Section 10.5 Mohawk - Niwathiatonhkwá:’a tánon thaontané:ken kaié:ri nihothsón:waien.
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Mohawk translation by: Stacey Lazare
Niwathiatonhkwá:’a ióntiats. Ne ki Akhsótha ionkkaratón:ni. Ohsótha iontatkaratonníhne nen’ né’e. Ne ken í:ken konwatiká:raton ne Nikakwahotá:’a, Tsó:ka’we, Thaontané:ken tánon kaié:ri nihothsón:waien.
My name is Small Number. This is a story that I heard from my grandmother and that she heard from her grandmother. It is about a coyote, a raven, a rabbit, and the four rabbit holes.
Thia’tewenniserá:ke ieható:rats ne Nikakwahotá:’a. Orhon’kestsihkó:wa enthatótshi tsi renterontáhkwa. Kowá:nen enhakahkwentón:ni. Okaráhsa énhsrawe.
Every day Coyote goes hunting. Coyote leaves his den in the early morning, makes a big circle through the forest and comes back to the den in the evening.
Tsi iotérhate kaié:ri ní:kon Thaontané:ken rothsón:waien. Akwé: tsi iothsonwakwaréhsion.
At the very edge of the forest there are four rabbit holes in a straight line, a few steps apart from each other.
Tóhka niiokháhake tsi na’tekonthsonwaterónnion. Niió:re ratonkáriaks, énska khok enhathsonwátken’se ohén:ton tsi niió:re ia’tenhaterháwe?este. Nikakwahotá:’a rá:wen, “É:so tsi rattókha ki Thaontané:ken, nek tsi entewenniserá:te’ke enhiié:na”.
Since Coyote is very hungry in the morning, he always checks only one rabbit hole before entering the forest. “This rabbit is very smart, but I will catch him one day,” says Coyote.
É:so ká:ti ontenniserohetstánion tánon árekho tehoiénen.
But, many days have passed and Coyote couldn’t catch the rabbit.
Teiorhonke’tsherá:ien, árekho teshoia’tatshénrion ne Nikakwahotá:’a. Tsi iokwirakén:iate iehothón:te Tsò:ka’we thoiéhson, “ká: ká:! Nikakwahotá:’a iah tha’tatshenikonhrakén:ni ne Thaontané:ken. Sénha se’ rattóhkha tsi ní:ioht ní:se”.
One morning, when once again Coyote couldn’t find the rabbit, he heard Raven laughing from the top of the tree, “Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck, Coyote! The rabbit is smarter than you are! Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck!”
Ísi non nihona’khwèn:’en ne Nikakwahotá:’a tá:non sé:nha wahona’kónnia’te tsi Tsò:ka’we rá:wen, “tóka nón:wa Thaontané:ken sénha rattóhkha tsi í:i ní:ioht, nek tsi í:i sénha kattóhkha tsi ní:ioht ní:se!”.
Coyote was very hungry that morning and Raven’ words made him angry, “Maybe the rabbit is smarter than I am, but I am much smarter than you are!”
“Ká: ká:”, tethoiéhson ne Tsò:ka’we. “Saksténha nón:wa, nisatonkáriaks, senahkwasnó:re, iah tesatenikonhriióston athié:na ne Thaontané:ken”.
“Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck,” laughed Raven. “You are an old, hungry, and angry Coyote who cannot catch the rabbit.”
“Tó: kató:ken tsi nihsattókha? Tóka akonhró:ri tsi tho nón:we iehanonwéthe kwah ohsonwákta tsi non iehononwé:ton kwahsontè:ke tánon tóka shonhsón:wa enhsátken’se thia’teiorhon’ketsherá:ke, tó: nenwá:ta tsik enthié:na ne Thaontané:ken?”.
“Let me see how smart you are. If I tell you that every night, the rabbit sleeps in the hole that is next to the hole where he slept the previous night and if you keep checking only one hole every morning, in how many days will you catch the rabbit?”
Nikakwahotá:’a wa’thotká:neren ne Tsó:ka’we, sok iahatkáhtho ne iohsón:waien, sok á:re tonsahotká:neren ne Tsó:ka’we. “Tsó:ka’we, íhsere tsi enskwé:ni tsik ónhka tasherihwaierónnion, tsi niióhtha wasekhró:ri oh ní:ioht ahiíe:na ne Thaontané:ken”. Sok skenenshón:’a ia’tonsahaterháwe’este.
Coyote looked at Raven, then looked at the rabbit holes, and then looked up at Raven again. “Raven, you think that you can trick everyone, but you just told me how to catch the rabbit,” said Coyote and slowly entered to the forest.
Karihwanóntha: Tó: nenwá:ta tsik Nikakwahotá:’a enhoié:na ne Thaontané:ken?
Question: In how many days will Coyote catch the rabbit?
