Tànkitìch Ktahaki Kmilihëna

Give Us a Little Piece of Your Land . . . Told by Bessie Snake (1896 - 1999) to Nora Thompson Dean, Bruce Pearson and Jim Rementer in 1978. Bessie was a member of the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma (now the Delaware Nation). This is sometimes called the Cutting The Hide story.

English:

Bessie starts with a comment in English to Bruce and Jim - "I hate to tell you this but you all said to go ahead and tell stories so I'm going to tell it." Bruce – "OK, go ahead."

Lenape:

Bessie starts with a comment in English to Bruce and Jim - "I hate to tell you this but you all said to go ahead and tell stories so I'm going to tell it." Bruce – "OK, go ahead."

English:

Our elder brothers' tribe (the Europeans) wanted to fool us when they were new here.

Lenape:

Hùnt wa kènu wëski ènta wa kahta kiòlùkònk washe xansëna èlhakeit. [Nora - Uh-huh. You will hear this response throughout the story as Bessie talks and Nora acknowledges what she said, a common practice when listening to a storyteller.]

English:

They said, "We will really treat you good for as long

Lenape:

Luweyok hunt, "Kulich ta kulahchahëluhëna xu tëta sàki yushe ènta

English:

as the river flows and the sun always moves, and as long as

Lenape:

sipu pëmahënèk ok ènta yu kènu kishux kènu ènta nkëme pëmëskat, ok ènta

English:

the grass always comes up in the Spring then I will take care of you.

Lenape:

nkëme skiko sakink èntxën sikònk na ta na kenahkihëlëneyo.

English:

That will be for how long I will be a friend to you all," he said.

Lenape:

Ntashi kènu nàlch në saki kulànkumëluhëmo," luwe hunt.

English:

He wanted to fool us and it seems he is still fooling us.

Lenape:

Enta kahta kiòlùkònk xi kwiakwi pè kiòlùkònk.

English:

Then he said, "Here, I will give you this red flag."

Lenape:

Na hunt luwe na William Penn, luwe hùnt, "He yu kmilaneyo màxkelahtikàn."

English:

He said, "As long as you keep it you will give us a little piece of your land

Lenape:

Luwe hunt, "Tëta saki kulhatuneyo tànkitìch ktahaki kmilihëna

English:

as much as a cow we will kill, an Oxen.

Lenape:

èlkikwi wèhshëmwis knihëlawa, oxen.

English:

Then we will kill him and skin him.

Lenape:

Na knihëlawëna xu, pxinan nàn.

English:

Then they did not take the hide off but cut it into very small
pieces. Then they [the Delawares] looked good at it.

Lenape:

Na mayay hùnt mata ènta paxkihëlak në xès mayay tànkiti
kwishkshawòò. Na hùnt pihpënaneyo.

English:

It was a big piece of land our Lenape ancestors of long ago
gave to them.

Lenape:

Na èt ma na xinkwi pàke hàkink yuk kènu Lënapeyok ènta lòmwe kikayuyëmënaninka ènta milahtit.

English:

Then they said, "Oh my!" They said

Lenape:

Na hùnt luweyok hùnt, "Chei tamwe!" Luweyok hùnt

English:

They thought that the land was only to be as big as the hide they put on the ground but it was a big piece.

Lenape:

ntalìte na në shùk xès na kahta halaneyo hàkink èt mah na xinkwi hàki.

English:

Then they said, “You didn’t say, ‘I want to cut it’.”

Lenape:

Na hùnt tëlaneyo, "aku ktëluwe, 'nkata ta kishksha'."

English:

He said when he had already finished, “You finish signing on this paper.”

Lenape:

Hùnt tëluwèn mèchi kìshi kènu, “Pampilink kìshi sayineyo.

English:

That is now where our money comes from now I still receive it

Lenape:

Na yukwe wënchi na èt wënchixën këmòniyëmëna yukwe pè mëshënëmai

English:

but they (the government) fight it. Oh, it was said at that time we will treat you good.

Lenape:

kwiakwi kmàthakatàmëneyo. E, nìki luwèn xu ta kulahchahëluhëna

English:

You will be given everything. That is really true, he gave us everything.

Lenape:

wèmi kèku kmìlëneyo. Kìchi na në le, wèmi kèku kmilkuna.

English:

Then they gave those late chiefs an axe and

Lenape:

Na hùnt nëkahke kènu sakimayunka hùnt kènu milan tëmahikàn òk

English:

a hoe so they could use them. Then they (the chiefs) just hung them on their necks. Nora: Uh-huh, I heard that.
This might sound like a strange thing to do but in those days the ax heads and hoe heads were much smaller and the early Lenape probably thought they looked like some type of pendant, especially since they were not hafted (they did not come with a handle attached).

Lenape:

kwipëlënay òk kènu wënchi hnakatàmëneyo. Na hùnt kaksini ukwènineyo. Nora: Uh-huh, ntëlsìtàm.

English:

Then the white man told them, “No, that is not the way to use them when you wear them on your neck.

Lenape:

Na hùnt tëlan na Shëwanàkw, "Aku, në kènu tìli hnakatàmuwën ènta hukwèniya.

English:

I will give you something different to wear on your neck, that’s it. Then he handed them back,

Lenape:

Xu pili këmilël kènu èkwènia, na ta nën. Na hùnt ìka tënëmao nèl

English:

and he accepted them. Then he put them on handles, whatever it is

Lenape:

tëki, wètënëmao. Na hùnt ìka tòtun nèl sitako, kèku èt ta nën.

English:

so that can take ahold of this. What is it called in Lenape? I forgot it.

Lenape:

wënchi kàski kènu ika alënink. Kèku èt èluwënsik ènta Lënape? Nonin nën.

English:

Sitakw, aint it? Nora: Uh-huh, Sitakw. Bessie: Then he put it on there.

Lenape:

Sitakw, ain't it? Nora: Uh-huh, Sitakw. Bessie: Na hùnt ìka tòtun.

English:

Then the white man said, “This is how it is done when you plant or when you hoe.

Lenape:

Na hùnt tëlan na Shëwanàkw, "Shè hànk yu lënasu (ènta) xkumiane kèku wënchi lakehëman.

English:

Now this axe for you cut trees or for cutting wood or to make

Lenape:

Kàchi yushe tëmahikàn wënchi kiskhòn hìtkuk wënchi manàxën
shita wënchi

English:

or to make a log house. That is what it is used for.

Lenape:

manitun kènu 'log house'. Nël në wënchi manitun nën.

English:

Then he said, “All right.” Then they always made use of them.

Lenape:

Na hùnt tëluwèn, "Na ta nën." Na hùnt nkëme na kènu tìli hnakatamëneyo.

English:

That is what I told my daughter and my grandchildren, “They are still fooling us.” Nora: That is true.

Lenape:

Na yukwe shè na ntëlan na nichan kènu yukshe nuxwisàk, kwiakwi pè kiòlùkònk. Nora: Kìchi në le.

Shè Yu Wëski Kèku

Alahòtuwàk

Mikwëna Tëlekhikàn Pwètanehëmaok Lënapeyunkahke

Moni Ta Nëni

Wàni Lënape Elixsit

Na Lënu Òk Nèl Mwekaneyëma