The Star Husband Tale As Told by John Penesi of Fort William, Ontario Original Transcription and Translation by William Jones Modern Transcription by Rand Valentine (1) Ningoding sa giiwenh anishinaabeg daawag, oodetoowag. (2) Bezhig idash akiwenziinh, wiiwan gaye ayaawan, niizh idash oshkiniigikwen odayaawaawaan odaanisiwaan. (3) Apii idash netaawigiwaad, igiw ikwewag oganoonigowaan ogiiwaan: Nindaanis, ningoji awi-ayaayok. (4) Gego omaa oodenaang ayaakegon. (1) Now, once on a time they say that some people were abiding there, they were living in a town. (2) There was an old man, and his wife was there, and two maidens who were their daughters. (3) And when they had come to maturity, the women were addressed by their mother saying: My daughters, somewhere shall you go and stay. (4) Do not remain in this town. (5) Mii i dash gii-maajaawaad igiw oshkiniigikweg, babaamosewag. (6) Mii i dash iko nibaawaad biinakamigaang. (5) Thereupon away started the maidens, about over the country they went tramping; (6) and then it was continually their custom to sleep in a clean open place in the forest. (7) Ningoding idash debikadinig zhingishinowaad aapiji mishakwadini; mii idash ganawaabamaawaad anangoo. (8) Mii dash ekidod a aw zeziikizid ikwe: Niyaa, nishiimenh, inashke go sha anangoog ezhinaagoziwaad! (7) Now, one night while they lay abed, the sky was thick with stars; and so they gazed up at the stars. (8) And now said the elder woman: Dear me, my little sister, do behold the sight of the stars! (9) Mii dash geget inaabid a aw oshiimenyimaa. (9) Whereupon indeed then looked the younger sister.
(10) Mii dash ekidod a aw zeziikizid, Aaniin giin a aw apegish wiipemag enendaman? (10) So then said the elder one: Which of them, in your mind, would you wish to sleep with? (11) Niyaa, bizaan daga! (12) Gego anooj ikidoken! (11) Gracious me, do keep still! (12) Cease talking such nonsense! (13) Maanoo bina naa, nishiimenh! (13) Oh, let us keep up the subject, my little sister! (14) Gegapii idash gii-ikido a aw weshiimenyimind: Mii sa niin a awe aapiji gaa-waabishkizid anang gewiipemag, ikido. (15) Giin idash? odinaan omisenyan, Aaniin giin a aw? (14) So at last said the younger sister: Now, the one I should prefer to lie with is the star that looks so very white, she said. (15) And you? she said to her big sister, which would you? (16) Mii dash ekidod: Mii sa niin a awe aapiji gaa-miskwaanzhed. (16) Whereupon she said: My choice is the one that looks so very red. (17) Gaa-ishkwaa-ikidowaad idash, mii iw gii-nibaawaad. (18) Apii idash gweshkoziwaad gigizheb bepezhig ininiwa wiipemaawaad; a aw weshiimenyimind oshkinawen owiipemaan, aw idash wemisenyimind aapiji akiwenziinyan owiipemaan. (17) And after they had ceased talking, they then went to sleep. (18) And when they woke in the morning, each was lying in bed with a man; she that was the younger lay with a youth, and she that was the elder lay with an exceedingly aged man. (19) Mii iw gii-odaapinigowaad ishpiming anangoo, mii idash giiwiijiiwaawaad. (20) A aw idash zeziikizid ikwe gaawiin ominwenimaasiin iniw (19) Therefore were they received up into the sky by the stars, and there they continued with them. (20) Now, the elder woman was not pleased with the old man.
akiwenziinyan. (21) Ningoding idash gaa-maajaawaad igiw ininiwag, oganoonaan oshiimenyan: Nishiimenh, nandawaa maajaadaa ningoji! (21) So once, when the men were gone, she addressed her little sister, saying: My little sister, do therefore let us go to some place! (22) Mii dash geget gii-maajaawaad, waasa gii-ani-izhaawag. (23) Ningoding idash miinawaa babaa-ayindiwaad ogiimikawaawaan miigwanan. (24) Mii dash ekidowaad: Dibi wenjiigwen a aw miigwan! (25) Miinawaa dash wiiba go omikawaawaan miigwanan; gegapii igo aapiji niibiwa miigwana owaabamaawaan. (22) Accordingly, indeed, away they started, a long way off they went. (23) Now once, as they were simply going along, they discovered a feather. (24) Whereupon they said: Wonder from a-hence came the feather! (25) And not long afterwards they found another feather; and then at last ever so many feathers they saw. (26) Ningoding idash owaabandaanaawaa wiigiwaamens mindimooyenyan imaa daawan; giibiindigewag igiw ikwewag. (27) Namadabiyok, noozhidog, ikido mindimoonyenh. (26) And presently they saw a small wigwam with an old woman abiding there; inside went the women. (27) Be seated, my grandchildren! said the old woman. (28) Niibiwa odayaan miijim, biinjigigwane-wiiyaas ogii-ashamigowaan idash. (29) Ningoding igo namadabid a a mindimooyenh owiikobidoon biimanakwaan, mii dash imaa gii-nisaad biinjigigwanen. (30) Bagoneyaani aki imaa namadabid a aw mindimooyenh, mii imaa wendaabiigamonig omigiskan. (31) (28) Much she had of food, and the flesh of a fish-hawk they were fed. (29) Now presently, while the old woman was seated, she pulled upon a cord, and then there she killed a fish-hawk. (30) There was an opening in the ground at the place where the old woman sat; it was from there that her hook came. (31) And they were asked
Ogagwejimigowaan dash mindimooyenyan, Aaniindi wenjiiyeg? (32) Mii dash gii-wiindamawaawaad giiodaapinigowaad anangoo. by the old woman: From whence came you? (32) Thereupon they informed her that they had been carried away by the stars. (33) Mii idash ekidod mindimooyenh: Giishpin ozhitooyeg niibiwa wiigob gigaboonikiyaabiiginininim endanakiiyegoban ji-izhaayeg. (33) Whereupon said the old woman: If you will make a long cord, I will let you down, so that you can go back to the place where you live. (34) Mii dash geget gii-ozhitoowaad niibiwa wiigob. cord. (34) Therefore truly they made a long (35) Ozhitooyok wadabiiwazh. (36) Dakobidooyok weweni. (35) Make a basket of spruce-root. (36) Fasten (the cord) securely. (37) Gaa-dakobidoowaad idash mii imaa gii-asigowaad ookomisiwaan. (37) So after they had fastened (the cord), then into it were they put by their grandmother. (38) Mii iwidi endanakiiyegoban gedizhaayeg. (38) Now to the place where you used to live is where you shall go. (39) Mii dash geget gii-booziwaad imaa wadabiiwazhing, mii idash boonaabiiginindwaa. (39) Thereupon truly they got into the spruce-root basket, whereupon they were let down by the cord. (40) Badagwiingweshinok. (41) Gego ganage inaabikegon. (42) Baanimaa giidagwishineg akiing mii iw ji-inaabiyeg. (40) Cover up your faces. (41) Under no circumstances shall you look. (42) Not till you have reached the earth, then may you look.
(43) Ginwezh idash eyaawaad wadabiiwazhing. (44) Ikido a a zeziikizid ikwe: Daga naa, nishiimenh, inaabidaa! (43) Now, for a long time were they in the spruce-root basket. (44) Said the woman that was older: I say, my little sister, do let us take a look! (45) Gego bina! Gigii-onji igonaan go sha gookomisinaan. (45) Please don t! for you know we were forbidden by our grandmother. (46) Miinawaa ikido a aw ikwe: Maanoo bina naa! Inaabidaa! (47) Odaano-gii-onji igoon oshiimenyan. (46) Again said the woman: Oh, pshaw! do let us look! (47) It was no use for her little sister to try to turn her from her purpose. (48) Gegapii idash gii-inaabi a aw ikwe zeziikizid; mii idash waabandang,_zhigwa debinaagwadinig aki. (49) Niyaa, inashke go sha, nishiimenh! Inaabin gaye giin! (50) Zhigwa debinaagwad endanakiiyang. (48) So at last looked the woman who was older; whereupon, as she beheld it, faintly was the earth then coming into view. (49) Oh, do see, my little sister! do you look too! (50) Now into view is coming the place where we live. (51) Gegapii idash ogii-wayezhimaan oshiimenyan. (52) Mii dash nayenzh giiinaabiwaad; mii dash gaa-izhi-bakiskaanig wiigob, mii dash bangishinowaad. (51) So at last she prevailed upon her little sister. (52) Whereupon both then looked; and then broke the cord, whereupon they fell. (53) Mii dash ezhi-nagamod a aw ikwe: Biinjigigwane-wazasoning bangishinaan. (53) And this song sang the woman: In a fish-hawk s nest was where l fell. (54) Mii iwe ena ang. (55) Mii dash (54) Such was the song she sang. (55)
geget wazasoning gii-bangishinowaad. (56) Mii idash imaa gii-ayaawaad, gaawiin gashki osiiwag ji-niisaandawewaad. (57) Anooj awiya owaabamaawaan bimosenid awesiinyan; oganoonaawaan iko jibina ogowaad. Thereupon truly into a nest they fell. (56) And so there they remained, they were not able to come down (from it). (57) And the various kinds of game-folk they saw walking past; all the while they spoke to them, asking that they be taken down. (58) Aanh, gaawiin ningashkitoosiin ji-akwaandaweyaan, odigowaan. (59) Gaawiin odebwetaagosiiwaan gakina go awesiinya _odaano-gii-ganoonaawaan, gaawiin dash ogii-debwetanziinaawaa. (58) Why, I am unable to climb up, they were told. (59) Not were they believed by all the game-folk whom they vainly addressed, and (the game-folk) did not believe (what they heard). (60) Ningoding idash gwiingwa waagen ogii-waabamaawaan. (61) Mii idash enaawaad: Daga ondaas, binaazikawishinaan! (60) Now, once the Wolverene they saw. (61) And they said to him, Do come and take us down! (62) Mii dash geget giiniisaandawe aad iniw nitam zeziikizinid,_miinwaa dash ishkwaaj a aw oshiimenyimaa. (62) Whereupon truly he took them down, first the one that was older, and next the other that was younger.