How Birney Got the Name "Oevemanâheno"
by Elaine Strangeowl
Naa tséheškéto nánôhtsêstóvo hé’tóhe tséhmano'éévôse Oevemanâhéno
And my mother I asked her (about) this where they have a village, Scabby Place,
tséhestohe. Hénova'e tséohkêhésenêhestohe hé’tóhe Oevemanâhéno, náhéto.
as it is called. "Why is it called this Scabby Place?" I said to her.
Naa hákóke tótseha tsêhéóhe tséssáa'éšemano'ééhévôse vo'êstaneo'o,
"Well, long ago here when the people did not yet have a village,"
éhevoo'o, netao'o háá'êše móméhaanonó'kevo'êstanéhevêhevóhe tsé’tóhe Oevemanaho,
she said, "All over far away they used to live by themselves, these Scabbies,
tséohkêhestóhese hétsetseha, naa tséssáa'éšemano'ééhévôse, éhevoo'o.
as they are called now, and when they did not yet have a village," she said.
Mó'ôhkeméhaa'ovóenêhestóhehanéhe To'êsêhahtámâhóeve'ho'eno,
"It first used to be called Longfoot Town,
mó'ôhkeméhaahestóhehanéhe. Hetane nêhéóhe móhvo'êstanéhevêhéhe.
it used to be called that. A man lived there.
Móxhoháa'êstâhehéhe naa móhto'êsêhahtâhéhe. To'êsêhahtámâhóeve'ho'eno,
He was tall and he had long feet. Longfoot Town,
éohkeméhaa'ovóehestohe, éhevoo'o. Naa tsé’tóhe hetane móhnêheševéhehéhe
it first used to be called," she said. "And this man was named
Oevemana. Naa hétsetseha Oevemanâheno tsétaohkêhósêhestohe, éhevoo'o. Naa
Scabby. And now Scabby Place as it is again called," she said. "And
nêhe'xóvéva ésáa'éšemâhóestovêhane hétsêhéóhe, éhevoo'o.
at that time there was not a town here," she said.
(Note: Birney is the most southern town on the Northern Cheyenne
Indian Reservation of Montana.)
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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