7. Lynx and the She-Skunk

Lynx and the She-Skunk.

Bizhiw Zhigaagokwe gaye.

from Ojibwa Texts collected by William Jones (1919).

(1) Ningoding giiwenh gii-aayindaa bizhiw.

Once on a time, they say, there lived a Lynx.

(2) Zhigaagokwen owiidigemaan.

A She-Skunk he had for a wife.

(3a) Mii dash imaanh endazhi-nandawenjiged aw bizhiw;

It was there that Lynx hunted for game;

(3b) anooji gegoo onitoon - waaboozoon, pinewan, zhiishiiban - waa-ashamaad wiiwan;

every kind of thing he killed, — rabbits, ruffed grouse, ducks, — what he wanted to feed his wife on;

(3c) naningodinong gaye amikwan onisaan.

sometimes a beaver too he killed.

(4) Api idash eni-biboong onooji'aan amikwan aapiji wiininowan.

And when winter was coming on, he obtained some beavers that were

very fat.

(5) Aapiji omisawenimaan wii-amwaad wiiwan.

He very much desired to eat his wife.

(6) Gaawiin ogii-nisaasiin amikwan.

He had not killed a beaver (for some time).

(7) Ningoding idash odinaan wiiwan: "Gidaa-nibaa gosha go gaazhigakin," odinaan.

So once he said to his wife: "You should really sometimes sleep during the day," he said to her.

(8) A'aw idash ikwe ogikenimaan wii-nisigod onaabeman.

Now, the woman knew that it was the desire of her husband to kill her.

(9) Giimooj obi-naazikaan endaawaad nandawaabamaad wiiwan ji-nibaanid.

In secret would he approach where they lived, to see if his wife was asleep.

(10) Ningoding idash gaazhigak nibinaadid a'aw ikwe, owaabamaan onaabeman babaamosenid, agaaming babaamosenid.

Now, once in the day-time, when the woman went to get some water, she saw her husband walking from place to place, roundabout on the other shore was he walking.

(11) Aw idash ikwe amikwan gii-mooshkamowan imaanh onda'ibaaning.

And while the woman (was there), a beaver came up out of the water at the hole in the ice.

(12) Ogii-nawadinaan ozidaaning iniw amikwan, ominjiminaan, mii iw ezhi-biibaagimaad onaabeman, "Biizhiw, ondaas! amikwa awe! minimjiminaa!"

She seized the beaver by the feet, she held it tight, and then she called aloud to her husband: "O Lynx, hither! Here is a beaver! I have hold of him!"

(13) Bizhiw idash bi-inaabi.

Now, Lynx looked over to where she was.

(14) "Bagidin megwaa ninooji'aa!"

"Let it go, for I am hunting it!"

(15) Mii dash gaa-izhi-bagidinaad gii-giiwe a'aw ikwe endaawaad.

And so, when she let it go, back went the woman to where they lived.

(16) Ogii-atoonan misan gaye dash asiniin ogii-asaan imaanh ch-oshtigwaaniban; ogii-badagwana'aan idash.

She put some fire-wood in place, and a stone she laid there for the head; and she covered up (the figure).

(17) Mii idash gaa-izhi-gaazod biindig endaawaad.

Thereupon she hid inside of where they lived.

(18) Apii dash ba-dagwishing bekaa obi-naazikaan endaawaad.

And when Lynx was arriving home, softly he approached where they lived.

(19) Mii dash waabamaad awiiya nibaanid, mii dash odeshkan ba-dakonang.

And when he saw some one asleep, he then took his horn (chisel) up in his hand.

(20) Mii dash ezhi-bazhibawaad iniw asiniin mii dash gii-gikendang asiniin bazhibawaad, misan gaye atenig imaanh.

And when he stabbed the stone, he then learned that it was a stone he had stabbed, and that some fire-wood too was there.

(21) Mii dash gaa-izhi-nandawaabamaad wiiwan dibi gaa-izhaanigwen; agwajiing gaye miziwe gii-nandawaabanjiged, gawiin ogii-mikawaasiin.

Thereupon he sought for his wife, who had gone he knew not where; and everywhere out of doors he sought, but he did not find her.

(22) Gii-biindige dash.

Then he went inside.

(23) "Anooj ningad-izhichige; maagizhaa da-baapi dibi gaazogwen."

"All sorts of capers will I do; perhaps she will laugh, wherever she may be concealed."

(24) Mii dash gaa-doodang: ogii-zaagisitoon odininiiwiwin; ogii-makadewinaan onakwaya'ii.

Now, this was what he did: he stuck out his manhood; he blackened it at the end.

(25) "Zhigaagokwe oga-wii-baapitoon odaya'iim dibi ayaagwen, endoo, endoo, endoo, endoo!"

"Let She-Skunk laugh at what is her own, wherever she may be,

where, where, where, where!"

(26) Aw idash ikwe gegapii gii-baapi ganawaabamaad endodaminid.

Now, the woman at last did laugh when she observed what he was doing.

(27) Nwaandawaad baapinid wiiwan, gii-zaagijise, gii-andawaabanjige giiwitaya'ii endaawaad; gaawiin ogii-mikawaasiin.

On hearing the sound of his wife laughing, he rushed out of doors, he went seeking everywhere roundabout where they dwelt; but he did not find her.

(28) Miinawaa gii-biindige; biinish nising i'iw gii-doodam, aanawi miinawaa gii-bapiwan.

Back within he returned; even a third time he did it, still again she would laugh.

(29) Gegapii idash gii-de-baapi a’aw ikwe, gaawiin miinawaa gii-baapisii.

So at length the woman had her fill of laughing, no more did she laugh.

(30) Bizhiw idash gii-aanawenjige indawaa.

And Lynx ceased his merriment in consequence.

(31) Aanawi oganawaabamigoon wiiwan, gaawiin dash wiin owaabamaasiin.

Even though he was observed by his wife, yet he himself did not see her.

(32) Mii dash gaa-izhi-gawishimod jiig-ishikode, a'aw bizhiw odagoozitoon okaad ogidigwaang.

And when he lay down to sleep beside the fire, Lynx hung one leg over the other knee.

(33a) Mii dash naanaazhinag onaazidi, mii dahs gaa-ikidod:

Accordingly, as he rubbed the under side of his hip, this was what he said:

(33b) "Nindaa-baapii'igoo maawiin Nengaawi-zaaga'iganiing niimi'iding neneyaashkinaazidiyegoojinaan."

"I should doubtless be made fun of if I were at the dance at Sandy Lake with the hair on my rump hanging down."

(34) Mii dash gaa-izhi-odaapinang mookomaan ogii-maanizhaan idash obwaam.

Whereupon, picking up a knife, he sliced a piece off his ham.

(35) Gaa-izhi-dakonand idash, "Ninga-miijiin," inendam.

Then taking up (a piece) in his hand, "I will eat it," he thought.

(36) Mii dash gaa-izhi-abwed.

Thereupon he roasted it upon a spit.

(37) Gaa-giizhidenig ogii-miijiin.

After it was done cooking, he ate it.

(38) Aapiji ominopidaan.

Very savory he found the taste of it.

(39) Miinawaa gwekaya'ii ogii-maanizhaan, miinawaa ogii-miijiin.

Another piece from the other side he sliced off, again he ate of it.

(40) Mii iw gii-debisiniid.

Thereupon he had all he wanted to eat.

(41a) Miinawaa dash gii-gawishimo;

So once more he lay down to sleep;

(41b) mizhiwe gagwedinidizo;

all over was he feeling of himself;

(41c) wiisagendam omisad, ozaam gii-debisiniid.

he had a pain in his belly, for too much had he eaten.

(42) Omikoojinaan omisad baapaagaanig.

He felt that his belly was hard.

(43) "Ganabaj niminiiw," inendam.

"Perhaps I have pus in me," he thought.

(44) Mii dash gaa-izhi-maadizhang omisad, geget gegoon omikoojiinaan.

And so when he lanced his belly, sure enough, he felt hold of something.

(45) Mii dash waa-wiikobidood ikwaagatese.

And when he tried to pull on it, he flinched.

(46) Nawach enigok owiikobidoon, mii iw gii-bakibinaad omisadan.

Still harder he pulled on it, whereupon he tore apart his belly.

(47) Mii dash gii-ajijised shkodeng.

And then he fell headlong into the fire.

(48) Zhigaagokwe dash gii-basigonjise gii-agwaawebinaad, aazha aapiji gii-jaagizowan.

Now She-Skunk sprang to her feet to pull him out, but already was he very much burned.

(49) Mii dash aanawi gaa-izhi-bimaaji'aad onaabeman.

But nevertheless she rescued her husband.

(50a) Mii dash i'iw gaa-izhinaagozid bizhiw;

And that was how Lynx came to look so;

(50b) giinwosaawiingwed, mii iw gaa-inaagozid.

he became yellow-eyed, for that was how he was burned.

(51) Gaawiin dash ogii-minwenimaasiin i'iw izhinaagozinid.

But she did not like the way he looked.

(52) Ningoding dash mashkawaagonewading gii-maajaa a'aw ikwe gii-webinaad onaabeman.

So once, when the snow was frozen hard, the woman departed, forsaking her husband.

(53) Gaye wiin dash bizhiw nizhiwe gii-ayaa.

And so Lynx too was all alone.

(54) Mii dash apane nizhikewizid, gaa wiikaa owiijiwaasiin wiiwan.

Thereupon was he always alone, never was he in the company of his wife.

(55) Ningoding dash babaa-andawenjiged, bizhiw ogii-waabandaan binewidis gii-agodenig!

Now once, when he was out on a hunt for game, Lynx saw the gizzard of a ruffed grouse hanging aloft!

(56) Mii sa ekoozid.

And that is the end of (the story).