XML version dated October 16, 2025. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.
101
The Woman with Red Leggings
Ella P. Waters
| AhnuuxitUhkákUx | itUhwiísuʾ | sáhniš | wewitiisuuxaNAsáʾUx. |
| When the village was in the woods | Heart Village, | Arikaras | they were hungry. |
| wituuxiíhiʾ | psíkAt | na | nuu | wewitiisuuxaNAsáʾUx. |
| It was | in the winter | and | there | they were hungry then. |
| wewitohniinawoósA | – | takohnáʾU | šeenoowiteéʾaʾ | – |
| After they all had gone to bed | – | someone | then she was plainly coming | – |
| hunaákAt | iiʾAhnaakaáWI | – | akAhpaátu.– |
| on the snow | where a lodge was | – | a tipi.– |
| noowitireekawiraʾuúhAt | akAhpaátu. |
| Then she moved the door flap aside | the tipi. |
| tireekawiraʾuuhAt. |
| She moved the door flap aside. |
| noowitaaxUhuunuúkaʾ | tsu | sápat | tiiʾAhnaáxA | na | wiítA | AhnaRAhkaáWI. |
| Then she put her foot inside | but | a woman | here where she lay | and | a man | where they were in the lodge. |
| a | noowitiwaákoʾ | tatanuhnaánaʾ | kóstš. |
| And | then she said: | "I came to borrow yours | a kettle. |
| tátskaʾ | aatanuhnaáNU | kóstš. |
| I want | that I to use yours | kettle." |
| a | noowitiwaákoʾ | sápat | šehniikaákUx | anineékUx | kóstš. |
| And | then she said | woman | the main one inside (the lodge): | "There it sits | a kettle. |
| niinooNAxeeríčI | niinareekáWI | anineékUx. |
| Where you are standing | by the door | there it sits." |
| nooWIšitiitukookunaaneéRIt. |
| Then they saw her leggings. |
| witooxukookupAhaátIt | nii- | ʾAhniisuuxUhú | – | saNIšwakúhtuʾ | ukookútš | – | nakuutakoóčI. |
| She had red leggings, | as | they used to do | – | the old people | leggings | – | when one wore them. |
| witikúxIt | kóstš. |
| She took it | the kettle. |
| noowiteeWIsítIt. |
| Then she went out. |
| witireeká- | WI. |
| She closed | the door flap. |
| nuu | šeenoowewitIhunaakáʾAt | aNAhunaačiiseeWAhnaahú. |
| There | then she now walked plainly on the snow | it being the crunching sound of snow. |
| nooniikohnáʾAt. |
| It was not known where she went. |
| wewitiraačeéʾA. |
| It was a long time. |
| wewitAheešAhíštA | štoh | nooWIšitiinátkoʾ | wehnaaʾá. |
| Now it was going to be morning | again | then they heard her | as she came. |
| witireekaríkUt | sápat. |
| She opened the door flap | the woman. |
| noowitiwaákoʾ | sápat | tineešiníhkUx | kóstš. |
| Then she said | the woman: | "Here is yours | kettle. |
| wetatohnáʾ. |
| I have brought it." |
| noowitiwaákoʾ | šehniikaákUx | sápat | aniiháʾI | šuxkúx. |
| Then she said | the main one inside | woman: | "There | set it!" |
| noowitikúx | kóstš. |
| Then she set it down | the kettle. |
| anuú | štoh | noowitee- | WIsítIt. |
| There | again | then she | went out. |
| noowitiiriwátAt | sápat. |
| Then she got up | the woman. |
| – | noowitIhaakeeríWAt. |
| – | Then she opened it. |
| – | noowi- | tIhoowatatót | kóstš | wehnaaRAhuúka. |
| – | Then | she opened it | the kettle | after she brought it in. |
| na | noo- | witiiraawaahaáʾ | tarahUhkaáxuʾ | taRAhúhtš. |
| And | there | they were in (boiling) water | strips of old leather, | rawhide. |
| noowitiiraawaahaáʾ. |
| There they were in water in it. |
| tiwehnihnoowatatoókA | noowitihwáčiʾ | tarahUhkaáxuʾ | tineeRAhkóskUx. |
| When they uncovered it | then they said: | "Worn out leather | here is a pot of it." |
| a | noowitiwaákoʾ | áxkUx | wiítA | wah | wetatakuhnaahnaánaʾ | naakaWAhaánuʾ |
| And | then he said | one | man: | "Now | she has brought us | good luck." |
| nooWIšitiiNAxúNAt | sápat | – | híNAx | – | niiwehnaátA | hunaákAt. |
| Then they tracked her | the woman | – | at night | – | where she went | in the snow. |
| a | noowitiiraaNIsAxá. |
| And | there she lay on a scaffold. |
| tiwešoh- | nituuNUxeéRIt | nikuwitíʾ | sápat | AhnuuxuukátA | AhnuxkatiisíʾU. |
| When they | saw her clothes, | she was the one | woman | the one who went in | last night. |
| – | nikuwitíʾ | sápat | – | wituuxukookupAhaátIt. |
| – | She was the one | woman: | – | she had red leggings. |
| noowitiraaNIsAxá. |
| Then she was lying on a scaffold. |
| tiwehnaaheešá | tiwehnaRAhkataátA | wiítA |
| When morning came | when they went up on the hill | the men |
| noowitiikaníškUx | tanáhaʾ. |
| there there was a herd | buffalo. |
| wah | – | nikuwituutAxítIt | – | wehniisuuxaNAsáʾUx | itUh- | wiísuʾ |
| Now | – | that is what happened | – | when they were starving | Heart | Village |
| tuuháʾI | AhnuuxitUhkákUx. |
| over there | when the village was in the woods. |
| sápat | anináʾU | – | nikunoowitiiNAhnaačíWAt | – | AhniisuuxaNAsáʾUx. |
| Woman | that one | – | that one changed their way | – | their having been hungry. |
| tanáhaʾ | noowitiikaníškUx. |
| Buffalo | there there was a herd. |