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). A few notes on particular items follow the text.
1. a. ˂ni·gawa Gluskα̨bε´ wedji·mαdjełα´nt sobegu´k˃
“Then Gluskabe went away from there to the ocean.”
b. Ni=ka=wa Kəloskąpe weči-mąčehląt sopekok.
‘Then Kəloskąpe went away from the sea.’
2. a. ˂ni·wuno´sotəg- wetekamə´n malαmi·´ktci·dαba´kwαni·ganα´k˃
“And he followed a river up as far as the great divide (the frontier between New England and Canada).”
b. Ni wənohsohtəkwehtehkamən mąlami kči-təpahkwənikanək.
‘And he followed a river as far as the great divide (between the Saint Lawrence drainage and the waters that drain into the Atlantic Basin).’
3. a. ni·wedji·´ kalapα̨´welα`nt mozu´l` ni·wa´ mu·s mα̨djełα´nt man·´i·wi· si´·bui·ku`k teka´ Pan·awᴐ̹·´mp`skao`k lagwewi·´
“There he started up a moose and this moose started to make away among the rivers in the direction of Penobscot Valley.”
b. Ni weči-kalappąwəląt mosol, ni=wa mos mąčehląt maniwi sipowihkok tehka Pąnawąpskak əlakwiwi.
‘There he started up a moose, and this moose headed directly off among the rivers in the direction of the Penobscot village.’
4. a. áni·wewᴐ̹la´n Pukədji´nskwes´u` ni·gi·zi·we´dolamα`k owa´ a´ida məde´olənuskwe´˃
“Pukdjinskwessu knew that he was coming, for she could sense it, being a magic woman.”
b. Ni wəwewoląn Pokəčinskwehso, ni kisi wetolamək owa aita mətewəlinoskwe.
‘Then Pokəčinskwehso became aware of his approach, for she was a shaman who could sense it from afar.’
5. a. áni·ugadawi·´gak`hi·`ki·hα`n Gluskα̨ba´l` ni· ugadawi·´kəlapα̨´wəla`n mozu´l` wadji·´ndagi·zi·nlα`ŋk`w·˃
“Then she wanted to plague Gluskabe, for she wanted to scare away from him the moose so that he could not kill him.”
b. Ni wəkatawi-kakhikihąn Kəloskąpal, ni wəkatawi-kalappąwəląn mosol wači- ąta -kisi-nhląhkw.
‘The she wanted to tease Kəloskąpe, so she was going to scare off the moose so that he would not be able to kill it.’
6. a. ˂ni·wa´ Gluskα̨bε´ wε·wedəhamα´n yuli´l Pukədji´nskwes·uwal` e´li·gak`hi·ki·hogo`t˃
“But that Gluskabe knew it, that Pukdjinskwessu, how she wanted to plague him.”
b. Ni=wa Kəloskąpe wəwewitəhąmąn yolil Pukəčinskwehsəwal eli-kakhikihokot.
‘But then Kəloskąpe realized that Pokəčinskwehso was teasing him.’
7. a. ˂ni·udli·´dəhamα`n “e´begwatcinatci.` kəna´mi·hi·` yu pemi·łα´”˃
“So he thought, ‘On account of this, you will not see me passing by.’”
b. Ni wətəlitəhąmąn “Epəkwahči nahči kənamihiw pemihląa.”
So he thought about her, “You will indeed not even see me passing by.”’
8. a. ˂ni·geła´ ni·wa´ uba´bmi·gwil-/awᴐ̹bi`n Pukədji´nskwes·u´ tani·ba´weni·` udli·nami·hα´n˃
“Accordingly, that Pukdjinskwessu wandered all about to see if she could find out whether anyone had gone by.”
b. Ni kehla, ni=wa wəpąpəmi-kwilawąpin Pukəčinskwehso tąni=pa weni wətəli-namihąn.
‘Accordingly, Pukəčinskwehso wandered about to see whether anyone had seen him.’
9. a. ˂ni·ge´nəwαnda` wi·´bi·wi· unami·tu´n eli·´dji·lakwəs·inli·`t udαŋəma´ pemsege´k˃
“But she could see nothing except how the tracks of his snowshoes were left on the bare ledge.”
b. Ni kenəwe ąta wipiwi wənamihtowən eli-čilahkwəsinəlit wətąkəma pemsekek.
‘Then, however, she could see nothing but where his snowshoes had made tracks on a ledge.’
10. a. ˂niα̨lawi·´ uno´sawα̨p`tasi`n neganowa´ Gluskα̨ba´l` wəsε·´smi·wαni·halα̨·l` wzami·´wi·tc wudli·´dəhamgun ni·´ wedjinda´ p`skαŋgo´k˃
“For a long time she followed the tracks, but at last she lost the tracks of Gluskabe, because he commanded, in his mind, that she could not find him.”
b. Ni ąlawi wənohsawąpətahsin, ni=ka=nawa Kəloskąpal wəsesəmi-wanihaląl wəsąmi wič wətəlitəhąməkon ni weči- ąta -mskąkohkw.
‘And although she followed his tracks, she ultimately lost Kəloskąpe completely, because he set his thoughts so that she would not find him.’
11. a. ˂ni·wa´ Gluskα̨bε´ madα̨bełα´nt si·bu´k ni·wanami·hα´n mozu´l` yu´lil noso´kawα`nt ni·ubi·bmα´n ni·a´ida ni·ugi·bi·łα´n mozu´l`˃
“Then Gluskabe went down to a river, and he saw the very moose he was following; and he shot at it, and there it fell, the moose.”
b. Ni=wa Kəloskąpe matąpehląt sipok, ni wənamihąn mosol, yolil nohsohkwąt, ni wəpipəmąn, ni aita ni wəkipihląn, mosol.
‘Then Kəloskąpe traveled down to a river, and he saw a moose, this moose that he had been following, and he shot it with an arrow, and there it fell, the moose.’
12. a. ˂ni·gi·zi·´ eləmi·giptes·i´k ni·udlo´s·α`n ne´ga ubəs·i·halα´n ni·gi·zi·´p`si·halα´nt gi·zi·´p`kwedji·łα´nt ni·u-/ la´gəzi·α`l`. uge´dnəmə`n˃
“And while he was falling he went up and skinned it, and after he had skinned it he took out its intestines.”
b. Ni kisi eləmi-kipiptehsik, ni wətəlohsąn, ni=ka wəpəssihaląn, ni kisi-psihaląt kisi-pkwečihląt ni wəlakəsial wəketənəmən.
‘And over where it had fallen, he walked up, and then he skinned it, and when he had skinned it and dressed it, he removed its intestines.’
13. a. ˂ni·udla´kewαn ude´miza`l`˃
“Then he threw them to his dog.”
b. Ni wətəlahkewąn wətemisal.
‘And he threw them to his dog.’
14. a. ˂ni·´yu edeli·`nłamα`k mu·s˃
“He threw them where the moose was killed.”
b. Ni yo eteli-nhląmək mos.
‘That was where the moose was killed.’
15. a. ˂ni· muzi·´kətci·` lewi·tα̨zu´˃
“That is now called “moose buttocks” by the people.”
b. Ni mosikəči əliwihtąso.
‘That is now called “moose rump.”’
16. a. ˂si·bi·wi·´ yu el‘ta´gi·hazi`k wula´gəzi·a`l‘ wa mu·s nit·e li·wᴐ̹·bi·gα`k tet·atci·dji·´ eska´mi· wᴐ̹·bi·gα´n tagagi·wi`· metka´mi·gegε`.˃
“And as the intestines of that moose were stretched out there they showed white underneath the water. And even, now and forever until the end of the world, they will be white.’
b. Sipiwi yo eltakihąsik wəlakəsial wa mos, ni=tte eli-wąpikək tte=ttahči=či eskami wąpikən takakiwi metkamikeke.
‘And here where the intestines of this moose were stretched out, there they are white, and they will furthermore be white until the end of the world.’
17. a. ˂ndatlokαŋga´n tagα´gα̨begəsi`·t nimsi·wi·´.˃
“That is as far as my story goes.”
b. Nətatlohkąkan takakąpekəsit. Ni msiwi.
‘That is as far as my subject’s story goes. That is all.’
Notes
Speck tells us (p. 189):
Neptune stated that Gluskabe threw the moose’s head to a place which became known as “Musα̨dáp [mosątəp],” “Moosehead,” but he did not know where this was. This is also the native name of Moosehead Lake, which may have been the place indicated in the story. (Cf. Jos. Laurent, New Familiar Abenakis and English Dialogues, Quebec, 1884, p. 216, and Maurault, op. cit. p. IV.) Gov. Newell Lyon, of the Penobscot tribe, added that this is probably the upper end of Islesboro (formerly Long Island) in Penobscot Bay. This still has the name We·ni·α̨ŋgánik [weniyàkənik] “Has a head” in the Malecite language, probably having been named by some Malecite. At Castine Head, where the lighthouse is now, is a place called Madə´ŋgαmαs [matαkəməss], “Old homely snowshoe.” The Indians claim that this is where Pukdjinskwessu gave up her chase, the same story occurring in the Penobscot. In several large crevices in the ledge here are the marks of two snowshoes, one a regular one, the other a woman’s shoe, short and round.
l. 2. kči-təpahkwənikanək ‘great divide’: literally, ‘great measuring device’; cf. Pen. nətəpáhkwənəmən ‘I measure it with a measuring stick or device’ (Siebert 1988: 464). My translation follows Speck’s comment in his fn. 55: “Said by the informant to have been the ridge dividing the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence from those flowing southward into the Atlantic.” This note contradicts Speck’s free translation.
l. 3. weči-kalappąwəląt ‘he started up a moose’: The initial in the verb stem here is cognate with Pen. kalap- ‘spook, scare, alarm game’ (nəkálapənα ‘I spook him, scare him off, flush him (game or bird)’ Siebert 1988: 166); the final is cognate with Pass. -(i)hpawəl- ‘frighten’ (macehpáwəlal ‘he scares him away’ Francis and Leavitt 2008: 243).
l. 3. ˂Pan·awᴐ̹·´mp`skao`k˃ Pąnawąpskak ‘Penobscot’ (the Penobscot village in Maine): I take the final vowel of this form to be a, against Speck’s transcription, and reflecting influence from W Abenaki áPanaôbskak˃ Panaąpskak (Laurent 1884: 53). The rest of the word is plausibly interpreted as essentially the same as Penobscot pαnáwαhpskek (Siebert 1988: 356), although there seems to be no reason to postulate a cluster hpsk for Bécancour Abenaki.