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| 1.1 | Wîsahkêcâhk êkwa môswa | Wîsahkêcâhk and the Moose |
| 2.1 | pêyakwâw êsa wîsahkêcâhk pah-pimohtêw sisonê sâkahikanihk. | Once Wîsahkêcâhk was walking along the lake. |
| 2.2 | kêtahtawê kâ-wâpamât môswa nipîhk ê-pahkopêyit, ê-kah-kanawâpamisoyit. | Suddenly, he came upon a moose wading in the water, looking at himself. |
| 2.3 | kêtahtawê mâna kâ-sipwê-mâtot awa môswa ispîhk kâ-wâpamisot nipîhk. | All of a sudden, every now and then, he'd start crying every time he saw himself in the water. |
| 2.4 | kitimâkihtawêw osîmisa wîsahkêcâhk. | Wîsahkêcâhk took pity on him when he heard him cry. |
| 2.5 | ati-nâtêw. | He goes toward him. |
| 2.6 | wî-sipwêpahtâyiwa mayaw kâ-wâpamikot. nitomêw. | But, when the moose saw him, he ran away. |
| 3.1 | “hay! nisîmis! tânêhki ôma kâ-mâtoyan?” kâ-itât êsa. | Wîsahkêcâhk calls him: "Hey! nisîmis why are you crying?" he said to him. |
| 3.2 | kipihcêyiwa. | He stops. |
| 4.1 | “ayisk ê-osâmi-mâyâtisiyân,” kâ-itikot. | "Because, I am really ugly!," he said to him. |
| 5.1 | “hay awas! kimiyosin ôma!” kâ-itât. | "Hey, oh! You're beautiful! Go on, you're beautiful," he said to him. |
| 6.1 | “mâka nawac niciwâm apisimôsos ê-miyosit ayisk ê-miyotêskanêt,” kâ-isi-mâtot êsa awa môswa. | "But my cousin the deer is much more beautiful, cause he has beautiful horns," said the moose. |
| 6.2 | kitimâkihtawêw osîmisa wîsahkêcâhk. | "Hey." W took pity on what he heard. |
| 7.1 | “hâw, kâya mâto nisîmis,’ kâ-itwêt wîsahkêcâhk. | "Haw... Don't cry, younger sibling," said Wîsahkêcâhk. |
| 7.2 | “kika-osihtamâtin têskanak kîspin nâtamawiyani iskwêw,” kâ-itât osîmisa. | "I'll make you new horns, if you go get me a woman." he said to his younger sibling. |
| 7.3 | aciyaw mâmitonêyihtam awa môswa nawac piko ê-ânwêhtawât ostêsa. | A little bit, just a short while the moose thinks about them, because he thinks Wîsahkêcâhk is going to play a trick on him. So he doubts him. |
| 8.1 | “hâw, mâka nîkân otêskanêstamawin,’ piyisk itêw wîsahkêcâhkwa. | "Aah. But first you must make me new horns," eventually he says to Wîsahkêcâhk. |
| 9.1 | tâpwê piko ani ati-otêskanêstamawêw osîmisa awa wîsahkêcâhk. | Now right away Wîsahkêcâhk makes new horns for his younger sibling. |
| 10.1 | “hâw, kimiyosin nisîmis,” itêw osîmisa. | "Aah, there you go, now you're beautiful," he says to his younger sibling." |
| 10.2 | “kanawâpamiso nipîhk.” | Go ahead! Look at yourself in the water! |
| 11.1 | wahwâ! miyonâsow awa môswa ispîhk kâ-kanawâpamisot nipîhk ayisk ê-misâyiki otêskana. | Wahwâ! The moose really likes what he sees in the water. He looks really handsome because he has big, beautiful antlers. |
| 11.2 | êkwâni sipwêpahtâw, ê-nitawi-nitonawât iskwêwa wîsahkêcâhkwa ta-wîwiyit. | And from there he leaves, going to go look for a woman for W to wed. |
| 12.1 | kinwêsk itahkamikisiw awa môswa. mêtoni ê-ati-iskaci-pêhot wîsahkêcâhk. | He's in the bush for a long time, and Wîsahkêcâhk gets tired of waiting. |
| 12.2 | kêtahtawê kâ-matâwisit. | All of a sudden, the moose emerges from the bush. |
| 12.3 | wah! kitimâkinâkosiw awa môswa, nawac mistahi ê-kinokotêt êkwa otâpiskan kêkâc mohcihk ê-isi-akotiniyik êkwa otêskana ê-napakisiyit. | Ho, wahwâ! He takes pity on how the moose looks. The moose looks really pitiful. His face is longer, and his chin almost falls to the ground! And his horns are flat! |
| 13.1 | “tânêhki ôma kâ-isinâkosiyan nisîmis?” kâ-isi-kakwêcimât osîmisa wîsahkêcâhk. | "Why do you look the way you look, younger sibling?" Wîsahkêcâhk asks him. |
| 14.1 | “ê-nawaswâtakik aniki iskwêwak mâka sakâhk ê-ispahtâcik êkwa êkotê nitisi-nawaswâtâwak mâka nitati-micimosinin mistikohk. | "I was chasing the women into the bush, but they ran into the bush, and then I followed them there. But I got stuck in the trees. |
| 14.2 | nitêskanak ê-micimosimakik mistikohk. | My horns got stuck in the trees. |
| 14.3 | tahtwâw kâ-kakwê-wîhkwacihoyân nawac mistahi nimicimosinin. | And every time I tried to free myself, I got stuck further and further. |
| 14.4 | mêtoni nihkwâkan ê-tah-tâwahamân mistikohk êwak-ohci kâ-isi-kinwêhkwêyân! | And I banged my face onto the trees every time I tried to get free. That's why I have such a long face. |
| 14.5 | mêtoni mîna ê-ati-napakisimakik nitêskanak. | And my horns got flattened. |
| 14.6 | mahti kihtwâm miyosêhin nistêsê.” | Please, can you make me beautiful again, older brother?" |
| 15.1 | “nama, osâm namwâc kipêtamawin iskwêw,” itwêw wîsahkêcâhk, ê-ati-nakatât. | "No! Because you didn't bring me a woman!" said Wîsahkêcâhk, and he left him there. |
| 16.1 | kêyâpic pêyakwan isinâkosiw awa môswa! | The moose still looks the way he looked to this day. |
| 16.2 | kêyapic mîna mâh-mâtow ispîhk kâ-wâpamisot nipîhk. | And he still cries every time he sees himself in the water. |
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One Response
I really apreciate Solomon Ratt’s storey telling. Both in style, context & narrative. He makes the storey come alive! Could you please clarify who Wisahkêcahk is? I am meti (Sioux) please forgive me as I am on a life long journey. My daughter in law & grandchildren are Plains Cree & I feel it is vital I learn their language & culture to ensure they blossom & grow in thiers. I thoroughly enjoy Solomon’s teaching style…he looks & sounds like my older brother. Who also used to read to me & tell me stories. Teniki!