OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. 1 
LION TO MRS. MARY CANFIELD, ASPINWALL, NEBR. MARCH, 1880. 
Liaha, ¢i waji” ¢ya cki cka“na yi, uda® té. (lage 
O sister’s you mind your you you wish if, it will be You have 
daughter, own return good. returned 
hither 
tédthi ticka® wit ckaxe taté, nikaci™ga-ma u¢éwi" wacta™ be, 
at the deed one you shall do, the people assembled you see them, 
time 
uq¢e’qti ka"b¢éga". Ki nikaci™’ga-ma b¢ugaqti mah e¢e 
very soon I hope. And the pe nts erect 
¢andji"-da” wanaha” te ha. ‘I”na"ha maja” a¢i™ ¢a® 
you stand and you will pray to j My mother land shehad — the 
(s.) them ob. 
vl = Ieee if 3 , 4 } , oe] weer $ / 
agdiza-da” di at’é ka™b¢a Ada™ ag¢i. Wage ¢inké, maja™ 
Itakemy and there Idie I wish because I have White the st. land 
own (s.) returned man one, 
here. 
eye) ee : eee, P ay is. aie ye 
uwédiaji Ab¢ixe ¢inké, wagaq¢a® ab¢i” ékiga", wai" ¢ita™L. 
in a different the one whom I took servant I have like it, he works at vari- 
place for my husband, him ous things for me. 
Ki wage ¢inké ta” watg¢a" @'di wacka”qti ¢éka™b¢a-maji ; 
And white the st. village in making a great I do not wish for him; 
man one etfort 
waw¢kitata éga" ma¢i” éka"b¢a-maji,” ecé te ha. Ha?¢i, 
a deceiver so to walk I do not wish for him, you will : Henry, 
say it 
* 2.1 ste T , ; *n/ 
iéska, Waha™¢ingé, Tbaha™bi, wi céna, i” ba"-baji ¢a™ja, ca 
interpre- Orphan, Ibaha%bi, I enough, we do not eall though, yet 
ter, to him 
7% *Ln k , =: 
Giewajis .cKi Si, ... <. 
of yourown youare if, 
accord coming 
back 
NOTES. 
Though this letter was dictated in Omaha, the parenthetical sen- 
tences were recorded only in English. 
» 81,7. Ki wage ¢inke, ete. Lion and the other Omahas knew by 
experience what they had to expect from white men who took Omaha 
wives. Such men wished to control the tribe. So Mrs. Canfield was 
asked in this letter to say to the council that she did not wish her hus- 
band to have anything to do with tribal affairs. 
TRANSLATION, 
O sister’s daughter, if you, of your own accord, desire to return to 
this reservation, it will be good. At the time of your return you shall 
do one thing: I hope that you will not delay seeing all the people 
assembled. And then you should rise to your feet and petition all the 
people, thus: “I have returned because I wish to take possession of 
the tract of land which belonged to my mother, and I wish to die there. 
~ The white man whom I took for my husband in another land works at 
_ various things for me, just as if 1 had him as my servant. But I do 
10967——-6 
