A Lakota story

A Lakota story

A Minneconjou camp which had settled
down for the winter was raided by Crow Indians.
The Crow stole many horses and took
a Lakota woman back to their camp.



The Lakota woman was unhappy staying in the Crow camp.
She missed her people.
Some of the Crow women saw this
and took pity on her.
They gave her food and a blanket
and told her to hide by a creek near the camp.
She hid herself in the bushes along the banks of the creek.
A short time later some of the Crow men came looking for her.
While the Lakota woman was hiding, two wolves came upon her.
The wolves growled at her and circled around her.
The woman thought the wolves were going to kill her.
But the wolves treated her kindly and guided
her along a path to the east. The wolves and the woman traveled
together while the Crow were chasing them.

A raging blizzard caught the woman and her wolf friends
in the open prairie. Two more wolves joined them
as they walked through the blowing snow.
The small wolf pack and the woman struggled through
the snowdrifts and the cold winds.

There is power in this story.
The woman was able to get safely away
from the Crow because of the blizzard.
If one is travelling in a blizzard and remembers
this story- one need not be afraid.

After many days of traveling, the small band reached
Squaw Buttes near present day Opal, South Dakota.
They came to a cave in the rocks and the wolves forced her inside.
The cave had an awful smell. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness,
she saw many wolves in the large den.

She thought that the wolves would tear her apart.
Instead the wolves dragged her in a deer,
tore it apart and shared it with the woman.



The wolves were one big family.
Many generations of wolves lived together in the cave.
Each wolf had its own place in the family.
The hunter wolves brought in the meat.
The other wolves kept watch over the den.
In this way- they all looked after each other.

The woman made herself a home in the den.
She learned to speak and understand the wolves language.
The woman would dry and store the meat for the winter.
She got along well with the wolves and they got along well
with her. Soon she smelled just like the other wolves.

The wolves knew their country well.
They always knew whenever the two-legged ones passed through.
The wolves usually stayed away from the two-leggeds.
The wolves did not like the way they smelled.

At turnip digging time of the year -
the woman's mother was still mourning.
She thought that her daughter had been killed.
One day the hunter wolves saw the mother near the den.
The wolves went back and told the woman.
The woman wanted to go back to her people.
She was worried that they would not accept her back.
The wolves told her to wave her blanket two times
if she wanted to stay with her mother.
If she waved once - the wolves would come
and take her back to the den.

When the mother saw her daughter coming -
she was so happy to see her that she cried.
The woman waved her blanket twice to the wolves who
were watching her from the hills.
The wolves saw this and went back to their cave.
The woman's name became Iguga Oti Win -
"Woman who lived in the rock".
The rock is now considered a sacred area to the Lakota.

Be Careful of this tale
because if it is told on a winter night
it might cause a blizzard!

*****************************************************

Hohwoju oyate eya wani ti pi icuhan kangi wicasa kin
sung manu ahi na ota mawicanu pi na nakun
Lakota winyan ko akiyagla pi. Kangi wicasa ti pi heciya winyan
ki le aki pi ca titakuye wica kiksuye na lila cante sice na ceya ke,
winyan ki ableza pi na heya pi ske,

"Sina ki le ena, woyute ki lena icu,
na wakpala ta inahma ye."



Hoca mni aglala inahma ke, na oiyokpaza ca gla cu ke,
icuhan sungmanitu tanka nump el hipi na oksan hlo omanipi ke,
takinnas ena kte pi kta kecin ke.
Sungmanitu tanka ki waste ca pi ke ca ob wancok wi
yohinyanpata kiya si glu hapi ke.
Blaye cokan gla pi ehanl osiceca tanka wan hihunni na icuhan
sungmanitu tanka a ke numb hel opa pi ke.
Hetan tehiya mani pi eyas hecena gla pi,
kangi wicasa kanyela u pi k'on hetan kawinga pi.



Wooyake ki le wowas'ake yuha.
Lakota winyan ki le osiceca ahi ca heon kpapte.
Tuwa osiceca icuhan omani ki le wooyake ki kiksuye ehantans
takuni toka. Anpetu ota mani pi ehanl "Winuhcala Paha"
eya pica hel ihunni pi, iguga ohan ohloka wan ca sungmanitu tanka
ki winyan ki etkita agla pi. Ohloka ki tima iyaia yukan lila sicamna ke,
ista ki ecel itaya ca oksanksan etunwan sungmanitu tanka
ki ataya tima hpaya pi ke.

Tokinnas ahiyu pi na kiza pi kta kecin eyas etan tahca
wan yaslohan yutimahel icupi ca ob wota.

Sungmanitu tanka ki lena ataya ti ospaye hecapi.
Wicooncage tona ataya hel on pi.
Hunh hoksi azin kiya hpaya pi.
Hunh tanktankpi ca hena wakuwa heca pi.
Hunh ocinsice k'on hena ti awanyanka pi.
Sungmanitu tanka wicahcala ki ins cikcikala
ki lena tokel wakuwa pi hecel onspe wica kiya pi.
Ataya a'wan kica yanka pi.
Waniyetu ata hel ob wogla ke na iye nawicahun.
Winyan ki lila wakabla na pusye.
Sungmanitu tanka ki waste wicalake na insiya wastelaka pi.
Winyan ki insiya sungmanitu tanka mna aya ke.
Sungmanitu tanka ki makoce ki le slolya pi.
Tohanl hu numpa ki opta hiyaya pi can slolya pi,
sungmanitu tanka ki lena hu numpa ki iheyab sna ecun pi.



Lakota ki tonka mna pi ca he wahtela pi sni.
Wana tinpsinla wasteste ki walehanl winyan ki le hunku
ki hehantan wasigla, cuwintku ki t'a kecin.
Sungmanitu tanka ki ehake tunweya i pi ca hehan winyan
ki le hunku ki wanyanka pi ca okiyaka pi.
Winyan ki wancok taoyate ki ekta gla cin,
eyas hekta kiya ikikcu pi ki he slolye sni.
Sungmanitu tanka ki heya pi, tohanl taoyate el ki na,
ob on kta ehantans sina ki numpa koz si pi na e e ku cin,
ehantans wanjala kos si pi.

Wana, sungmanitu tanka ki kanyela hunku
ki wawopta keya pi ca winyan ki etkiya iyaya.
Ata kici yapi na ceya pi.
Sina ki numpa koza ca sungmanitu tanka ki hektakiya kigla pi.
Ho, le winyan ki "Iguga Oti Win" eciya pi ca ohloka
ki he Lakota ki wakan glawa pi.
Wico'oyake ki le wowos'ake ikoya ke ca waneyetu ehanl Olake
ki ungna osiceca wanji hihunni kte.

Aho
~u-ne-ga-wa-ya~
(Whitewolfe)