102 OMAHA AND PONKA LETTERS. 
Yankton dialect of the Dakota. In the course of an hour Heliaka- 
mani learned the additional characters required for writing Omaha, 
and after his return home he sent the accompanying Omaha letter, 
written in detached syHables. Being a Yankton, he is used to writing 
“k” before ‘‘d,” so in writing Omaha he retained the “k” (instead of 
using ““s”) before ““¢” (=dh). 
101, 2, me, not intelligible to the author. 
101, 3, ka"b¢a ega", probably intended for “ka"b¢ega™.” 
TRANSLATION. 
To qa¢i"-na™paji: O friend, when you wrote to me you requested me 
to come to a very good decision; but now I do not wish to form any 
plan whatever, and so I shall say nothing. We are not contemplating 
any plan that will be bad (for you), we are always planning what is 
good. But, my friend, I do not know to what course of action you 
refer in your letter. You ignored me formerly, and now that you come 
to a decision in my behalf, I wish you to tell me just what it is. And 
as I ignored you Omahas, and you Omahas ignored me in the past, I 
wish to hear one good plan that you have made. 
(Signed) WALKING ELK. 
LENUGA-ZI TO THE ACTING COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS 
CR-V. BEL’). 
Tyiga¢at jin’ga nikaci” ga uké¢i" wé¢agionig¢a® ninké, ca” 
Grandfather small Indian you decide for them, you who atany 
your own (sit), rate 
/ , s / ; fener 7 r *y/ *n/ 
a“ba¢é ga™ ie na™ba na‘a”wiki¢é te. Nikaci”ga wi? 
this day so (?) word two J cause you to hear, will. Person one 
ikaged¢dé ha’. Mr. Dorsey wag¢itaran’ki¢ ‘i¢é ga” iba" 
T have him for 5 Mr. Dorsey to cause me to work ~—s prom- as called 
a friend ised me 
a 4 wv a) , ~/ ye 1a fe *n/ , / i 
éga" ati ha. Ki pi taté‘di nikaci”ga amd una” cta® depot 
as Ihave . And when I was about Indian the pl. stopping place depot 
come to start hither sub. 
té'di ahigiqti a®¢a"’ wathe ati Pan’ka amd. Ki fe wi” uwi- 
atthe very many following close they Ponka the pl. And word one I tell 
behind me came sub. 
, Des), , le , es w/ ye (p> Y , *H/ 
b¢a te, af Patékaama. Na, Iyiga™¢ai ¢inké’di cf té fe wi 
you shall, said Ponka the pl. (Intj.) Grand- | to the st. you when word one 
sub. See father ob. reach 
here! (?) there 
, il ee eal evi , Pes , as Oe Mes 
u¢éna te ha’. Maja” ¢a" ¢é¢a™ yéski uwa‘a"si-na™i édega” 
you tell shall. Land the this cattle they often leap (on it) but (er, as 
to him place place in the past) 
(ob.) 
, ° , ° ane, / , , fis : TEND *n/e = / 
wéteqi teabai. Ki na” kige g@¢éba-sata™ a™¢a’ @i?wi"'l maja" 
difficult it is very. And only box ; sixty we have bought it land 
for us with 
