IZHAPE'A

 

 YUHUDEGUMANIPE

(Coyote Makes Frybread)

 

translated by D. Gould

 

"Izhape' yuhudegumahanipeha domahannifenni,
sude wihyu gwidawo'yo u waga bidetsi, u waga ya'ibii'de
Izhape'a demazaidu'i, mai suaka'ande.

 


Bennem mo'oga dosadeka'a mazoga'tsi, ukuhtu u bai'di,
onabita dease bennem mo'oga hannitsi, ukuhtu u ha'nni.
"Aishe tsaande! Tsaa ma magammangendu'i!", mai yegwikande.

 

 

Izhape' suka gwidawo'yo'nna ukuhku deyo'hitai'ku, dease
U magwa'hyi'kwa. Biangutsi'a nituhudaigwaka'nde.
"Ne gai tsaam ma magamma'ngesu'a!

Ne yuhudegumahanipe na'i!", mai yegwikande.

 

 

Coyote was making frybread dough
when young Magpie stopped in
to offer his own recipe.

 

"An extra handful of flour and
another dash of salt," he said,
"would assure very fine results."

 

Coyote chased him away, shouting,
"I'm not making very fine results, you asshole,
I'm making frybread!"

 

 

                                      

IZHAPE'A YUHUDEGUMANIPE was taken from:

 

"The Natural History of Old Man Coyote" by William Bright in Recovering the Word: Essays on Native American Literature, ed. Brian Swann and Arnold Krupat
1987, University of California Press.

 

with special thanks to Peter Blue Cloud.