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I would fight those other kids.

nih'iibooboo3ou'u nuhu' honoh'oehih'o'.

Then they fought me back.

Ne'nih'ii'ce'boobooxu3i'.

Then I tried to talk to them again.

Ne'nih'ii'ce'iini neyeiheeneti3ou'u.

Then they treated me good again.

Ne'nih'ii'ce'niini'ihi3i'.

Then I treated them good again too.

ne'nih'iice'ini'ihou'u.

We would just tell each other stories about various things.

Kookon nih'iiheenei'oonoo3itoohuni'.

Then we would compete/have contests.

ne'nih'ii'ceecebiiheti'.

They would play handgame.

Nih'iikookoxouhti3i'.

Who knows all those handgame songs? (we would ask).

Henee'eehek heeneene'ino' nuhu' koxouhtiinootno?

We would raise our hands.

Nih'eenei3ihkoho'oekoohu'.

I know them.

Hee'inowoo.

I know them, somebody or other would say.

Hee'inowoo, kookon nih'ii3i'.

But we don't know these songs, (most of them would say).

'oh neihoowoe'ineebe nuhu' niibootno.

After a long time Joe Waterman (would say), I've caught on to them all.

hoonii nehe' Joe, heenei{nii}siitenowoo.

The next time, the next times after that, then I caught on to those songs.

Hoo3iihi', hoonoo3iihi', ne'cih'iisiitenowoo nuhu' niibootno.

It took me a while...

Nihkou3iisiitP

They were all caught on to.

nih'eeneisiiteneihiinou'u.

They aren't...

Hoowuuni...

They are not caught on to right away.

xonou hiihoowuusiiteneihiinoono.

They have to be listened to several times.

Niiceh'e3towuuneihiinou'u.

And this, this, this Arapaho language, this English language, since (an Arapaho) wants to know it, this is important, what we said;

Noh nuhu', nuhu', nuhu' hinono'eitiit, nuhu' nih'oo3oo tohuubeete'ino', nenee' henee3oo' nuhu', heetneeneisinP neeneisinihiino';

Or how it was, when we visited each other.

wo'ei3 neeneitP, nih'eeneisiini, tihceeceitoonetino'.

How we told each other stories about things.

Nih'eeneiseeP hoonoo3itoohuno'.

That's where the kids today have it tough (since they don't know the language).

Nee'eetotou'utoo3i' nuhu' tei'yoonoh'o'.

The little ones, this younger generation and the little kids, the younger generation, right away when they were spoken to in Arapaho, they caught on to the Arapaho words, in Arapaho.

Hookeciihihi3i', nuhu' wonooniii'oo3i' noh nuhu' hookeciihihi3i' tei'yoonoh'o', nuhu' wonooniii'oo3i', xonou nih'eeneti3eihi3i', nih'eeneisiitenou'u nuhu' hinono'eiyeitono, hinono'einiihi'.

You're going to eat, or whatever, they were told these things in Arapaho.

Heetbii3ihin, wo'ei3 nuhu' heenei'isiihi', nih'eenei'towuuneihi3i'.

Don't fight!

ciibeh'iibooboo'ei'.

Don't...

ciibeh'iiP

Don't...

ciibeh'iiP

Don't fight with your friends.

ceebeh'iiboobooxun heiteh'eihoho'.

Or when you're playing, you must play nicely, they said.

Wo'ei3 neeneisiinokotiinee, heetih'ini niini'iinokotiinee, nih'ii3i'.

Then, then we listened carefully/properly to my dad and my mom.

Ne'nih'ii'iini, ne'nih'ii'bebiisceh'e3tonee3i' nuhu' neisonoo noh neinoo.

My older brother, his father and mother, we listened to them properly.

Nuhu' neeseh'e, hiniisonoon noh hiinoon, nih'iibebiisceh'e3tonee3i'.

They would scold us.

Nih'iinih'oubei'ee3i'.

You guys are crazy, what you're doing, they said.

Hoohookeeninee, neeneistoonee, nih'ii3i'.

Also the Sun Dance, when we were playing Sun Dance, you don't do that, they said.

howoo nuhu' hoseihoowu', tohuuP toh'uunokotiinee, hiihoownee'eestootiin, nih'ii3i'.

But we made a (pretend) lodge.

'oh nihniiniistiini'.

We went and cut a few/some small trees.

nih'iiwonko'ohee3i', beenhehe' hohootino'.

We stood them up (to make a miniature lodge).

nih3i'ookuuhee3i',

That's where we made it.

ne'nih'iitniistiini'.

Then we took blankets inside there.

Ne'ii'ciitenowuni' [hi]touwo.

Then we sang.

Ne'ii'niibei'ini'.

But we didn't know Sun Dance songs.

'oh neih'oowoe'ineebe niibootno.

We would dance.

Nih'iibeteeeni'.

I would dance.

Nih'iibeteeenoo.

And he was the one who would dance, Joe, he would dance.

'oh neneenit nih'iibeteeet, nehe' Joe, nih'iibeteeet.

Then he would sing.

ne'nih'ii'niibeit.

One after the other in turn, we sang songs.

beebeebiiti', nihniiniibei'ini'.

But we didn't know the actual Sun Dance songs.

'oh neih'oowoe'ineebe nuhu' niibootno.

That's when we got a good scolding.

Ne'nih'ii'niinih'oubeihi'.

Some time not long after, then we told them:

Heihii, he'iicxooyeiniihi' ne'ei'towuunee3i':

I am going to take part in the ceremony, said my older brother, Joe Waterman.

wohei heetniitookooyeinoo, nih'iit nehe' neeseh'e, Joe, Waterman.

And me too, then I went in there.

Wo'ei3 neneeninoo, ne'ciiteinoo.

We were young;

Nihwooneihini';

But I really had a hard time of it in there then.

'oh ne'iini nihtotou'utoonoo.

It was really tough inside the Sun Dance lodge.

Nihno'o3oo' ciitoowuu'.

We learned the hard way.

Nihnih'onee'inowuni'.

We shouldn't have played at it, (Joe) said.

Wonoh wonoh tohuuhuunokotiino', nih'iit.

We should not have played around with it.

heih'oowuunokotiin.

Now we know it, he said.

Woow hee'inowuno', nih'iit.

Now we understand all that, he said.

Woow heneene'inowuno', nih'iit.

Now that we're going through great suffering, he said, that's why we're having such a tough time now (because we played at it earlier).

Tohuunoono'otoxuuhetiitooni', nih'iit, henee3neetoototou'utoono'.

He almost left the lodge/quit the ceremony.

Nih'eyeihce3ei'oot.

He came and visited me (where I was sitting).

Nihcihwonceitooneinoo.

Do you know/remember when we were playing, over there at my house?

Koohoe'in toh'uunokotiino', huu3e' noto'oowuu'?

Yes, I said to him.

Hee, nih'ii3o'.

Yeah, we were pretending to put up a lodge, he said.

Hee, nih'iiyooyoohuno', nih'iit.

Yeah, I said to him.

Hee, nih'ii3o'.

They should not have been doing that.

Hihbeexuuciinee'eenee'eestoono.

We've learned that for ourselves now, he said.

Neniihenee'inowuno' hiiwoonhehe', nih'iit.

Us, us, now we know it, just how holy it is, inside the lodge, he said.

Neneenino', neneenino', woow hee'inowuno', hee3ei'neebeteenoo', ciitoowuu', nih'iit.

We played with it.

Nihi'iinokotiino';

Now we understand those rules for ourselves, he said.

neniihenee'inowuno' woow, nih'iit.

That's what I know about the Sun Dance now.

Woow nee'ee3e'inowoo nuhu' hoseihoowu'.

And we didn't, we didn't play with it any more.

Noh neih'oowoohP neih'oowoohu'uunokotiibe.

Soon after, when we were finished growing up, we understood all these things about it.

Heihii tih'ini beebee3iisiii'ooni', nihP heihiiP ne'heene'inowuni'.

Well, he said, I still remember how we played at Sun Dancing.

Wohei, nih'iit, noosounee'inowoo nih'eeneisiinokotiino'.

And this, Cowboys and Indians/Arapahos, when we played, when we shot at each other, he said.

Wo'ei3 nuhu', nuhu' touhoo, noh nuhu' hinono'ei, toh'uunokotiino', tohuuceecebetino', nih'iit,

It shouldn't be like that.

Hiibeexuciinee'eeP nee'eesoo.

We were doing harmful things, he said.

Nih'iikookohtowutoono', nih'iit.

Yeah, I said to him.

Hee, nih'ii3o'.

Me too, I know it now, I said to him.

Howoo neneeninoo, hee'inowoo, nih'ii3o'.

Now we are having a tough time.

Woow tootou'utoono'.

I'm having a hard time now.

Tootou'utoonoo hiiwoonhehe'.

I don't know where I stand, I said to him.

Neih'oowoe'in heeteh3i'ookuunoo, nih'ii3o'.

And that's what I know about this.

Noh beebeet nee'ee3e'inowoo.

This uhh, the Arapaho language, that's what's important.

Nuhu' nihii, nuhu' hinono'eitiit, nenee' henee3oo'.

It must be caught on to.

Nenee' heeneisiiteneihiinoo'.

The little children used to be spoken to right away.

Xonou nih'iiheeneti3eihi3i' nuhu' hookecii{he}hihi3i' tei'yoonoh'o'.

Right away they were spoken to (in Arapaho).

Xonou nih'eeneti3eihi3i'.

They smiled when they caught on to what all was being said to them.

Nih'oxou'ei'oo3i' toh'uusiitenou'u nuhu' nih'eeneiseeneti3eihi3i'.

They would be smiling, or they just, they just kicked their legs out around.

Nih'oonoxou'ei'oo3i', wo'ei3 nihbi'P nihbi'siisiice'ihcehi3i'.

They would just shake their hands around.

Kookon heenei'isiihi' nihkookonohoekoohu3i'.

That's how they caught on to it.

Ne'P ne'nih'iisiitenou'u.

But today the younger generation are not like that.

'oh hiiwoonhehe', hoownee'eesoono' nuhu' wonooniii'oo3i'.

The ones having babies/kids now don't do that.

Neeneiniisooni3i', hoowuuni.

They aren't told things.

Hiihoowei'towuuneeno'.

They don't know the Arapaho language.

Hoowoe'inowuu nuhu' hinono'eitiit.

The Arapaho language is what's important.

Nuhu' hinono'eitiit, nenee' henee3oo'.