This story is told in Arapaho by elder William J C'Hair. A transcription of the Arapaho is below, along with a word-by-word English translation. You can listen to the story told in Arapaho by clicking here (story is in .wav format).
nih'óó3oo.
trickster
.
nih'óó3oo noh síísiikóú'uu.
trickster
and the ducks
téécxo' núhu'úúno
[this is a story about] long ago about
those [ducks]
hoo3ítoo,
a story
nih'óó3oo tohuucíínoo'oniseehék.
trickster he
was sauntering along
héénoo
tohuunéeniihó'o',
customarily he traveled alongside
streams
toh'óúniiseehék níiyóu núhu' niiciihéhe'.
because ??
here it is
this stream
céésey hé'ih'oowúniihísee
niiciihéhe'.
one time he
was walking down a stream
'oh hé'ihciisísee; he'íicxóóyeinííhi',
and he walked quite a ways after a while
'oh hé'ihkóxo'ésnee, tohnosóúseet.
and he was
slowly getting hungry because he was
still walking
'oh hé'ihníitówoo...
and he heard something
[hé'ih]niitónee tohníitóuuhuní3i síísiikóú'uu
he heard them as they were calling
out ducks
hee3e'éíseet.
up in front of him
wohéí
héétbii3íhinoo
nih'íí3etiéhk.
well I’m going to eat he said to himself
”he'nééxohúnee”
hínee,
you will lead me right to you those
hí'in beexo’heinééseet
at that point?? he
just turned around and walked
[towards the sound]
híye'neyéíseet.
he walked close to them
ne'... né'kóxo'úseet, né'kókoh'ú3ecoot.
then then he walked slowly on and then he thought
hiiwot níísiiniihóú'u.
I wonder how I
can get them
hé'né'ée'íno' héétníístoot.
and then he knew
what he was going to do
yóókoxuu
hé'né'kóoko'óho'.
willow sticks
he cut some off
héétne'ííni ce'éékutiit, ce'éékutiit.
then he’s going to make a bundle make a
bundle
hiisce'éékutiit, noh né'-
he finished making the bundle and then
né'ííni 3éí'eiwoonóóto' núhu'
núhu'
then he loaded them on his back
this this
núhu'úúno yóókoxuu.
these
willow sticks
hé'ih3éí'oi- 3éí'eiwoonóú'u.
he loaded... he loaded them on his back
hé'né'- hé'né'ce'kóxo'ce3éí'oot.
then then he set off slowly again
hiiwóonhéhe' kóxo'úseet.
now
he’s walking slowly
3oo3ébnoohéíseet níiyóu
núhu'
he walked ?? there
here it is this place
síísiikóú'uu héetnéeníitóuuhuní3i.
the ducks
where they’re calling out
noh hé'iis3ooxúunóne' “hesíhin nih'óó3oo.
and they
finally noticed him our uncle! trickster!
cénoot," nih'íí3etí'ehkóni'
he is coming! they
said to each other
núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
these ducks
noh tohtoo'úseet núhu' héetooní3i,
and after he came to a stop at the spot
where they were
wohéí hé'ihnóttóne' nih'óó3oo.
well they
asked him trickster
"heeyóu, heeyóu hínee heineheiiniinooxuut?"
what
what
is that you are carrying(?)
nih'íi3éíhok.
they said to him
"hee he’née3óú'u
niibóótno,
well
these are songs
nenéé' nenííwoh'uyóono" hee3oohók.
that’s what
I’m carrying he said to
them
"niibóótno nenéí'i
."
songs that’s what they are
"cihniibóonéí'ee!" nih'íi3éíhok.
sing us a
song they said to him
"hííko, hoowúúni.
no I can’t do that
kookón hoowúniibóohéíhiinóóno
for no reason they are not sung
núhu' niibóótno,"
nih'íí3oohók.
these songs he said to them
hé'ihníhi'néetóne' núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
they insisted
these ducks
héíhii hé'ihnéneesni'óówoxúúbe'.
soon he pretended to be convinced by them??
"wohéí tous" hee3oohók.
well okay
then he said to them
"húútiino héétbeexúúni
só'obéé' huut
around here where the ground is flat here
héétbeexuuyóóto'béé'.
where there’s a nice clean [open] spot
héétciinénowoo núhu' niibóótno,
I will put them down these songs
noh héétcihnó'uséénee.
and and you will come over here
noh héétno'óeeko'éíyookúúnee."
and you will
stand around me in a circle
noh hé'ihcihno'úseeníno níín[e'eeníno]
and they came here here they are
núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
these ducks
noh hé'ih'itén céése' núhu' yóókox.
and he took it
one this willow
stick
"wohéí" nih'íí3oohók núhu' síísiikóú'uu,
well he said to them these
ducks
(hé'ihtóún núhu' niibóót), "núhu' niibóót,
he held it this
“song” this song
héétniibóótowoo.
I will sing it
'oh béébeet,"
hee3oohók, "
but
only he said to them
niibóótobéénoohóhk, héétbetéeenee
when you hear me singing. you will dance
noh betéeeneehék, héétno'úusíí'oonee,
and when you dance you will close your eyes
héétno'úusíí'oonee.
you will close your eyes
noh héé3ebííni
béetootíneenoohóhk,
and over there when I
finish singing
héétnéeníitóuuhúnee,
you will all call out
noh héétniinéenííh'oow3etneekoohúnee,"
and you will all flap your wings real
hard
hé'ih'íí3ee núhu'
síísiikóú'uu.
he said to them
these ducks
'oh núhu' síísiikóú'uu hé'ihcéeceh'e3íhe'.
and these ducks they all listened to him
hé'né'no'óeeno- hé'né'noo'óeeyookúútonéíht.
then around
then they stood all around him
hé'né'cé3ootíneet.
then he started to sing
hé'né'betéee3i' néhe'
síísiikóú'uu.
then they danced
these ducks
né'eebéetootinóóto' níiyóu núhu' niibóót,
then he finished singing here it
is this song
síísiikóú'uu hé'né'néeníitóuuhuní3i.
the ducks
then they all called out
néhe' nih'óó3oo hé'ihne'kóóhuníno.
this
trickster he ran up to them??
héétneh'eit
he will kill them
he'ne'heenéi3- heenéi3kúú3oot.
then he grabbed
he grabbed one
3óo3ó'ou' hé'ihtébe'eikúú3ee,
right in the middle of the head he busted his head
noh húútiino hé'ih'iisciinkúú3ee.
and around
here he would just throw the heads
down
húútiino he'íítox hé'ihnéé'eestoo,
around here I don’t know how
many he did like that
he'íítox hé'ihnéé'eestoo.
I don’t know how many he did like that
hííniibéí'i núhu' núhu' síísiiko'.
while he was singing
this this duck
hé'ih'óówoo3ítoo tohouuwotee'eeni3i'
he was enjoying himself since there were many songs
hónoot, hónoot he'iic-
until until a while...
he'iic[xooyeiniihi'] sii'oo
after a while eyes closed...
céése' síísiiko' hé'ihkóxo'kóónookú'oo.
one
duck he slowly opened his eyes
to look
hé'ihkóxo'kóónookú'oo.
he slowly opened his eyes to look
hé'ih'ésoohóbe' nih'óó3oo.
he watched him trickster
hei'béetootíneet,
when he finished singing
hei'néeníitóuuhuní3i hoo3óó'o' síísiikóú'uu,
when they all called out the other ducks
néhe' nih'óó3oo ne'kóóhuní3i.
this
trickster then he ran up to
them??
héétnoohówoot nih'óó3oo tih'e3kúú3ooní3i
he will see him trickster when he grabbed them
nuhu' síísiikóú'uu tohuutébe'eikúú3oot.
these ducks when he was busting their heads
"heii! hóóho'!
hóóho'!
koyíh'ohukóóhu'!
hey! look out look out
fly the heck out of here!
nih'óó3oo héétnííni... héétnííni noh'éínee,
trickster he will he will kill you all
héétnoh'éíno'" heehéhk.
he will kill us
he said
níhi'neebískoyíh'ohukóohú3i'
they all flew the heck out of there quick as they could
núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
these ducks
nih'óó3oo hé'ih3óóxunéí'oohóbee koyíh'ohuní3i.
trickster he
looked after them the ones flying
away
"hee woonce'éenéiniisooni'.
yes they got away this time??
heetwoo3éénee," hee3oohók
there will be a lot of you he said to
them
núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
these ducks
hé'né'oo'einootee,
then he gathered and layed them out
co'oo- [hé'ih]co'éiisíbee.
the ones he
put them in a pile
hé'ihnó'otooyéisíbee núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
he made a big pile of them these
ducks
"hohoo," nih'iihok,
"neebéhtooníhinoo"
darn??
he said
I might almost have enough??
nih'íí3etiéhk néhe'
nih'óó3oo.
he said to himself
this trickster
noh hiiwóonhéhe' nee'éétox hi3oo3ii-
and now it is enough his...
hí3eenééce' ce'ííni he'ih’eenéb.
later ...?? again he thought??
"heenííboo3ítóótowoo núhu'":
I will “sing” it these [willow sticks].
héétniisbíi3wóó3oot núhu' síísiikóú'uu.
that’s how he will cook them these
ducks
wohéí.
that’s it.