François Neptune
Wôlinak, PQ
1914
Source: Speck, Frank G. 1928. Wawenock myth texts from Maine. Forth-Third Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1925–1926, 165–197. Washington: Government Printing Office.
Note: Speck’s transcription and his free translation are given in (a). A tentative retranscription and retranslation by Philip LeSourd are given in (b).
1. a. ˂wᴐ̹·´wi·git notlo‘´kαŋga`n wa Gluskα̨bε˃
“Here comes my story of that Gluskabe.”
b. Wąwikit notlohkąkan wa Kəloskąpe.
‘The subject of my story, Kəloskąpe, continued to live here.’
2. a. ˂ni·gani·yu´ babmi·zobe´k‘wke`t ni·metcełε·´ uda´lnola`k‘w ni·gizi·´yume`t‘-/kak wudu·´l‘ ni·udli·´dəhα̨zi`n pla nda´təwoli`n˃
“Then wandering about the ocean he started in a canoe and when he had worn this out, his canoe, he thought ‘I shall stop until I build another canoe.’”
b. Ni=ka=ni=yo pąpəmi-supekwket, ni mącehle wətalənolakw, ni kisi- yo -mehtkak wətol, ni wətəlitəhąsin, “Pəla nətahtolin.”
‘Then as he traveled about along the ocean, he set out by Indian canoe, and when he had worn out this canoe of his, then he thought, “First I’ll build another canoe.”’
3. a. ˂ni·geła´ ni·ugwi·lauhα´n maskwe´muzi·a`l‘ wela´k‘wəseli·´t˃
“And accordingly he looked for a birch tree, a straight one.”
b. Ni kehla, ni wəkwilawəhąn maskwemosial welahkwəselit.
‘Then accordingly he sought out a birch tree that was good and straight.’
4. a. ˂ni·ugi´ptahα´n ni·gi·zi·´gi·bi·lα´nt waba·´zi´· ne´ləwε·´ uzəli·gi·‘tahogu´l‘˃
“Then he cut it down, and when it fell down, that tree, apparently it nearly fell upon him.
b. Ni wəkiptəhąn, ni kisi-kipihląt wa apasi, ni eləwe wə[sąkəl]ihtahokol.
‘Then he cut it down, and as the tree fell, it almost struck him and held him firmly.’
5. a. ˂awαkα̨dji·´ ugi·zi·´wədji·´bulowα´n˃
“He had difficulty in being able to run away from under it.”
b. Awahkači wəkisi-wəči-poləwąn.
‘He was barely able to escape from beneath it.’
6. a. ˂ni·udli·dəhαmα´n “nda´tci·mi·na` kəni·l‘ke´u!”˃
“So he thought, ‘Never again will you fall on and kill anybody.’”
b. Ni wətəlitəhąmąn, “Ąta=či mina kənihlkew!’”
‘So directed his thought to it, “Never again will you kill anyone!”’
7. a. ˂nip‘skα̨´təgwα‘n wikwənəmə´n ni·uses·əm‘hα´n yuli´l maskwε´muzi·a´l‘ ni´t·e eli·dji·la´kwus·i`k wəs·əse´mhiga`n tet·a´tci·dji·` eska´mi· wewi´nαŋgwa`t kweni·´ pmauzwi·´n·owi·`kek ski·tkami´k‘w˃
“That big branch he took hold of it and switched this birch tree right away along its whole length. He kept on switching it and now it will forever be marked while there are people living in the world.”
b. Ni pskahtəkwən wihkwənəmən, ni wəsəsemhąn yolil maskwemosial ni=tte eli-cilahkwəsik wəsəsemhikan, tte=ttahči=či askami wewinąkwat kweni-pəmąwəsəwinnowihkek wskitkamikw.
‘Then he picked up a branch, and he switched this birch tree until his switch had blazed it, and this will furthermore forever be evident as long as people are living in the world.’
8. a. ni·umetα̨begəzi´n notlo‘kαŋga´n.
“This is the end of my story.”
b. Ni wəmehtąpekəsin notlohkąkan.
‘There ends the tale of the subject of my story.’
Speck comments:
The “eyes” in the bark of the white birch are the blisters caused by Gluskabe’s switching. Such an explanation is very common in northern and northeastern Algonkian mythology. (Cf. S. T. Rand, Legends of the Micmacs, p. 67, and F. G. Speck, Myths and Folk-Lore of the Temiskaming Algonquin and Timagami Ojibwa, Memoir Anth., Series No. 8, Geological Survey of Canada, p. 83.)