The Geese
by Maude Fightingbear
1. Éxhóhta’hane tséméhaevéstoemo.
He told a story, the one who was my spouse.
2. Éxhósemóho henä’e.
He told about geese.
3. "Éhma’xeame’hao’o,"
"They were a lot of them flying,"
4. éxhetóhta’hane.
he told the story that way.
5. "Nêhe’še ma’aetano’e náxhêseváéna.
"Then the rifle, I grabbed it.
6. Náhtae’eamoo’o tséhnêšema’xeametónove’hávôse.
I shot up at them while they were thickly flying.
7. Hótâhtse na’êstse náhtaa’täno.
Wow, one I accidentally shot.
8. Náhtató’omemäso.
I shot him stiff.
9. Éhne’ameanä’o.
He was falling down.
10. Nêhe’še éhma’xepe’pe’e’háooheo’o néhe henä’e.
Then they were really hollering flying, those geese.
11. Éhne’évaanôhenéheohé’tovovo néhe na’êstse
They followed him down, that one
tséméhaetó’omemâxamoo’o.
that I shot stiff.
12. É’évanâha’enovo.
They caught him.
13. Éstaévaasêhe’ame’hao’o.
They started to fly back up.
14. Éstaévâhe’ameno’âse’hánovo.
They took off upward with him.
15. Éstaévató’nêšeasevéseame’ha néhe
Right then he also started flying again, that
tséméhaetó’omemaso,"
one that I shot stiff,"
16. exhetóhta’hane.
he told the story that way.
This true story was first published in the book Cheyenne Texts: An Introduction to Cheyenne Literature, copyright 1980, used here by permission.
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