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

123

The Scalped Man by the River

Dan Howling Wolf

na – witiraáNAt – naawiinakuúnuʾ nuuwehnakoohaahkAhunuu-
And – they went – (on) the warpath when they were roaming
waáWI weNAhunuuwaáWI.
around on the prairie when they were going around.

noowiteeraánaʾ – wehnaaRAhkaaʾiišá.
Then they came – when they came home.
– noowitiRAsawiraáʾAt.
– Then they went down.
witiraanuukaataʾiíšAt niinačiisoótA tswaarúxtiʾ.
They got to the bank where the water is the Missouri River.
tiraanuukaataʾiíšAt.
They got to the bank.

witiRAhčitáʾAt.
They went onto it.
noowitiihuukaatákUx tshunúxuʾ.
There he was sitting on the bank a scalped man.
tičiikaáhuʾ tstoóxuʾ.
He was drinking water.
tičiikaáhuʾ tstooxuʾ.
He was drinking water.
nikutuutaánuʾ.
That is what he was doing.
tičeewariíʾIt.
He was naked.

weNAhkučiíka noowitiwaákoʾ tswaarúxtiʾ.
When he drank then he said: "Holy water."

inawaaríčI – wešohnitčiríkUx áxkUx – noowiti- waákoʾ čiíRA.
Those – while they were watching him, one – then he said: "Hello!
ka kunataraákIt.
Are you one of us?"

čiríkU – tiiʾAhnaákUx tshunúxuʾ – wehnakaskawiítIt witikUxaʾuúkUt.
Oh my, – this one scalped man – after he looked around, he jumped into the water.
witikUxaʾuúkUt tswaarúxtiʾ nuuweNAhoótA.
He jumped into the water Missouri River his floating there.
nuu – nooNIhuutakatáʾAt – niiʾAhnaʾaahkawiíʾAt.
There – then he floated to the other side – where the bank was.
nuukuwitaahkatáʾAt.
He climbed up it there over yonder.
– witikaskáWI.
– He looked back.
– nuu noowitikaʾiíšAt.
– There then he went into the brush.

noowitIhuuNUxtós.
There lay his clothes.
noowitihwáčiʾ – hásI.
Then they said: – "Look!
– čaató itaraaNAsawiraáʾAt
– Let's go down."

noowitiRAsawiraáʾAt.
Then they went down.
noowitanuhnuNUxtóswa.
His clothes were lying there.
nux- kookúʾuʾ noowitíʾIt taRAhúhtš.
Leg- gings they were buckskin.
noowitaNAsaahíš.
They had just dried.
hawá xúhtš.
Also moccasins.
hawá uukawítš.
Also a shirt.
hawá noowitiíkUx AhnapAx- koočiʾú – sčiríhtš.
Also there it sat a head covering – coyote.
AhnooWIšititkhaáhtA.
It just had two ears.
sčiríhtš skarútš witíʾ.
Coyote a hide it was.
WIšititkhaáhtA sčiríhtš.
It had two ears the coyote.
tuuháʾ witiRItkútA hawá činitíniʾ.
Over there it had a tail, also on the nape.
– noowitanuusá neesítš.
– There his lay knife.
– nuu noowi- tanuhčiríškA.
– There then his was sharp.

noowitihwáčiʾ nawáh šiisiisuxtoswaáWI.
Then they said: "Now let's put them (aside) for him!"

nooWIšitihnoswaáWI – uukawítš na nuxkookúʾuʾ – na xúhtš.
Then they put them aside – the shirt and leggings – and moccasins.
na hawá naaWIškaánuʾ hawá nooWIšitih- noósI naaWIškáhtš.
And also tobacco, also then they put it aside the pipe.
na neesítš nooWIšitiitús.
And the knife then they put it down.

nawáh – wetIhuukatáʾAt na hawá – kooxeenuukatáʾ.
"Now, – he has gone across and also – he will come across.
noonehnuukatáʾAt noonanoswaakároʾ.
Then he'll go across, then he'll accept them."

na nooteeRAhkaaʾiíšaʾ.
And then they came home.
nuu tiRAhwísAt.
There they returned.
noo- witiinaaʾít.
Then they told about it.
wah wešitatunáx tshunúxuʾ.
"Now we have found him a scalped man.
nooniihuukaatákUx.
He was sitting on the bank.
nooniičiikaáhuʾ.
He was drinking.
wenakučiíka nootiwaákoʾ tseéRUx.
When he drank he said: 'tseéRUx.'
téhnoʾ sáhniš.
He must be an Arikara."

na – štoh niikohniiraawiíʾot štoh – noowitiraáNAt štoh
And – again it was sometime later again – then they went again
wehnaRAhpaaniišátA nuu weNAhunuuwaáWI.
when they went on a communal hunt there when they were going around.

noowitiwaákoʾ áxkUx wituxtawéʾ aa eenuú- itaraapóʾ–
Then he said one he had been among them: "Ah there let's go–
tiiháʾ – tshunúxuʾ šiNAsiisuuxeéRIt.
here – the scalped man where we saw him.
čiíRA itaraápoʾ.
Now let's go.
taanikutiihíʾ teškúNIt niiNAhuukaahaa- noótA.
This is where it was close by where the river flows.
neenikutiíhiʾ nuuxuukaatákUx.
This is where it was where he sat on the bank."

na – hawá – nootiraáNAt.
And – also – then they went.
uu – áxkUx – wituhneesiíšuʾ.
Oh – one – he knew.
tiitaksiráxAt.
He took them.
tiraanuukaataʾiíšAt.
They got to the bank.
taanikutúxkUx.
"This is where he sat."
a noowitiiroswá šohniisuxtoswaawíhA.
And there the things lay the things they had left or him.
nookanawitanoswaakároʾ áriišIt – kukohnaraawaáNU – witohnaah- kawaawáNIt.
He had not taken them himself – his things – what he wore.
naaWIškaánuʾ witirós na naaWIškáhtš.
The tobacco it was lying, and the pipe.
noowiteeríhIt AhneeruúkA.
There was only one what he took.
neesítš noowitaaniírut.
The knife he had taken it.
nookanawitiišá neesítš.
It was not lying there the knife.
tsu uunaroswaáWI AhnoowitiRAsaWIxtaakaáʾ.
But the other things lying they were just faded.
nohnanaanuunawaawáʾ niiháʾ.
Then he left them all right there.

číkuʾ kanaWIšitihnunáx niikohnúxka anináʾU tshunúxuʾ niikohnáʾAt.
They never found him wherever he had been inside that scalped man, wherever he went.

nootiRAhkaaʾíšWA.
Then they went back home.
tiinaaʾít wah nuuneeroswá.
They told about it: "Now there those things are.
číkuʾ kaneetehníkuxIt šinatsuxtos- waawíhA – nuxkookúʾuʾ– čituúʾ.
He did not take anything the things we had left for him – leggings,– all.
kaneetehnaroswaakároʾ.
He did not take them.
neesítš nooteeríhIt AhneeruúkA.
The knife it was the only one his taking it.

nootiRAhwísAt wehniinaaʾiítI aaxtóh téhnoʾ sáhniš.
Then they arrived when they told it: "Surely he must be an Arikara.
iiháʾ číkuʾ tehnáka.
There he must live inside."

na číkuʾ kanaWIšitiišunáx– číkuʾ niikohnáʾAt– číkuʾ nii- kohnúxka.
And they never found him,– wherever he went– wherever he had been inside.