Strong Bear and the Boxer

 

Told by Dickie Moss, June 6, 2003

 
howoo   he’ih’ii3eeno’   nehe’  tei’ox,            heetou’      boo3eti3i’;

also        they told him    this      strong bear   where it is   they are fighting

 

nihii    koo’einoxoeyoone’              ni’iitou’u,

well    in the fenced circular area    they called it

 

            wootii   hiikokoyoxoeni’,       cii3iihi’   niitiine3eiheti3i’.

            as if      fenced square area      inside    where they knock each other around

 

wohei  nihtesiini  no’oteiht,     niiseiht  nihoo3oo.

wohei  he was very powerful   one        white man

 

he’neen      niitobeekuut      nuhu’         boo’oet.

it was him he stands first     [in] this     fighting

 

“wohei,”  nii3oohkoni’        “hiibeexiineyei3ihoo,    heibeexiboo3oo.”

 wohei      they said to him    you should try him      you should fight him

 

“hoowuuni,”   heehehk.

    no                 he said

 

“hoowuuni.

   no

 

neebeh’esiihiihoo,   wo’ei3  heebeh-     howoo  neebehnoh’oo.

I might injure him   or           he might   also      I might kill him

neihoowbeetnee’eestoo.

I don’t want to do that

 

noh   nihto’obeinoohok,  wootii  ho’nookeen  heeto’owoot;

and   if he hit me              as if      rock             he will hit it

 

noh  to’owoohok,   noh   siineihoowoe’in         heetni-

and  if I hit him       and   I really don’t know    (he) will

 

            wohoe’etwonoo3iine’etii,”           he’ih’ii.

            whether he would live very long   he said

 

noh  ne’nih’iisciini’owoo3i’.

and    that is how they didn’t receive his agreement

 

“neebeh’esiiniihoo.

I might injure him

 

hoownee’ee3e’eenoo                                 nuhu’  hees-  nuhu’  heesno’oteihinoo,

that is not the purpose [of my power]        this     how     this     my strength

 

            hetni’eenesiinii3einoo. 

            in order to go around hurting people

 

hoowuuni,  honoot  nii-  niinotoonoo3ou’u    neito’eino’,     wo’ei3   howoo

no               until             I stick up for  them   my relatives    or          also

 

            niiheniihi’,     neneeninoo,” he’ih’ii.

            on my own     myself            he said

 

wohei  ne’nih’iisiini,          nihii...

wohei  that is how it was    well

 

“hoowuuhu’  tohbiineenoo                   nuhu’  no’oteihiit;

  not              that I have been given it   this     power

 

‘oh   niiheyoo       nohkuusi’i’oonoo.

but   on my own   I grew up with it

 

nohkcebii’oonoo.       

I was created with it   

 

hi’in    nenee’:  nee’eesno’oteihinoo.

that’s  it           that’s how I come to be so powerful

 

‘oh  neihoowbeeti’eenesiiniihoo         nenitee.

but   I don’t want to hurt him with it   a person

 

neihoowbeeti’kocoo’o3ihe’       nenitee    honoot     ni’eeneecihi’woonou’u

I don’t want to kill him with it  a person   until       I will use it to protect them

 

 

            neito’eino’,    wo’ei3  howoo niiheniihi’     neneeninoo.

            my relatives    or        also      on my own     myself        

 

noh   nuhu’  nenee’     he’ih’iiciini’oobeeno’.

and    this     it             they didn’t receive his agreement

 

“hoowuuni,”  he’ih’ii.

   no               he said       

 

to’obeinoohok   wootii  ho’nookeen heeto’owoot,

 if he hit me        as if     rock            he will hit it

 

            noh   hinee        to’owoohok, ‘oh   neihoowoe’in    wohoe’etwonoo3iine’etii.

            and   that one    if I hit him      and  I don’t know    if he would live very long

 

noh  nuhu’  nenee’  neihoowbeeti’-   kookoni’koco’o3ihoo.

and  this     it           I don’t want to kill him with it for no reason

 

nuhu’  no’oteheihii       neenehno’oteiht.                     

this     powerful one     let him be, that powerful one   

 

neenehiini.        

let it be             

 

neihoowbeettooto’oe-      neihoowbeetitenowuunoo                no’oteihiit. 

I don’t want to because     I don’t want it to take it from him   power

 

wohei  ne’nih’iisinihiit,;        noh    ne’nih’ii3eeciini’oowoo3i’.

wohei  that’s what he said    that’s why they didn’t receive his consent

 

nohuusoho’.

that’s the way it was

 

** 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. ***