LETTERS DICTATED BY OMAHAS AND PONKAS. 485 
iwake Pan’ka nikagahi ijin’ge wactice wan ‘gifeqti wija™ bai ka"b¢éga™. 
I mean it. Ponka chief his an brave T see you I hope. 
Kgipi ma”-qti-ma” éga", wija™bai ka"b¢éga"-hna®™ ca”ca™. Wakate ¢hia 
Tam so used to you as, I see you Lam hoping always. ood your 
1 / F ° 1 . ; ° 
b¢a ite ca” ca™. I™uda™, Ada" wija™be ka*b¢a-qti-ma”. Badize aké ¢ ¢izat 
Tate always. Good to me, therefore [see you Idesire very Ido. Battiste the that he 
(sub.) takes it 
y J , ia Pe 
yi, da”’be udi¢a ta aka. 
when, seeing it he will tell you. 
TRANSLATION. 
When I do not see you lL am poor; but-when I see yon I am not poor. Since you 
departed my heart has been sad; I have continued sick. It is always good for you to 
consult the chiefs and the young men about your affairs. What things you gave to 
these gentes of Omahas were always good. They ever remember you. Your plans 
were good aft all times. I hope to see you in another season. I desire you to send 
and tell me the way to your land. If the interpreter whom you have, knows the way, 
send and tell me. His name is Battiste. I wish to hear how many days’ walk it is 
from the Oto village to the Ponka village. I hope to see all of you brave sons of 
Ponka chiefs. As I am so used to you, I am ever hoping to see you. I always ate 
your food. It was pleasant to me, therefore I have a strong desire to see you. When 
Battiste receives the letter and sees its contents, he will tell you. 
MAQPIYA-QAGA TO MA®*TCU-NAJI. 
Laha™ha, niyjinga ¢i¢ija t’é t6, niin’de i™pi-maji ca”ca®. Ki ¢d¢u ¢a- 
3rother-in-law, boy your dead as, heart bad for me always. And here you 
naj té’'di, ada" héga-hmi"-aji cde ihné té ceta”, cin’gajin’ga ¢i¢ija E¢a"ba, 
stood when, good alittle you werenot but youhave so far, ebild "your he too, 
gone there 
maja” ¢a™ abdi™ ¢an’di M¢éwacka™ qti yi, té té and‘a® té’di, i” ¢a-maji ha. 
land. ue [have in the you made great efforts when, dead the Iheardit when, I was sad 
(ob. for me 
éaké iimi aka xa@é-hna™ ca™ea%. Cat ea” and‘a® té, ceta™ niin’de 
oD oD ’ 
Thisone hismother’s the is always erying. Just so Theardit when, so far heart 
brother's wife (sub.) 
i pi-maji ma™b¢i” ha. Can’ge ja’-ma™¢i" ‘i ¢an‘’ka endqtei iwi'’cte. 
bad for me I walk . Fee) wagon earry the ones that they alone remain to me. 
Maja™ ab¢i” ¢a” timaxe¢é axe ¢éga", wamtske maja” b¢tiga udji Ci 
Land Th a the I did not like to give it up a wheat land the whole I sowed. Again 
because I had worked it 
dada" waqta jin’'ga b¢tiga ab¢i’; nt eti ab¢i’, ca” wata™ zi cti Ahigiqti 
what vegetable eal all Ihave; pvetato too Thave, and corn too very much 
ab¢i”. Nikaci"ga-ma ¢é¢u magi" gé'di a” ba udwayiha-hna™i. Uma™ha® 
T have. The meagle here they walked during day we are generally lonesome. Omahas 
the (p].) 
ama bia ¢igisi¢é-hna™i. Ki Caa™ amaja cti angahii. Angag¢ii, can’ge 
the remember you. And Dakotas tothem too we arrived. We came home, horse 
watti ha Caa™ ama. Ja" wija™ be ka™b¢éde téqi ha. pi té im¢i’da™be 
gavetous . Dakotas the. Yet T see you Iwish, bunt diffieult,  . House the to look after forme 
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