nôtokwêsiw wîcihisow / ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᓱᐤ / An Old Lady Helps Herself
Adapted by Solomon Ratt, 2024 from from The Little Red Hen by Mary Mapes Dodge, 1874.
For my Grade Two teacher, Mrs. Warren, who made me laugh when she read The Little Red Hen.
The moral of this story: Never underestimate the power of an old lady who loves moose!
nôtokwêsiw wîcihisow
pêyakwâw êsa pêyak nôtokwêsiw kî-nôhtê-mâcîw. kî-masinaham mihkwâkan-masinahikanihk ôma; awîna kâ-wî-wîcihit kita-mâcîwak?
namôya nânitaw awiyak kî-itwêw. êkosi kî-otinam opâskisikan êkwa môswasiniya ê-wî-nitawi-mâcît. kî-nipahêw môswa!
kî-masinaham mihkwâkan-masinahikanihk ôma; awîna kâ-wî-wîcihit kita-nikwatisowak?
namôya nânitaw awiyak kî-itwêw. êkosi kî-pêyako-nikwatisow.
ispîhk kâ-kî-takosihk wîkihk kî-nôhtê-pânisâwêw. kî-masinaham mihkwâkan-masinahikanihk ôma; awîna kâ-wî-wîcihit kita-pânisâwêwak?
namôya nânitaw awiyak kî-itwêw. êkosi kî-pêyako-pânisâwêw.
kî-nôhtê-akwânihkêw kita-kaskâpiskahk opânisâwana. kî-masinaham mihkwâkan-masinahikanihk ôma; awîna kâ-wî-wîcihit kita-akwâwânihkêwak?
namôya nânitaw awiyak kî-itwêw. êkosi kî-pêyako-akwâwânihkêw. kî-akotâw opânisâwâna akwânihk ê-kaskâpisahk.
kî-ati-maskatêpwêw, ê-kî-wî-mîcit môsowiyâs. kî-masinaham mihkwâkan-masinahikanihk ôma; awîna kâ-wî-wîcihit kita-mîciwak môsowiyâs?
“niya! niya” mihcêt awiyakak kî-itwêwak. “awas! nânapâwis kâ-wî-wîcihiyêk!” kî-itwêw nôtokwêsiw.
êkosi kî-pêyako-mîciw môsowiyâs.
ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᓱᐤ
ᐯᔭᒁᐤ ᐁᓴ ᐯᔭᐠ ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ ᑮ ᓅᐦᑌ ᒫᒌᐤ᙮ ᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ; ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐟ ᑭᑕ ᒫᒌᐘᐠ?
ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ᙮ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᐅᑎᓇᒼ ᐅᐹᐢᑭᓯᑲᐣ ᐁᑿ ᒨᔁᓯᓂᔭ ᐁ ᐑ ᓂᑕᐏ ᒫᒌᐟ᙮ ᑮ ᓂᐸᐦᐁᐤ ᒨᔁ!
ᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ; ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐟ ᑭᑕ ᓂᑿᑎᓱᐘᐠ?
ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ᙮ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᐯᔭᑯ ᓂᑿᑎᓱᐤ᙮
ᐃᐢᐲᕽ ᑳ ᑮ ᑕᑯᓯᕽ ᐑᑭᕽ ᑮ ᓅᐦᑌ ᐹᓂᓵᐍᐤ᙮ ᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ; ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐟ ᑭᑕ ᐹᓂᓵᐍᐘᐠ?
ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ᙮ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᐯᔭᑯ ᐹᓂᓵᐍᐤ᙮
ᑮ ᓅᐦᑌ ᐊᒁᓂᐦᑫᐤ ᑭᑕ ᑲᐢᑳᐱᐢᑲᕽ ᐅᐹᓂᓵᐘᓇ᙮ ᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ; ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐟ ᑭᑕ ᐊᒁᐚᓂᐦᑫᐘᐠ?
ᓇᒨᔭ ᓈᓂᑕᐤ ᐊᐏᔭᐠ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ᙮ ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᐯᔭᑯ ᐊᒁᐚᓂᐦᑫᐤ᙮ ᑮ ᐊᑯᑖᐤ ᐅᐹᓂᓵᐚᓇ ᐊᒁᓂᕽ ᐁ ᑲᐢᑳᐱᓴᕽ᙮
ᑮ ᐊᑎ ᒪᐢᑲᑌᐻᐤ, ᐁ ᑮ ᐑ ᒦᒋᐟ ᒨᓱᐏᔮᐢ᙮ ᑮ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐊᒼ ᒥᐦᒁᑲᐣ ᒪᓯᓇᐦᐃᑲᓂᕽ ᐆᒪ; ᐊᐑᓇ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᐟ ᑭᑕ ᒦᒋᐘᐠ ᒨᓱᐏᔮᐢ?
“ᓂᔭ! ᓂᔭ” ᒥᐦᒉᐟ ᐊᐏᔭᑲᐠ ᑮ ᐃᑘᐘᐠ᙮ “ᐊᐘᐢ! ᓈᓇᐹᐏᐢ ᑳ ᐑ ᐑᒋᐦᐃᔦᐠ!” ᑮ ᐃᑘᐤ ᓅᑐᑵᓯᐤ᙮
ᐁᑯᓯ ᑮ ᐯᔭᑯ ᒦᒋᐤ ᒨᓱᐏᔮᐢ᙮
An Old Lady Helps Herself
Once an old lady wanted to go moose hunting. She posted this on Facebook: “Who wants to help me go moose hunting?”
Nobody said a word. So she took up her rifle and bullets to go hunting. She killed a moose!
She posted this on Facebook: “Who wants to help me go fetch meat from the kill site?”
Nobody said a word. So she went on her own to fetch the meat from the kill site.
When she arrived at her home she wanted to cut the meat into slices. She posted this on Facebook: “Who wants to help me cut the meat into slices?”
Nobody said a word. So she cut the meat into slices on her own.
She wanted to make a smoking rack to make dried meat. She posted this on Facebook: “Who wants to help me make a smoking rack?”
Nobody said a word. So she made a smoking rack on her own. She hung her slices of meat there to smoke it.
She began roasting some meat on a spit, as she was going to eat moose meat. She posted this on Facebook: “Who wants to help me eat moose meat?”
“Me! Me!” said many people. “Go away, it”s about time you want to help me!” said the old lady.
She ate the moose meat by herself.
3 Responses
A wonderful story – I can imagine this happening in real life today. I have had the opposite, I wish to go hunting again after my accident (fell off a roof). I can not walk as far and as well as I used to and then when I was recouping I had Covid-19 and other health issues. I asked my hunting partners – can I go with you to hunt, no was the reply we are scared. The next year I asked others can I come to the hunt camp I will do the cooking for everyone (I am a very good cook) I miss being at the camp. No was the reply we have new people. The next year I asked can I please come to camp to be with my friends. There was no reply. The next year, two of my hunting friends had died, and another moved away. I have no one to hunt with, to help gather the meat to eat, to take meat to the elders and others who used to rely on me. They have not had meat for five years, for my hunting friends stopped sharing like we always did.
I wanted to be in the camps, there are spots to hunt very near the camp that I could be taken to and I could hunt from there. I wanted to hear the stories, hear the laughter, feel the friendship. I wanted to get my share so others who have relied on me would not go hungry. Yet I was lame and useless in those who I thought were friends, brothers. I learned that there was one who always spoke out against me coming to the camp – he would say to the others “why should we share our meat with someone who can not hunt in the deeper woods, without him we will have more meat”. And so I have lost the people I used to hunt with, I have not had meat harvested from the land, yet that is not the part that hurts; I have not been able to provide to those who relied upon me. I have cried for them for 5 years now.
If you read this please remember it only takes one person in the hunt who is greedy to hurt more than one other person. I forgive that brother, for now, he has departed to the other world.
Thank you! nikī-ayamihtān ōma âcimowinis nohkom asici, ikwa nimiywêyihtênân, miywāsin nipāpinān.
-Kristy
ninanâskomitinân, Kristy!