged himself: a bunch of rabbits he ate them up.
šitatuuNUxaátA na číkuʾ kaakikuhnaačee- níhuʾ.
We craved one and he did not share anything with us.
wenutčirihkawátAt wewitinakuukaawačiináʾU.
His anus came out after he gorged himself.
nikuti- raačítA neešiineetUtčiriinísAt.
That is the reason we roasted his anus.
na áriišIt weneekané- ʾIs.
And himself he has eaten it up.
wah WIštéh.
Now wait!
štoh koxtohneéRIt.
Again I will fix it."

noowitunáʾAx.
Then he chased him.

noowehnaanaweétA čeésiʾ pAhkátš noowitohnitkUxuukaa- taʾús
After he tired himself Kit Fox then he lay down by the water's edge
– aatétkA – niiʾAhnačísA tstoóxuʾ.
– wanting'that I sleep' – where the water was water.
noowitohnitkUxuukaataʾús.
Then he lay down by the edge of the water.

tsu tinaáxA sčiríhtš noowitičitáʾAt.
But this Coyote then he went up.

noowitiwaákoʾ a číkuʾ – nátš aahnaáhNA – noo-
Then he said: "Why, one– a stick if I had it – then
ʾaatičiNIstáʾIt pAhkátš.
I would hit him on the neck Kit Fox."

noowititkAxIsUxaáhuʾ.
Then he was snoring.
tiwehnaariwaátaʾ nátš čukú  noonateepíštA
When he lifted it the stick 'where am I going to hit him?'
tiwehnaaritawiraaʾá tiwehnapAx- íšA nooWIšitihčirikaáxIt sčiríhtš.
when he brought it down, when he hit his head then they cracked an eye Coyote.
noowituhkúxAx.
Then he ran away.

aa čeésiʾ niinooʾaaxuuxaWIsátA čeésiʾ niku- koxtohneéRIt.
"Ah, yourself wherever you might even go myself you are the one for whom I will fix it."

nuu noowituhkúxAx sčiríhtš nuu niiʾAhnawaawi- čeésU.
There then he ran off Coyote there where a high hill was.
nikunoowitičitáʾAt.
Then that is where he went up.

wah theenikunookoxtičitáʾAt.
"Now so here is where I will go up.
niihéʾ nikuneeti- čitawiítIt na niiháʾ
There that is where I'll sit down on top and there
nikiitUhčiriNIsá- kUx – na – čeésiʾ –
that is where my eyes will look down – and – myself –
číkuʾ niiNAsakUhtawé – neewitiitiraápI.
some day – I'll repay you."

čiisAhítš wewitooNAhčiraanúNAx sčiríhtš Ahnoo- wititsuučitAxá.
Grease when he found it for himself Coyote then the liquid just lay on top.

noowitiwaákoʾ pAhkátš čą́ą́ tinaáxA nikutíʾ wiítA natuuNUxtaáxI.
Then he said Kit Fox: "Why, this he is the one man the one I chased.

noowewituutaánuʾ Ahniišaweéhu.
Then he was doing it his moving his hand over it.
noowewititiščituúxuʾ.
Then he was sucking his hand.
čiríkU či wewiwitUtkataroosiNIhít.
Oh my, here he gorged himself.
hawá čeésiʾ pAhkátš nikunooWIšitiiNAhuúnoʾ.
Also himself Kit Fox then that is what they did to him.

noowitohnitkAxúsA.
Then he lay down to sleep.
aatiniinaákUx nikunakuútA na aatotčiRIhkáWAt haáwaʾ.
"If I were able to do that, and I would take his eye out also."

wačéh wewitičirikatákUx sčiríhtš.
Poor thing, he had one eye open Coyote.
– čeésiʾ niku- noowituuNAhuúnoʾ – pAhkátš.–
– Himself then that is what he did to him – Kit Fox.–
noowitičirikatákUx pAhkátš.
Then he had one eye open Kit Fox.

noowituhkúxAx.
Then he ran away.
witikUxpaána.
He hid.

hásI – taatIšWIhčeésIt na – aatatawaapiíkA.
"Look, – I have long fingernails and – I might scratch you.
na tičé NAxuutaaníštA.
And what are you going to do?"

hásI naátU taataahčeésIt.
"Look, myself I have long teeth.
číkuʾ aakatiiʾaáhwat.
I have such long teeth!
Axteekakáʾus.
I'll bite you."

weWIšitituuNIsšká.
Now they (du) bore grudges against each other.

wah tiíNI niinoonakuuxaWIsiihiíʾU pAhkátš kaakíʾ  nakuhwiisátA –
Now today no matter where it is a kit fox it can- not go near it –
sčiríhtš – a – sčiríhtš – kaneeníʾ nakuhwiisátA pAhkátš.
a coyote – and – a coyote – it cannot go near it a kit fox.
weWIšitituuNIsškaáwa.
They (du) bear grudges against each other.
wešitičirikataáRIt ápIs.
They (du) each have an eye open both.