Ve'ho'e and the Coyote

told by Mrs. Charles Whitedirt
PARAGRAPH STYLE

(Note: This interlinear format only aligns sentences; it attempts to align
Cheyenne words with their English translation, but does not do so perfectly,
where naturalness of the English translation would be sacrified. For such
strict alignment, see the numbered clauses format following this paragraph
style. As usual, in the current time period, the Cheyenne word ve'ho'e is 
translated as 'whiteman,' rather than with its previous meaning, of 'trickster,'
before encounters with the whiteman.)

     Naa vé'ho'e nátâhósémo.      Móhna'tónêhéhe.  Váotseváhne móhna'hohevóhe.  
     I'll tell about a whiteman.  He killed game.  He killed a deer.  

Naa nêhe'še mó'ée'oenôhevóhe.  Móstâhpé'o'âsénâhnêhéhe ma'táá'e.  
And then he skinned it.  He built a big fire in the timber.

Móhma'xêhonóhtôhéhe honoo'o.
He made a big roast.

     Naa nêhe'še tséhnêšenávâhonónêse móxho'êháa'hahanéhe.  
     And then the wind came up while he was roasting.

Tséohkêhešenéstónévá'xévôse ôhtotóeveóe'tovâhtsévosêstse (hoóhtseto) 
The way they made a noise   whenever (the trees) rub(bed?) against each other 

móhnêhešenéstoneva'xêhevóhe.
that's the way they sounded.

     "Náxaepéosemää'e tséhetósêhešê-hotoo-," móxhetôhevóhe  néhe hoóhtseto.
     "They bug me,"                          he referred to the trees.

     Naa móstae'evonêhnêhéhe.  Nêhéóhe móstó'hovêhe'oná'ôhéhe óohtséheta 
     And then he climbed up.   He stuck his hand right there where 

hénêhéóhe tséhnéstoneva'xetsêse.  
(those trees) were rubbing together making noise.  

Móstâhe'konêhotôxáotsêhevóhe, móxho'nóevêho'háeoesta'hatse.
They got stuck where they were crossed, the wind had ceased blowing.

     Naa tsé'tóhe ó'kôhóme mónêhmé'ho'eohtsêhéhe.  Héne móxhého'êhóhtôhéhe 
     And then the coyote showed up.                He came up to 

tséhonóhetse.
where the roast was.

     Naa nêhe'še móstatsêhehéhe vé'ho'e, "héne tšêhešêhéstó'e 
     And then the whiteman said,         "That one on the side 

onónôtse,                mesêstse,"      móxhetôhevóhe.
take it out of the fire, eat it,"        he told him.

     Héne móstaonónôhéhe.        Nonó'hónó'e 
     He (coyote) took that out.  He kept     

móstamá'seonónôhetsêhéhe.                   
taking (the roast) out until he got all of it out of the fire.  

"Hápó'e héne náto'semese," mó'ôhtaohkêhetôhevóhe.
"I'm going to eat that piece," he tried to tell him.

     Oóxésta móxheše'hanâhéhe.  Tséstaéšemá'semâhéestotsêse 
     (The coyote) kept eating.  After he ate it all 

móstanótseévavó'hoveotsêhevóhe tsé'tóhe mé'êškemáhne/(hoóhtseto).  
the trees came apart.

     Móhne'anôhevonêhnêhéhe.           (E)hma'xenéhovósesto.  Naa 
     He (whiteman) then climbed down.  He chased him all over.  And 

tósa'e hešééše hó'hamose móššéešenâhéhe šéenëva.  
somewhere in the sun on the hillside he (coyote) was lying on the sandrocks. 

Móhma'xetâhpé'âsévo'enôhehéhe.  
He had a big belly from eating so much. 

Móxho'êhótôhevóhe.
He (whiteman) came up to him.

     "Nóxa'e /(táaxa'e), naa   náme'tatónêše'tóvosêstse?  Hó'taoömo 
     "Wait,              well, what shall I do with him?  If I hit him 

naa mato hó'tâháemo       náme'taonâháxêhestsenaëho,"               móxhehéhe.
or if I startle/scare him I might cause him to be bloodshot/bruised," he said.  

     Naa nêhe'še mó'éxo'âsénâhnêhéhe, (mós)tâhpé'o'âsénâhnêhéhe. 
     And then    he started a fire,    he made a big bonfire.  

Móxxaetšêšêhe'kenéše'hahtánôhevóhe.  Móstaméhaasé'a'hamôhevóhe  ho'êstáva.  
He quietly grabbed both of his legs. He tried to throw him into the fire. 
 
Móstao'omeká'a'xêhéhe néhe ó'kôhóme.  Móxôhtaévâhósenéhovôhevóhe.  
The coyote jumped over the fire.      He (whiteman) tried to chase him again.  

Móhvoné'ôxévaenaehevóhe tséohkêhešêhoháohtsétsévévôse ó'kôhoméheo'o.
(The coyote) eluded him as coyotes are very cunning/sly.

     Hena'háanéhe.
     That's it/the end.

-----

Notes:  This text was transcribed from tape, with the help of a native speaker,
on August 7, 1984. The helper was very familiar with this story, and her
interpolations or alternate wordings are found within parentheses.

Paragraphing is based on Wayne Leman's guesses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: Ve'ho'e and the Coyote
Told by: Mrs. Charles Whitedirt
(diacritics are omitted.)

NUMBERED CLAUSES FORMAT

\Cheyenne:Ve'ho'e and the Coyote
\English

  1  Naa  ve'ho'e   natahosemo.
     and  whiteman  I'll tell about him.

  2  Mohna'tonehehe.
     He killed game.

  3  Vaotsevahne   mohna'hohevohe.
     A deer (obv)  he killed.

  4  Naa  nehe'še  mo'ee'oenohevohe.
     And  then     he skinned it.

  5  Mostahpe'o'asenahnehehe  ma'taa'e.
     He built a big fire      in the woods.

  6  Mohma'xehonohtohehe  honoo'o.
     He roasted           a roast.

  7  Naa  nehe'še  tsehnešenavahononese   moxho'ehaa'hahanehe.
     And  then     while he was roasting  the wind arrived.

  8  Tseohkehešenestoneva'xevose  ohtotoeveoe'tovahtsevosestse
     The way the make a noise     whenever they rub together

     (hoohtseto)  mohnehešenestoneva'xehevohe.
     (trees)      that's how they sounded.

  9  "Naxaepeosemaa'e  tsehetoseheše-hotoo-,"
     They bug me       as (?) thusly continually-HESITATION

     moxhetohevohe       nehe   hoohtseto.
     he said about them  those  trees (obv)

 10  Naa  mostae'evonehnehehe.
     And  he climbed down.

 11  Neheohe  mosto'hovehe'ona'ohehe     oohtseheta     heneheohe
     There    he stuck his hand between  right there ?  there

     tsehnestoneva'xetsese.
     where they were making noise.

 12  Mostahe'konehotoxaotsehevohe,
     They got stuck where they were crossed,

     moxho'noeveho'haeoesta'hatse.
     the wind had ceased blowing.

 13  Naa  tse'tohe  o'kohome  monehme'ho'eohtsehehe.
     And  this      coyote    showed up.

 14  Hene          moxheho'ehohtohehe  tsehonohetse.
     That (roast)  he came to it       what was roasted.

 15  Naa  nehe'še  mostatsehehehe ve'ho'e,   "hene
     and  then     he said        whiteman,  "That one

     tšehešehesto'e               ononotse,
     which is on on the side (?)  take it out (of the fire),

     mesestse,"  moxhetohevohe.
     eat it,"    he told him (obv).

 16  Hene         mostaononohehe.
     That (INAN)  he took it out.

 17  Nono'hono'e    mostama'seononohetsehehe.
     More and more  he completely took it out.

 18  "Hapo'e    hene  nato'semese,"          mo'ohtaohkehetohevohe.
     "Likewise  that  I'm going to eat it,"  he tried to tell him.

 19  Ooxesta  moxheše'hanahehe.
     Kept on  he thusly ate.

 20  Tsestaešema'semaheestotsese          mostanotseevavo'hoveotsehevohe
     After he finished swallowing it all  they came apart

     tse'tohe  me'eškemahne/(hoohtseto).
     these     box elders/(trees).

 21  Mohne'anohevonehnehehe.
     He (whiteman) climbed down.

 22  (E)hma'xenehovosesto.
     He chased him (obv) all over.

 23  Naa  tosa'e     hešeeše     ho'hamose
     And  somewhere  in the sun  on the hillside

     moššeešenahehe         šeeneva.
     he (coyote) was lying  on the sandrocks.

 24  Mohma'xetahpe'asevo'enohehehe.
     He had a big belly from eating so much.

 25  Moxho'ehotohevohe.
     He (whiteman) came up to him.

 26  "Noxa'e,  /(taaxa'e),   naa  name'tatoneše'tovosestse?
     "Wait,    (let's see),  and  what should I do with him?

 27  Ho'taoomo     naa  mato  ho'tahaemo
     If I hit him  and  also  if I startle him

     name'taonahaxehestsenaeho,"          moxhehehe.
     I might cause him to be bloodshot,"  he said.

 28  Naa  nehe'še  mo'exo'asenahnehehe,  (mos)tahpe'o'asenahnehehe.
     And  then     he started a fire,    he made a big fire.

 29  Moxxaetšešehe'keneše'hahtanohevohe.
     He quietly grabbed both of his (obv) legs.

 30  Mostamehaase'a'hamohevohe    ho'estava.
     He tried to throw him (obv)  into the fire

 31  Mostao'omeka'a'xehehe      nehe  o'kohome.
     He jumped over (the fire)  this  coyote.

 32  Moxohtaevahosenehovohevohe.
     He (whiteman) tried to chase him (obv) again.

 33  Mohvone'oxevaenaehevohe  tseohkehešehohaohtsetsevevose
     He (obv) eluded him      the way they are very cunning

     o'kohomeheo'o.
     coyotes.

 34  Hena'haanehe.
     That's it (=the end).
Copyright 1997

Return to the Cheyenne stories main page.

Return to the main page of the Cheyenne Language Web Site.