Everyone sings the Flag Song very often on the Wind River Reservation. It honors the flag, and also the veterans who have fought for it. It's a bit like a national anthem. But do you know what it means and what you're singing? Here are the words and their meaning (not including the 'rhyme words' that fill in the rhythm, but don't have any actual meaning like 'oh neito'eino' uuhuu etc).

 

Neito’eino’ noohootowu’
Heniiwohoenin honou’u’
Honouute’, nonoh’oobeese’

 

My relatives, look at it,
Our flag up in the sky.
It is hanging there, blowing in the breeze.

 

Listen to the Flag Song

 

Now let's look at the words in detail, one by one. We have given you some similar words as well - look for the patterns in the various words. Do you see that many Arapaho words have different parts, each with their own meaning? Can you figure out what the different parts mean?

 

Neito'ei-no' = 'my relatives'

Heito'ei-no' = 'your relatives'

Hiniito'ei-no = 'his/her relatives'

Neito'ei = 'my relative'

Heito'ei = 'your relative'

 

Noohoot-owu' = 'see/look at it,' talking to more than one person

Noohoot-oo = 'see/look at it,' talking to just one person

Ni'eeneet-owu' = 'like it,' talking to more than one person

Ni'eeneet-oo = 'like it,' talking to just one person

Hiten-owu' = 'take it,' talkingto more than one person

Hiten-oo = 'take it,' talking to just one person

 

He-niiwohoen-in = 'our flag'

He-isonoon-in = 'our father'

He-ito'ein-in = 'our relative'

He-tei'yooniib-in = 'our child'

 

Ne-niiwohoe = 'my flag'

He-niiwohoe = 'your flag'

Hi-niiwohoe = 'his/her flag'

 

Honou'-u' = 'in the sky'

Hono' = just 'sky'

Ho3o'-u' = 'at, on the star'

Ho3o' = just 'star'

Ni'ec-i' = 'in the lake'

Ni'ec = just 'lake'

Nec-i' = 'in the water'

Nec = just 'water'

(remember, i turns into u after an o when there is an h, ' (glottal stop), w, x or k in between)

 

Honouute' = 'it is hanging'

Honouutei'i = 'they are hanging'

Coo'ouute' = 'it is high up'

Coo'ouutei'i = 'they are high up'

 

Ceenise' = 'it is falling'

Ceen(i)sei'i = 'they are falling'

 

Nonoh'oob-eese' = 'it is moving in the wind, blowing in the breeze'

Tooyoob-eese' = 'there is a cold breeze'

Nono'ot-eese' = 'there is a strong breeze or wind'

Ceniin-eese' = 'the breeze is dying down, stopping'

 

Nonoh'oow-oonineekoohu-t = 'it is moving, wagging it's tail'

Nonoh'oow-oho'oe-t = 'he is waving, moving his hand'
(remember, b + o turns into wo)