The Grasshopper and the Ant
told by Jeannette Howlingcrane
This is the traditional Indo-European story of the grasshopper and the ant, with a unique, but culturally required, Cheyenne ending. We do not know how the story made its way into Cheyenne oral literature. This story was told to Mr. Donald Olson in Oklahoma in the 1960's when he was collecting Cheyenne texts under a Phillips Fund grant from the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia.
To understand the abbreviations used in the text read the prefatory comments to the story of the Rolling Head.
\itm \CHEYENNE.ITM
\ref GRASSHOP clause 1
\tx Háhkota naa hátšeške.
\mr háhkota naa hátšeške
\mg grasshopper and ant
\ft The grasshopper and the ant.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 2
\tx Hátšeške éhma'xêhotse'óhesêstse.
\mr hátšeške é-h -ma'xe-hotse'óhe-sest
\mg ant 3-PST-big -work -ATTRIB
\ft An ant worked hard.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 3
\tx éhnêšema'xeéstovôhtsénôse héstáme hemâheóne.
\mr é-h -nêše-ma'xe-éstovohtsé -nó -s hé -htamé he -mâheón-é
\mg 3-PST-CONT-big -put.in.s.t.-FTI-ATTRIB 3POSS-food 3POSS-house -LOC
\ft She brought in lots her food to her house.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 4
\tx Méanëva hová'éhe mó'éeho'tsêhéhe
\mr méane -vá hová'éhe mó -h -ée -ho'tsé -hé -hé
\mg summer-OBL something DUB-PST-about-have.s.t.-NEG -NONAFFIRM
\tx tséxhemâheónêse.
\mr tsé-h -he -mâheón-é -s
\mg CJT-OBL-have-house -FAI-3
\ft In the summer she had something where she had her house.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 5
\tx Naa tsé'tó=háhkota é'ôhkenémenèsêstse.
\mr naa tsé'tóhe háhkota é-h -ohke -némené-sest
\mg and this.AN grasshopper 3-PST-HABIT-sing -ATTRIB
\ft And this grasshopper sang.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 6
\tx E'ôhkevé'hého'sóesêstse méanëva.
\mr é-h -ohke -vé' -hé -ho'sóe-sest méane -vá
\mg 3-PST-HABIT-PROHIB-INTENT-dance -ATTRIB summer-OBL
\ft He would just dance during summer.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 7
\tx "Hápó'e éme'hotse'óhestove.
\mr \ hápó'e é-me' -hotse'óhe-htove
\mg \ likewise 3-should-work -IMPERS
\ft "Likewise you should work.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 8
\tx Hápó'e hová'éhe éme'éseotsehe nemâheóne
\mr hápó'e hová'éhe é-me' -éseotseh -e ne -mâheón-é
\mg likewise something 3-should-put.in.s.o. -PSV 2POSS-house -LOC
\tx nonóhpa mâxho'tonéto nêstsemèse
\mr nonóhpa mâx -ho' -tonéto ne -htse-mése
\mg so.that CJT.IRREAL-arrive-be.cold 2POSS-FUT -eat.s.t.
\tx hová'éhe,"
\mr hová'éhe
\mg something
\ft Likewise something should be put in your house so that when it's cold
you'll eat something,"
\ref GRASSHOP clause 9
\tx éxhetaesesto hátšêškeho.
\mr é-h -het -ae -sest -o hátšeškeh-o
\mg 3-PST-say.to.s.o.-INV-ATTRIB-OBV ant -OBV
\ft He was told by the ant.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 10
\tx "Hová'âháne,"
\mr \ hová'âháne
\mg \ no
\ft "No,"
\ref GRASSHOP clause 11
\tx éxhesêstse háhkota.
\mr é-h -hé -sest háhkota
\mg 3-PST-say-ATTRIB grasshopper
\ft said the grasshopper.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 12
\tx "Náto'seéeho'sòò'e,
\mr \ ná-to'se-ée -ho'sóe
\mg \ 1 -gonna-about-dance
\ft "I'm gonna dance.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 13
\tx naa màto náto'senéméne.
\mr naa màto ná-to'se-némené
\mg and also 1 -gonna-sing
\ft and also I'm gonna sing.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 14
\tx Násáahotse'óhetanóhe.
\mr ná-sáa-hotse'óhe-tanó-hé
\mg 1 -NEG-work -want-NEG
\ft I don't want to work.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 15
\tx Eheómêhoháaehö'ta."
\mr é-heóme -ho -háaeho'tá
\mg 3-excessive-REDUP-be.sunny
\ft It's too sunny."
\ref GRASSHOP clause 16
\tx Nêhe'še tséstatonétotse
\mr nêhe'še tsé-h -ta -tonéto -tse
\mg then CJT-PST-TRANSLOC-be.cold-OBV
\tx éstaosáanemésêhétanòsêstse.
\mr é-h -ta -osáane -mésehe-tanó-sest
\mg 3-PST-TRANSLOC-commence-eat -want-ATTRIB
\ft Then when it was cold, he wanted to eat.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 17
\tx "Otsêhámóhe,
\mr \ otsêhámóhe
\mg \ oh.yes
\ft "Oh yes,
\ref GRASSHOP clause 18
\tx hátšeške éma'xeéstóvóhtse héstáme
\mr hátšeške é-ma'xe-éstovohtsé hé -htamé
\mg ant 3-big -put.in.s.t. 3POSS-food
\tx hemâheóne.
\mr he -mâheón-é
\mg 3POSS-house -LOC
\ft the ant stored a lot (of) her food in her house.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 19
\tx Náto'sêhémêsêhétáno,"
\mr ná-to'se-hé -mésehe-tanó
\mg 1 -gonna-INTENT-eat -want
\ft I want to go eat,"
\ref GRASSHOP clause 20
\tx éxhesêstse.
\mr é-h -hé -sest
\mg 3-PST-say-ATTRIB
\ft he said.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 21
\tx Estâhémêsêhétanòsêstse.
\mr é-h -ta -hé -mésehe-tanó-sest
\mg 3-PST-TRANSLOC-INTENT-eat -want-ATTRIB
\ft He went to eat.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 22
\tx E'éšeméhaenêhetaesesto,
\mr é-h -éše -méhae -nê -het -ae -sest -o
\mg 3-PST-already-previously-ANAPH-say.to.s.o.-INV-ATTRIB-OBV
\ft She had already told him,
\ref GRASSHOP clause 23
\tx "Nêstsêsáahoxomatséhe mâxháeanato."
\mr \ ne -htse-sáa-hoxom -atse-hé mâx -háeaná -to
\mg \ 2POSS-FUT -NEG-feed.s.o.-1:2 -NEG CJT.IRREAL-be.hungry-2
\ft "I'll not feed you when you're hungry."
\ref GRASSHOP clause 24
\tx Naa éstanêšêševátamósesto hátšeške
\mr naa é-h -ta -nêše-ševátam-ó -sest -o hátšeške
\mg but 3-PST-TRANSLOC-CONT-pity -DIR-ATTRIB-OBV ant
\tx háhkotaho
\mr háhkotah -o
\mg grasshopper-OBV
\ft But the ant had pity on the grasshopper.
\ref GRASSHOP clause 25
\tx éxhoxomósesto.
\mr é-h -hoxom -ó -sest -o
\mg 3-PST-feed.s.o.-DIR-ATTRIB-OBV
\ft She fed him.
This story was first published in the book Cheyenne Texts: An Introduction to Cheyenne Literature, copyright 1980, used here by permission.
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