DORSEX-s WANTON] THE BILOXI AND OFO LANGUAGES 23 



NOTES 



This text consists of the Biloxi equivalents of some sentences of an 

 Omaha letter, found on pages 37— iO of Omaha and Ponka Letters, a 

 bulletin of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, 1891. 

 The English equivalents of the sentences were given, one by one, to 

 Betsy Joe and her daughter, Maria Johnson, who then gave the 

 author the corresponding Biloxi words. 



2. hlMnepixti, rather, inkikinepixti^ "I like it for you; I like what 

 you do or have" {2>i). 



3. unJctcudi {tcu). 

 8. nyukutlhi (kuti). 



8. nky^hoHuni iyehd^); rika^ycLsaxtu {sahi). 



9. ndd^xt 6»", in full ndd^xtu d^ {dd^). 



10. hahenan iyehd^ni^ in full, haheiiani iyeho^m. 



TRANSLATION 



O younger brother, to-day I have seen the letter which you wrote. 

 O ye Americans, 1 may see you. I like your working for yourselves, 

 so I am working, too. I sowed wheat, and did very well. I planted 

 corn, Irish potatoes, onions, turnips, and peas. I succeeded very well 

 with all. I made a very good house for myself, but it was burned. I 

 have ten hogs, one cow, four geese, and one turkey. O younger 

 brother, now I have told you. When we lived as Indians, we knew 

 nothing, and we experienced great hardships. You [white people] 

 know everything because God has taught you. 



6. The Brant and the Otter 

 Pudedna' Xyi'nixkana' ki'tena'xe ha'nde o'^'ni. "Wite'di ko 



Ancient of Ancient of Otters a friend, each to was. "To-morrow when 



Brants the other 



eya°'hi°-taV' Pudedna' kiye'di. Xyi'nixkana'di e' ka° de'di. 



reach there" (male Ancient of said to him. Ancient of Otters the said it when went, 

 to male) Brants (sub.) 



Eya'^'hi'i [ha^^] Pudedna', "He + ha<," Xyini'xkana e'di. 



Reached there [when] Ancient of Brants "Halloo!" Ancient of Otters said it. 



"Kani'ki na'x-ka°tca na'. Xe'xnank-ta'," e' ha°, o'kuk de'di, 



"I have nothing at all as I sit. Be sitting " (male to said it when to fish went 



male), 



ma°tu'hu du'xtaxta'^'na de'di. O' atca'xti ki'di, o' huwe'di. O' 



leather vine jerking now and went. Fish many were he carried fish he cooked. Fish 

 then to straighten it killed on his 



back (?) 



huwe' de'-hed-ha'^', mu'suda' yi'nki tcu'di. Tcu' ha"^ kiistu'ki 



cooked that finished when dish small filled. Filled when set it down 



before him 



PMe'dna ka°. Duti' Pudedna', musuda' xa'pkaxti kdu'x-ni. "Ta<," 



Ancient of the Ate Ancient of dish very flat he could not Noise made 



Brants (ob.). Brants eat. by hitting 



with his bill 



e' ha°, natia'^'tata' ha'nde. Xe'naxkana' pa o'xpa o' huwe'. 



said when raising his head he was. Ancient of Otters himself swal- fish cooked, 



it often to swallow (only) lowed 



