(8) Remarks About Wiske·djak.
Timiskaming Algonquin Text.
wiske·djak Wiske·djak wi·′egiskenda‵go was always doing mischief, zi′gobαn it is said, igi·′bi· in his lifetime wi·′gipəmaʻtαzi·matc living among anicəna′bi the Indians, mɔ·′jak always ano′tcke·‵gon everything ogi·′jini‵gwuna‵dji·an doing what he could teasing wi·′djini‵cəna′binʻ his countrymen Indians. i′yanotc Everywhere mɔ·′jαk always [[21]] ki·′bəba‵ma·‵dəzitc going about during his life e′ji· wherever ani′cənabe·ka‵nik there were Indians. ki·bəba′ndə Going about mi·′gucka‵djiatc teasing wi·′djənicəna‵bi his countrymen. owi·′etenda‵go He was funny, zi′gobαn it is said, sa′wi·na‵nawe at the same time to have him about i·yeja′nawe for all that. ega He had u·jo′dji·ma‵nəs·ik no canoe; mɔ·′jαk always ki·gmita′zəga·‵mɛ·tc he walked about the land kenowekwa·′s·e a great distance, ki·′bəba aye′ja going here and about there. ke′gatʻ enigu′kʻkami·gaʻgⁱ Almost travelled over the whole world ak·i′ŋg on earth. ki·no′ndaga‵newe We heard tell of him ki·ʻbəba going about mi·gu′cka‵dzitc doing mischief. kaye′gaʻk·i‵nəge‵gon He had everything so that ogi·′gəcki‵t·on it would answer him tci·a′nəmit·aʻgʷət·o‵tc when he spoke to it; miʻti′g·onʻ trees, nibi·′ water, awe′ʻsi·zα‵nʻ animals, ano′tc and all awi·′αnʻ other awe′gwe‵nəc·əʻnʻ small creatures ogi·′nəkwe‵ʻtaʻgonʻ would reply to him i·gαno′nac when he spoke. mi·′sαmini‵k That is as much as teba′dji·mα‵k can be told wiske·djak. of Wiske·djak.
Free Translation.
Wiske·djak was always doing mischief in his lifetime among the Indians, so it is said. He was always doing everything he could to plague his countrymen, the Indians. He spent his life going about everywhere where there were Indians, to tease them and play mischief among them. Because he was so funny, it was thought good to have him going about in spite of his mischief. He had no canoe, so he always walked about, going great distances here and there and everywhere, until he had travelled almost all over the world, where he was heard of doing his mischievous pranks. He had the power to make everything in creation answer him when he spoke to it; trees, water, animals, and all the other little creatures would reply to him when he spoke. That is all that can be said of Wiske·djak.
(9) Further Comment on Wiske·djak.
Wiske·djak, “meat bird,” was a great mischief maker. He was always a roamer, always hungry. He used to visit from one [[22]]family of Indians to another, but he never liked to stay long with one, so soon he would move away and go near other people. He was always looking for trouble and got it too, but in spite of all he was never killed. Indeed, nobody ever wanted to kill him, even though he was causing so much mischief, because the people liked to have him around. So he never came to an end. All of Wiske·djak’s pranks were done at different times long ago, not all one after another at one time, as it might seem. He is still living somewhere, but he is very quiet now, as we don’t hear of him doing anything new nowadays.