Wahtohtana heda Nyutˆachi Mahin Xanje Akipa: The Year the Otoe and Missouria Meet the Americans

It was the year that Wahtohtana héda Ñyút^achi Mahín Xánje akípa. We were on our gixrán ché (buffalo hunting expedition), preparing for tanñyí (freezing water, winter), when the Mahín Xánje (Long Knives, white Americans) came into our country. Not all our people went on the gixrán ché. Some stayed behind because they were wáxwatan (poor) and didn't have sunge (horse), some were in mourning, and others had chúyu winhinre (sickness in family). There were mañyi^kichi (earth lodge) grebran núwe (twenty) in this chína aréchinge (small village). The wóre (relatives) of those who stayed behind would kill extra ché (buffalo) and bring the meat and hides back for them. A majority of the people that stayed behind were Ñyút^achi (Missouria). Their chína aréchinge was some distance from the chína xánje (large village). It was across ÑyíBraxge (flat water, Platte River), closer to ÑyíShúje (smoky river, Missouri River). Part of the duties of those who stayed behind was to watch over chína xánje and make sure that no one disturbed or destroyed it, they say.

One day while scouting around the chína xánje, Mató xánje (Big Bear) saw footprints made by wan^síge núwe (two people). He followed the tracks for a little way along the bank of ÑyíBraxge and saw that they crossed ÑyíBraxge and headed biyúwahugun (toward the east). He crossed ÑyíBraxge and continued to follow the tracks until he was sure that they were not going to find his chína. He returned to his chína and told the people what he had seen, they say.

It was the last part of ChéKíruxenye (mating of the bison, July) and Oppohommonne (Buck Elk Walking) had taken a small group out hunting. They had killed húma (elk) and were skinning it when they were approached by a party of wóruxe (strangers); these wóruxe were Mahí Xánje (white men). The dotánhan (leader) of the wóruxe talked to Oppohommonne and his group in a language that they didn't understand. He used sign to talk to them and then spoke to them in a tongue that Oppohommonne could understand. The tongue that this wóruxe used was that of a wánge (man) that lived with the Wahtohtana hédan Ñyút^achi at the chína xánje who was a mathúnk^okeñye (Frenchman) and had married Mok_aimi (Yellow Clay). This wóruxe said he had an ánje mathúnk^okeñye (French father) and a Shawnee ihún (mother) and that he was on a great journey. He wanted to take Oppohommonne to meet his Inca núwe (two chiefs [Missouria]) who were camped on the ÑyíShúje. Oppohommonne agreed to go and meet the Inca núwe Mahí Xánje (white man chiefs). He told his companions to finish dressing out the húma and share the meat among themselves and take what meat was left and the hide back to his hintámi (wife).

Oppohommonne traveled bíyúwáhu (sun rises, east) with the man^thúnke (white men) until they reached ÑyíShúje. They traveled umerigun (toward the north) until they reached the chína man^thúnke (white man village). They crossed ÑyíShúje and Oppohommonne was taken to meet the man^thúnke Inca núwe (two white man chief). Oppohommonne said it was chí réxrige aréchinge (small campsite), and there were a wan^síge^dórihe wa^un (group of people...