A Song of HospitalityJ
Sioux
I am mashing the berries,
I am mashing the berries,
They say travelers are coming on the march,
They say travelers are coming on the march,
I stir [the berries] around, I stir them around,
I take them up with a spoon of buffalo horn,
I take them up with a spoon of buffalo horn,
And I carry them, I carry them [to the strangers],
And I carry them, I carry them [to the strangers].
“Word comes that travelers are approaching... on the march with their children, dogs, and household property. She stirs them around with a spoon of buffalo horn and goes to offer them to the strangers. The translation is an exact paraphrase of the rhythmic repetition of the original.”
Footnote
J James Mooney.