SSBMI Language Department

Beeteyihí (Storytime)

Hiik’í      Big Snake

You can listen to Hiik’í in Nisenan and English using the controls below.

Hiik’í (Big Snake) by Bill Joe

Hoyyám k’awí Nisenáaním Hiik’í en, tukwoonohahát’om…

In the early days when an Indian saw the Big Snake, he would always have a fit

… banak’ám wik’elí bɨ́ɨte c’enón ɨdáwt’om…

and would not wake up till daybreak when he would arrive,

… sedeydɨkɨ́m koolnáan simnáan sedéyt’om.

bloody from the nose and with a bleeding mouth.

Han mɨymením okomením k’awí koymóom dóot’om mɨhé.

A rattlesnake would bite him the following summer.

Hac’e wenení motín, hɨm manayí siyéet’om hɨpɨwnáan lamkɨskɨsná, hukítt’om.

They made him drink medicine, made a small house a little ways from the camp, and put him there.

Hac’e bə́əppayím kɨyɨsɨ́m…

All sorts of animals,

… koymóom, pic’ak’ám, okopeypeyím, c’ayahapím, weenanám, palím…

rattlesnake, lizard, horned lizard, whipsnake, garter snake, racer snake,

… ɨdadáwt’om mɨhé ismadí.

each came to where he was staying.

Hac’e payeltít’om wítteem payelní…

The Indians fed him with one kind of food,

… c’aykɨ́ payeltiménte, wítteem payelní payeltít’om.

they did not let him eat anything else but fed him with one kind of food.

Han wené motihahát’om.

They made him drink medicine regularly.

Han mɨyém wenení yuc’úut’om mɨɨm koymoohé doomám k’ɨɨné.

They washed the scar of the rattlesnake bite with that medicine.

Han wadaac’é, bɨ́ɨte ɨsiptít’om mɨhé.

They did not let him out until he had recovered.

Han huslát’om.

Then they had a Small Time.

Han payeltít’om mɨhé bə́əppayím payelihí.

They gave him all kinds of food.

Han husipín, helop’tít’om mɨhé bəhəpím wenení otatín.

They took him out and made him sweat with all kinds of medicine.

Han bɨ́ɨte huslán, payeltít’om bə́əppayím payelihí.

Then only they held a Small Time, and gave him all kinds of food.

Mɨyáatít’om koymóom dooc’é.

That is the way they did when the rattlesnake bit.

Han koymóom dooc’é min,

If a rattlesnake bites you,

… min tooyeemám – kopeetá, pandaká – c’aymɨsé méyt’om…

you must always give away to others what you were carrying – gun, bow, etc.,

… min omitmám koosá bə́əppáy méyt’om c’aymɨsé, moodá’omisín.

and the clothes you had on you must give away to others, to ward off evil from yourself.

Han mɨyáatimenín min osek’áa me’usán, yootaytatayéet’om.

If you don’t do that but try to keep your valuables, you will have bad luck all the time.

Mɨyéet’om mɨyém…

That was that…

… hoyyám k’awí muk’utín bɨ́ɨk’t’om mɨɨm Hiik’í…

in the early days they were very much afraid of that Big Snake,

… lok’k’éepaymént’om aná Hiik’ím.

there were not very many of the Big Snakes.

Hac’e weté máydɨke yootaytihí daak’án, han wəhəphahát’om.

But when the Big Snake wanted to give a man bad luck, it always appeared.

Hac’e máydɨkɨm en, yootáyt’om hank’eenopáy…

When a man saw that, he was unlucky all the time,

… mɨyaaná Nisenáaním bɨ́ɨk’t’om mɨyakɨ́.

that is why the Indians feared that kind.

Mɨɨm mɨɨm nisé hoyyá bɨɨk’mám k’aam…

That is what we used to fear in the old days…

… beydím Wolémɨsém ɨdawic’é, wek’awím mɨyém.

now after the White people have come, there are no more of those.

Mɨɨm mɨyém, hoyyá emám k’aam.

That is that, that is what they used to see in the early days.

Hesíbe hedém beeteyím? (What is this story?)

This story was told by William Joseph, a.k.a Bill Joe, a Nisenan man from Amador County, in Nisenan and English to Danish linguist Hans J. Uldall in the 1930s. It was later published under the title "Big Snake" in the book Nisenan Texts and Dictionary in 1966. In this story, Bill Joe talks about Hiik’í (Big Snake), a creature whose appearance foretold misfortune. Anyone who saw Hiik’í would be unlucky and would be bitten by Koymóo (Rattlesnake) the next summer! In his day, Bill Joe says that the people feared Hiik’í. Bill Joe never saw Hiik’í himself, but he did see its slimy trail once when he was near Ione. He says that its trail was "as wide as a wagon road"!

The SSBMI Language Department has retitled this story in Nisenan and adapted it to share at Beeteyihí (Storytime). The audio recordings that you can listen to here are of Language Department staff member Skye Anderson reciting this story.

You can access a pdf copy of this story, along with supplementary learning prompts, by clicking here.

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?)

The SSBMI Language Department has created its own Nisenan-language boardgame based on Bill Joe's story about Hiik’í, which we call "Koymóon Ɨpayím C’aan Ha" (Rattlesnakes and Ladders). K’aatodáwbene nisek’é! (You should come play with us!)