92e

"Give me a spoon," I say to them.

heebiyoo cihbiini ni'ii3ou'u.

"Or a fork, give me one," I say to them.

Wo'ei3 koxkohoe cihbiini ni'ii3[ou'u].

But my grandchildren don't know the language.

'oh hoowoe'inowuu, nuhu' neisiihoho'.

And "my aunt, what are you saying to her?" (they ask).

'oh nehe' nehei, heiP heitousinihii3oo.

"Food," I tell them, "that food, it's not just tossed around," I say to them.

Bii3wo ni'ii3ou'u, hinee bii3wo, hiihoowuunkuuhuno, ni'ii3ou'u.

"It is not tossed around."

Hiihoowuunkuuhuno.

"It is thrown outside (where spirits can come after it)."

niinouuP niinouukuuhu'.

"The (deceased) old men, they are fed outside."

Beh'eihoho', nuhu' niinouunooxobeihi3i'.

"They are the ones who are fed out there."

Nenee3i' nooxobeihi3i'.

"It was good that way," I say to them.

Ne'nih'iisini'oo', ni'ii3ou'u.

Now he is slowly catching on it, what I say to my grandchildren.

Woow kooxo'oeneisiiteno' neeneisinihii3ou'u nuhu' neisiihoho'.

And that's the end of this story.

Nee'ei'ise' nuhu' hoo3itoo.

And this, and this uhh, and this time when, when people were cooking,

'oh nuhu', 'oh nuhu' nihii, 'oh nuhu' tohuuP tohuubii3wootiini',

"what's going on?" (one of them) would say;

hiitousiini nih'iit;

they just inquired after each other,

nihP nihbi'nottoneihiitooni',

they asked after people.

nihnottobeetiini'.

"Is, are, are there enough of them helping/looking out for you I wonder..."

koonuP hiiyP koonee'eetoxu3i' heniiteheibeenebeiit wohoene'P.

"Yeah," s/he said, they said.

yeah, nih'iit, nih'ii3i'.

"Now there are a lot of them."

Woow wonoo3ee3i'.

"They will help me, they will do the cooking," they said.

Heetniitebeibi3i', heetbii3bee3i', nih'ii3i'.

"Okay," I say to (my niece or granddaughter).

Wohei, ni'ii3o'.

And I told (Mary Cowboy) about this (the other night):

neenei'towuuno':

And now, she told me, last night, (when I was doing a naming ceremony for her),

noh hiiwoonhehe', nih'iiP, nih'ei'towuuneinoo, tihbih'iyoo',

Mary Cowboy, (someone) had told her:

Mary Cowboy, he'ih'ei'towuune':

"I can't help you. (name your grandchild)."

neihoowuuni.

There were not a lot of them who helped her.

hih'oowoo3eihino' hihniiteheibeiit[ono].

The ones who helped her, there were not a lot of them.

Hihniiteheibeiitono, hoowoo3eihino'.

"People are not (supposed to have to be) asked to help out."

Hiihoowunottoneihiitoon.

"They notice the need on their own," I said to her.

niiP niiniihenihco'ootou'u, nih'ii3o'.

For example, for example when people were charitably inclined, when they were charitably inclined, well then "there's someone, you might could go help him/her" (they would say).

Howoo howoo tohuuniiniiteheibeetebiitooni' tohuuwonniiteheibeetebiitooni', 'oh he'iiteihi3i heebehwonniiteheiwoo.

People aren't supposed to have to be asked.

Hiihoowookohuuswonottobeetiin.

"Can I help out?" (they're supposed to go ask).

Keetni'niiteheibei

"I will help him/her," (they would say).

Heetniiteheiwo'.

People don't do that anymore.

hoowoohnee'eestootiin

They just finish up what they're doing.

Kookon niibi'bee3tootiini'.

Then they drive off.

Ne'nii'ce3koohu3i'.

And that, these ones are still working.

'oh hini', niinosouniisi3ei'i3i' nuhu'.

They are still putting up their lodge, they are putting it up.

niinosou3ii3i'ookuu3i' hiyeih'inoo, nii3i'ookuutii3i'.

People aren't supposed to have to be asked to do things.

Hiihoowookohuusnottobeetiin

"Come help me!" (they'd say).

Cihwonniiteheibi!

"No one is around."

Hooweentoo.

"There's no one available to help me," (someone) would say.

Neihoowu'unniiteheibei'i, nih'iit.

People don't say that anymore.

Hiihoowooh'uutoon.

They would just (say) "can you...?"

Niibi'P keetP, niibi'P,

Peolple show up to help.

cenihnoohobeihiitooni'.

People would go and set up their camps (in the old days).

Nihwonniiihootiini'.

Then people would call to them to see if they needed help.

Ne'nih'ii'niiteheibeti3ei3i'.

"Yes, you can help me, it will be good," they said.

Hee, heetcihniiteheibin, heetni'oo', nih'ii3i'.

That was when, that way was good, when they helped each other out.

ne'nih'ii'iini, nee'eesini'oo', nuhu' tohuuniiniiteheibetiitooni'.

But today it's all different now.

'oh hiiwoonhehe' ceneecei'soo'.

They don't want to help each other.

Hiihoowbeetniiteheibeetebiitoon.

They don't want to help each other out with thing.

Hiihoowbeetniiniiteheibeenebiitoon.

They are going to finish (their own things).

Hinee heetniibee3tii3i'.

They are going to finish it up themselves (and not help out anyone else).

Heetniihenbee3tii3i'.

They are going to put up their lodge on their own, and so forth.

Heetniihen3i'ookuutii3i' hiyeih'inoo, heenei'isiihi'.

And today, it's not like it used to be.

'oh hiiwoonhehe', hoowuuni.

They don't want to go help each other out.

Hoowbeetwonniiteheibeenebiitoon.

Whoever helped you out, "thank you," you would say to him/her.

Toonheniiteheibeiit, hohou, nih'ii3ot.

Or whoever you were helping out, "thank you," s/he would say to you.

wo'ei3 toonheniiteheiwooo, hohou heetnii3ein.

That, that's how it was.

Ne'nih'iinP ne'nih'iisiini.

It was good that way.

Nee'eesini'oo'.

And also when people are walking/without a car, well I know of when there was a soldier, they aren't, they aren't picked up.

Howoo nuhu' tohuucebiseetiini', 'oh hee'inowoo nuhu' tohuubeniiiP hiihoowo'tenowuu, hiihoowo'teneihino'.

They always want to go driving around, that's what I see.

Niibeetco'oniinkoohuuhei3i', nee'ee3ee'inowoo.

"We're going over there now, we're going over there now," they say right away.

Huut yihkoohu', huut yihkoohu', xonou nih'ii3i',

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Might as well, might as well, they are just passed by, left standing.

Noonoko', noonoko', niibi'cebe'eneihi3i'.

They are just passed up, left standing there.

Niibi'cowo'oneihi3i'.

They are just passed by by all the cars.

Niibi'P niibi'ini coocowo'oneihi3i'.

But the ones who sweat, then they do good.

'oh nuhu' niiciibenei'i, ne'niini'itoo3i'.

They give them something.

Niibei3i'.

"Here is gas money, so you can fill it up, and so forth," (they say).

Cebitee, heetihciinoh[ow] heenei'isiihi'.

It's tough having to just walk around.

Nono'o3oo' nuhu' tohuuP toh'uunseetiini'.

when you have to walk around all over.

Toh'uuncebseetiini'

My father for example, he always walked all over to places.

Howoo nuhu', howoo nuhu' neisonoo, nihco'oniiniseet.

****

****

And my mother; these old men too, they always walked all over.

Noh neinoo; nuhu' beh'eihoho', nihco'oniinsee3i'.

They would always go about visiting people.

Nihco'oniinwonceitee3i'.

They went all about visiting each other.

Nih'iinceitooneti3i'.

They would eat various places.

Biibii3ihi3i'.

They would bring food back to camp (from where they had been invited).

Ce'noono'uxotii3i' bii3wo.

We would eat our fill.

Nih'eeneihkoteeni'.

They helped us out with food, it was all good.

Nih'iiyeihP, nihniini'oo'.

But today, it's not like that.

'oh hiiwoonhehe' hoowooh'uni.

They don't think about helping each other.

hoowniiteheibeenebetiitoon

They don't want to think about helping each other.

Hoowbeetniiteheibeenebiitoon.

They don't.

Hoowuuni.

"Can I help you?" They don't say that.

Keetni'niiteheibe3, hoowuuni.

"And Can we help you, with something or other?"

Noh keetni'niiteheibee, heenei'isiihi'?

"What can I get for you, whatever thing you need."

Heeyou keeP keetni'ceestone3, toonheenei'isiihi'.

Or "you must come and eat at my house."

Wo'ei3 hetcihwonbii3ih noto'oowuu'.

"When you're done (you can take some food home)," people don't say that any more.

bee3toonehk, hoownee'eesinihiitoon

Now that's all going away.

Woow beneebeeto'oo'.

Now it's all going to the white man way.

Woow nuhu' koonohnih'oo3ounoo'oo'.

These councilmen too, when they are selected, then right in the middle they had to dance around the assembly.

Nuhu' howoo neeceeno', toh'uuteneihi3i', ne'beeyoo nihnoo'oebeteee3i'.

They picked them out.

Nih'itenoo3i'.

They led them to the center of the circle.

Nihcihwoteexohoo3i'.

The ones who were going to be councilmen, they danced around the circle.

HeetneeceeniP, hi'in, nihnoo'oeP nihnoo'oebeteee3i'.

The ones who were going to be councilmen were seen by everyone.

Nihnoohobeihi3i', heP heetneeceeni3i'.

People didn't have to have a vote.

hoowookohuusbeseyootiin.