Nihoo3oo and the Fox

Told by Dickie Moss, October 13, 2003
nehe’  nihoo3oo      he’ihnouxonee                      nuhu’ nou’u.
this     nihoo3oo      he happend to meet him       this     fox

“nou’u”     ni’ii3oo3i’  nuhu’  nono’eino’,
swift fox  they call it   these   Arapahos

“fox, nou’u”      ni’ii3oo3i’.
fox   swift fox  they call it

wohei   hoo3oo’o “nou’u be’eih” ni’ii3oo3i’  nii’niisih’eenoo3i,          wo’ei3  be’nou’u  .
wohei   others        fox      red       they call it   whenever they name it   or          red fox

he’ihnouxonee.
he happened to meet him

“ceebe’eino’oteihinoo,”    he’ih’ii3ee                        nuhu’ nou’u.
I am the most powerful   [nihoo3oo] said to him     this      fox

“heetniixoohoo3ihe3en  nono’oteihiit.”
I will show it to you      my power

“hee, wohei    cih’iixoohoo3ihi!”
yes   wohei    then show it to me

“wohei    hiit    hetneectoyoohow.
wohei   here   you must wait for me a little while

heetneh’oowuniihkoohunoo.
I will run on down the stream

hi3hetcihwoono’usee                                           he’iicxooyeiniihi’.”
later, you must come on down to where I’ll be    after a while

ne’ne’eh’oowuniihiseet                          nehe’ nou’u.
then he set off from there downstream   this    fox

ne’noohowoot   nisice,              he’ih’einok.
then he saw it    an antelope     it was lying there

“ ‘eee,”  [he’ih]noonoo’oexootenee.
hmm  he walked all around it

he’ihbeebenoobee.
he sniffed all around it

“ ‘eee,   hoowuuni.  neneenin  nihoo3oo.”
hmm   no               it is you   nihoo3oo

he’ihneneenin.
it was him

ne’ce’kohei’it            nehe’ nihoo3oo.
then he got back up   this    nihoo3oo

wohei   ceesey           heetniini...
wohei   another one   Iwill [do it]

kooxci’he’ihcih’oowuniihisee                  nehe’ nou’u.
once again he came on down the stream   this    fox

ne’nihnoohobee               bih’ih[o]   he’ihse’sinen.
that’s when he saw it       a deer        it was lying there

“ ‘eee,”   [he’ih]noonoo’oexootenee.
hmm    he walked all around it

“ ‘eee,    hoowuuni.  neneenin   nihoo3oo.”
hmm   no               it is you     nihoo3oo

wohei   kooxne’ce’kohei’it                      nehe’ nihoo3oo.
wohei    then once again he got back up   this   nihoo3oo

wohei  kooxne’ce’kohei’t                       nehe’  nihoo3oo.
wohei   then once again he got back up    this   nihoo3oo

[he’ih]cih’oowuniihkoo.
[nihoo3oo] ran on down along the stream some more

hinit              he’ihce’iisibihce. 
right there    he plopped himself down again

hiiwoonhehe’ hiwoxuu,  he’ihneen                     se’sinen;
now                 elk            that was what it was    it was lying there

[he’ih]hee3neekoxcei’in.
it was really plump

kooxne’ehcihno’useet           nehe’ nou’u.
once again he arrived there   this    fox

“ ‘ooeii,”  noxoxoohowut:               nih’ee3neekoxcei’ini3   hini’.
ooooh     he looked at it eagerly     it was really plump        that one

“ ‘eee,”   he’ihnoo’oebeebenoobee.
hmm     he sniffed all around it

“hee,  hoowuuni.  neneenin   nihoo3oo.    hoowuuni.”
yes    no              it is you     nihoo3oo     no

ne’ce’kohei’it             nehe’ nihoo3oo.
then he got up again   this    nihoo3oo

“hoowuuni, hoowuni.”
no              no

wohei  ceesey           yeneini’owoo’.
wohei   once again    it is the fourth time

woow  ne’eh’oowuniihiseet                                         nehe’ nou’u.
now     he set off again from there down the stream    this    fox

hiiwoonhehe’ heneeceen     he’ihse’sinen             hee3ebiihi’
now                buffalo bull   he was lying there   over there

hiikoot           he’ihkoxcei’i.
in addition    he was plump

he’ihwoo3ee              hoseino’.
there was a lot of it   the meat

he’ihno’useen.
[fox] arrived there

he’ihnoonoo’oexootenee  nehe’ nou’u.
he walked all around it      this   fox

“hee,  hoowuuni.   neneenin   nihoo3oo.”
yes   no               it is you     nihoo3oo

“wohei   biiti’:                 heetniixoohoo3ihe3en nono’oteihiit.
wohei   my turn now     I will show it to you    my power

hiit    hetcihtoyoohow. 
here   you must wait for me a while

hi3hetcihwoon-
later you must come on [down the stream]

heeneh’oowuniihkoohunoo.”                           
I’m going to run off down along the stream  

he’iicxooyeiniihi’  ne’ehce3ei’oot                     nehe’ nihoo3oo.
after a while           then he set off from there   this     nihoo3oo

hinit             ceibiihi’           boone’         ho’onookei’i’, [he’ih]niitonee  hisei[n].
right there    off to the side  at the road   in rocks             he heard her     woman

he’ih’iibiiwooh[un].
she was crying

beexoo3iihi’ he’ihnoohobee,   ne’ehyihoot.
a little later    he saw her          hen he went over to her

“wohei   heeyou? heeyou?  heeyou  tohuubiiwoohun?”
wohei   what      what        what      because you are crying

“neisonoo    noh   neinoo            nihnouso’oni3i’.
my father   and    my mother     they chased me off                         

neihoowuuheyeihi’. 
I don’t have a home        

neihoowoe’in   tootheetniistoonoo.
I don’t know     what I’m going to do

neihoowoe’in  toonheetniisiseenoo.”
I don’t know    how I’m going to get by

“hee, heentoonoo,”  heehehk  nehe’  nihoo3oo.
yes   I’m here         he said    this     nihoo3oo

“heetni’ononihe3en.
I can take good care of you

heetni’niisneniino’.
we’ll be alone together

niini’iinoo’einoo  heenei’isiihi’.
I can go hunting    and so forth

heetniini...  heetneihoownoonoo’ouh.
you will      you won’t be lacking in anything                  

heetneihoownoonoo’ouh.
you won’t be lacking in anything

heetbehniiniistone3en.
I will work to provide everything for you

heetniini... heetniiniiso’niisneniino’.
we will      it will just be the two of us living together

heetnookoo3e3en,”                      heehehk   nehe’  nihoo3oo.
I will take you home [with me]   he said      this     nihoo3oo

“‘ine,”  heehehk  nehe’ hisei,  “heetni’iini           tous.”
okay    she said   this   girl        it will be good   then

“wohei    heetnooxoniseeno’;               ‘oh     niito’iini... niito’ heetniitenetino’.
wohei     we will move on quickly         but   first           first    we will kiss each other

heetnii...   heetne’ehce3ei’oono’.”
we will     then we’ll set off on our way

ne’iitenoot                       nuhu’ hiseihiho’.
then he took hold of her  this      young girl

ne’ce’esinoo’oot         nou’u.
then he changed into   fox

he’ihneenin.
it was him

“heniisehtonihe3en! heniisehtonihe3en!
I have fooled you    I have fooled you

ceebe’eino’oteihinoo.”
I’m more powerful than you

[he’ih]sehce3koo                               nuhu’ nou’u.
then he ran on off down the stream   this    fox

nee’ei’ise’               nuhu’ hoo3itoo.
that is how it ends   this       story

** special thanks to the Wyoming Humanities Council (providing the grant to record the audio files) Hartwell Francis & Andrew Cowell (for recording the narratives), Alonzo Moss Sr. and Andrew Cowell (for transcribing and translating the narratives), and the late Dickie Moss. ***