Sol says, “No, this is not a traditional tale, I made it up, except for the good fortune part. (In fact, he made it up based on a fascinating “Science Page” image, shown below. The photo above is one of Sol’s own.)
| piyakwâw îsa wîsahkîcâhk î-pimohtît kâ-pîhtawât awiya î-matwîtahikîthit nohcimihk, âh-acithaw mâka poko. ikotî kâ-itohtît î-nitawâpînikît. kâ-wâpamât pâspâscîsa î-miciminamithit ostikwânithiw. | ᐱᔭᒁᐤ ᐄᓴ ᐑᓴᐦᑮᒑᕽ ᐄ ᐱᒧᐦᑏᐟ ᑳ ᐲᐦᑕᐚᐟ ᐊᐏᔭ ᐄ ᒪᑜᑕᐦᐃᑮᖨᐟ ᓄᐦᒋᒥᕽ, ᐋᐦᐊᒋᖬᐤ ᒫᑲ ᐳᑯ᙮ ᐃᑯᑏ ᑳ ᐃᑐᐦᑏᐟ ᐄ ᓂᑕᐚᐲᓂᑮᐟ᙮ ᑳ ᐚᐸᒫᐟ ᐹᐢᐹᐢᒌᓴ ᐄ ᒥᒋᒥᓇᒥᖨᐟ ᐅᐢᑎᒁᓂᖨᐤ᙮ | As wîsahkîcâhk was walking he heard the sound of drumming, in short spurts, so he went to check on the source of the sound. He saw a woodpecker holding its head. |
| "tânihk ôma nisîmisî?" kâ-itwît wîsahkîcâhk. | "ᑖᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ ᓂᓰᒥᓰ?" ᑳ ᐃᑜᐟ ᐑᓴᐦᑮᒑᕽ᙮ | "What’s the matter Little Sibling?" wîsahkîcâhk asks the woodpecker. |
| "âh, î-tîyistikwâniyân ôma. î-nôhtîkatîyân ôma mâka tahtwâw kâ-kakwî-pâhpâwahak awa mîtos ta- nitonawakwâw manicôsak ta-mowakwâw sîmâk mâna nitîyistikwânân," itwîw pâspâscîs. | "ᐋᐦ, ᐄ ᑏᔨᐢᑎᒁᓂᔮᐣ ᐆᒪ᙮ ᐄ ᓅᐦᑏᑲᑏᔮᐣ ᐆᒪ ᒫᑲ ᑕᐦᑤᐤ ᑳ ᑲᑹ ᐹᐦᐹᐘᐦᐊᐠ ᐊᐘ ᒦᑐᐢ ᑕ- ᓂᑐᓇᐘᒁᐤ ᒪᓂᒎᓴᐠ ᑕ ᒧᐘᒁᐤ ᓰᒫᐠ ᒫᓇ ᓂᑏᔨᐢᑎᒁᓈᐣ," ᐃᑜᐤ ᐹᐢᐹᐢᒌᐢ᙮ | "I have a headache. I’m hungry but every time I pound on this tree to get bugs to eat I get a headache," says the woodpecker. |
| "mahti, ka-wîcihitin," itwîw wîsahkîcâhk. | "ᒪᐦᑎ, ᑲ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᑎᐣ," ᐃᑜᐤ ᐑᓴᐦᑮᒑᕽ᙮ | "Let me help you," says wîsahkîcâhk. |
| otinam cîstatâyâpiy omaskimotihk ohci. ati-pohtâstâw otônithihk pâspâscîsa, mitoni otahk ostikwânithik î-itisinahk, î-ati-wîwîkinahk wîtihpithiw ikwa kâwi otônik î-pî-itamothik. ikota tahkopitam otîthanîhk. | ᐅᑎᓇᒼ ᒌᐢᑕᑖᔮᐱᐩ ᐅᒪᐢᑭᒧᑎᕽ ᐅᐦᒋ᙮ ᐊᑎ ᐳᐦᑖᐢᑖᐤ ᐅᑑᓂᖨᕽ ᐹᐢᐹᐢᒌᓴ, ᒥᑐᓂ ᐅᑕᕽ ᐅᐢᑎᒁᓂᖨᐠ ᐄ ᐃᑎᓯᓇᕽ, ᐄ ᐊᑎ ᐑᐑᑭᓇᕽ ᐑᑎᐦᐱᖨᐤ ᐃᑿ ᑳᐏ ᐅᑑᓂᐠ ᐄ ᐲ ᐃᑕᒧᖨᐠ᙮ ᐃᑯᑕ ᑕᐦᑯᐱᑕᒼ ᐅᑏᖬᓃᕽ᙮ | He takes sinew from his bag and inserts it into the woodpecker’s mouth, all the way to the back of its head, around its brain, then back out of its mouth. And there he ties it to the (woodpecker"s) tongue. |
| "hâw, mahti ikwa pâhpâwah iyako mîtos," itwîw wîsahkîcâhk. | "ᐦᐋᐤ, ᒪᐦᑎ ᐃᑿ ᐹᐦᐹᐘᐦ ᐃᔭᑯ ᒦᑐᐢ," ᐃᑜᐤ ᐑᓴᐦᑮᒑᕽ᙮ | "Okay, pound on the tree," says wîsahkîcâhk. |
| ati-pâhpâwahîw mistikwa awa pâspâscîs. mitoni kinwîsk pâhpâwahikîw. ikwâni kaskîhtâw ta-mîcisot. | ᐊᑎ ᐹᐦᐹᐘᐦᐄᐤ ᒥᐢᑎᑿ ᐊᐘ ᐹᐢᐹᐢᒌᐢ᙮ ᒥᑐᓂ ᑭᐣᐑᐢᐠ ᐹᐦᐹᐘᐦᐃᑮᐤ᙮ ᐃᒁᓂ ᑲᐢᑮᐦᑖᐤ ᑕ ᒦᒋᓱᐟ᙮ | The woodpecker pounds on the tree. He pounds on the tree for a long time, eventually he is able to eat. |
| ikospî ohci tahtwâw kâ-pîhtawat pâspâscîs î-matwîhikît ka-mithopathihikon. | ᐃᑯᐢᐲ ᐅᐦᒋ ᑕᐦᑤᐤ ᑳ ᐲᐦᑕᐘᐟ ᐹᐢᐹᐢᒌᐢ ᐄ ᒪᑜᐦᐃᑮᐟ ᑲ ᒥᖪᐸᖨᐦᐃᑯᐣ᙮ | Ever since then, when you hear the sound of a woodpecker you’ll have good fortune. |
One Response
Thanks a lot…I like the bird and admire its continuous picking on the trees, etc. but never knew about what I learned today. Thanks a gain.