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Where Did She Go? - Tóḱi iyaya he?

A Poem by Prof. Dr. Emma LaRocque and its translation into Laḱota by Jan Ullrich

 

Where did she go?

That orange-red glow
from an old black woodstove
in Sapp’s “Making Rabbit Soup”
Teased out a pain,
a memory so deep¸
of a life,
a way of life,
of a face,
many faces,
of smells,
of sweetgrass smells
of stories told in a language
I will never know again.
Where do they go
The voices that sang
and cried
and cooed swinging babies
wrapped in canvas
suspended by rope
nailed to the browned
poplar beams holding up
the tar-papered roof ?
Where do they go?
The faces
In many shades of brown
aging
in concentric circles
like old cultured trees?
My grandmothers, my grandfathers,
My aunts, my uncles,
My mother
Where did she go
Her voice chanting Cree
In the morning,
Her voice cooing Cree
to her babies
In mid-afternoon
Her voice crying.
In the evening
grieving the dusk of her ancient culture.
Her voice raging
in the night
of her sorrow of Woman,
her sorrow of Native.
Where did she go?
Her face triumphant
at chasing away Pehehsoo the Thunderbird
from scaring her children.
Her face in determination
Swatting mosquitos
away from her blueberries
that will nourish her children.
Her face in lilting laughter
and animation
Telling on Wisakehcha
playing games on ducks and foxes
Wisakehcha playing games on humanself.
Where did she go?
Her face at rest -
in zero absolute stillness
posed for morticians
it was almost more than I could bear.
Her face, her voice
fading
in concentric circles.
Damn crazy cells
felled her
like a mad axeman
fells
a regal northern tree.
Where did she go?
Her voice, her faces
that wake me in the night
Where did she go
Her voices, her faces
that turn my coffee
into a cup of tears
with the first wisp of day?
Where did she go
My great,
ancient
cultured Tree,
My mother, My Cree?

 

Tóḱi iyaya he?

Mazoċeṫi ṫannila na sápa kin he
ziṡa iyoyanbya he.
Sapp „Maṡtinska wahanpi kágapi kin“ ṫáwa kin el.
Ċa he un iyokiṡil mahingle, yazan mahingle.
Iċin líla tanyan wéksuye hingle.
wiċoni wan
wiċoḣ‘an wan
ite wan
ite óta
wómna óta
waċanga kin wówaṡtemna
wiċooyake kin
hena iyapi wan un oyaka pi kin he
Ici‘nupa‘ni slolwayin kte ṡni.
Hena tóḱi iyaya pi he?
Wiċaho kin lowan pi k‘un hena
ċeya pi k‘un hena
Hokṡiyopa (1) kahunhunza pi eya
wiċayawaḣwala pi k‘un hena
Hokṡiyopa kin mniḣuha ṡóka un iyapehan pi
Wáġaċan ipatanpi kin ṫiċe ipatan k‘un hena aokatan pi na iḱanṫunyan ġegeya pi.
Hena tóḱi iyaya pi he?
Ite kin hena e pi.
Hena ġimna pi, ġísapa pi, ġitka pi, ġigi pi, ġíṡa pi.
Hena kan áya pi
Ċokaya mimemeyela han pi.
Ċan eya ehanni ożu pi na ḱiċanyan pi
ċa áḱileċeca pi
Unciwiċawaye kin, ṫunkaṡilawaye kin hena
Ṫunwinwiċawaye kin*, lekṡiwiċawaye kin
Inawiċawaye kin, atewiċawaye kin*
Inawaye kin
Tóḱi iyaya he?
Ṫaho kin Laḱolya** lowan
Híhanni ṡna
Ṫaho kin waḱanheża (2) Laḱolya** wiċaglaḣwala
wÍḱuwabya ṡna.
Ḣtáyetu ṡna.
Ṫaho kin ċéye
Iċin ehanni wiċoḣ‘an ṫáwa kin
ḣtamaḱaohanziya han ċa he un
Ṫaho kin ċanzeya ċéyaniya
hanhepi ṡna
Wínyan ṫawoiyokṡice cin he un
Ikce Oyate ṫawoiyokṡice cin he un
Tóḱi iyaya he?
Ktélakel
Ktélakel iteoyuze
Wakinyan kin ċékiya wiċayaḣapa ċa he un
Iċin waḱanheża (kin ḱokiṗewicaya pi kte
Ṫawaċinkic‘unyan iteoyuze.
Háza hetanhan ċaṗunka ḣabḣabya kahinta
Ṫawaḱanyeża kin hena yúta pi okihi pi kte ċa he un
Oṫanṫunyan na ṡliṡli iḣat‘a iyeoyuze
Iktomi ohunkakan oyake eċunhan
Iktomi magakṡica na ṡunġila wiċagnaye
Iktomi ikce wiċaṡa kin wiċagnaye.
Tóḱi iyaya he?
Lílaḣci ablakela
na asnikiyakel iteoyuze
ḣapi kin eċunhan
Líla iyotiyewakiye na
kinil ċantowakihi ṡni.
Ite na ho
Áṫan‘in ṡni áye
Ċokaya mimemeyela han
Ċeḣpi kin ṡicawaċin yutakuni ṡni áye
ċa yuunke.
Wiċaṡa wan witkotkoyakel waziċan
kaunke
Áḱileċeca.
Tóḱi iyaya he?
Ite na ho
Hanmiṡtinma ehan makaḣice
Tóḱiya iyaya he?
Ite na ho kin hena
Ṫokahe ánpaó kinhan
waḱalyapi miṫawa kin
ki-iṡtamnihanpi hingle.
Tóḱi iyaya he?
Ċan ṫánka
ożu pi na ḱicanyan pi kin
miṫawa
Inawaye kin, Laḱota** miṫawa kin.