Nati Knuchihëweokàn!

Go Get Your Witch Medicine . . .
Told by Nora Thompson Dean to Bruce Pearson and Jim Rementer in 1968. This story tells of one of the lowest points in Lenape history when they had been forced to move to Indiana. People were trying to find who should be blamed and some were accused of using witchcraft. The woman in the story named Kaltas was a Lenape also know as Caritas or Ann Charity (1736 - 1806)

English:

Before the white people came

Lenape:

Nèsko pahtite yuki weòpsichik

English:

from across the water, the Delawares lived with difficulty,

Lenape:

òspèkwe wënchi, wàni Lënape ahchinki lehëlèxe,

English:

but they were happy because they could pray the way they wanted to,

Lenape:

shëk wëlatènamu èli kàski patama nèka lih

English:

the way they wanted to, and they lived enjoyably.

Lenape:

èlitehat, òk papailehëlèxe.

English:

At that time the Delawares and the Nanticokes

Lenape:

Nèki lëkhìkwi nèki Lënapeyok òk Wënètkok

English:

lived near each other there in the East in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Lenape:

kixki wikhatuwàk wèhènchiopànk Pennsylvania òk New Jersey tali.

English:

The Delawares were a little bit afraid of the Nanticokes

Lenape:

Nèki Lënapeyok kèxiti kòxawòò nèki Wënètkok

English:

because they knew that those Nanticokes practiced witchcraft.

Lenape:

èli uwatuneyo nèki Wënètkok nihënuchihëweyewàk.

English:

When the both of those tribes finished

Lenape:

Enta nèk èli lakeichik kìshi manituhtit

English:

making a treaty with the white people

Lenape:

naxkuntëwakàn wìchi weòpsichik,

English:

they fooled the red people.

Lenape:

kwiòlawo nèki mèxkeòhkësichik.

English:

Those white people said, "This is our land!

Lenape:

Luweyok nèki weòpsichik, "Shè lah yu ntakiyëmëna!

English:

You people must all leave because we want this land!"

Lenape:

Ktalëmskahëmòch èli nkatatàmënèn yushe hàki!"

English:

Then they began to move, the Delawares and the Nanticokes

Lenape:

Na alëmi kwsultuwàk, nèki Lënapeyok òk Wënètkok

English:

toward the west they went.

Lenape:

wëntahkwi èhëliwsikakw eyok.

English:

They stopped at a big river that is called White River.

Lenape:

Nokihëlaneyo xinkwi sipu luwènsik Opèksipu.

English:

They began to build houses there, they made bark houses.

Lenape:

Alëmi wikheyok në tali, hòkèsikaona manituwàk.

English:

When they went to water their horses at the creek, that one old woman

Lenape:

Enta mënihusèhtit sipunk, kwëti na xawshisës

English:

her horse had a big bundle on his back,

Lenape:

tòlëmunsa nòyuntàm xinkwi wiòhshun,

English:

and several Delawares were watering their horses

Lenape:

òk kèxa Lënapeyok mënihuseyok.

English:

Suddenly that one Delaware man heard a baby

Lenape:

Wixkawchi na kwëti Lënapei lënu pwëntao mimëntëta

English:

heard a baby crying inside the bundle that the old woman had on her horse's back.

Lenape:

pè mëlimwit lamunkwe wiòhshunink na xawshisës tòlëmunsa nayuntànk.

English:

She hit the bundle that old woman and she said, "Shut up! You will eat soon!"

Lenape:

Pòkàntàmën në wiòhshun naka xawshisësa luwe, "Chitkwësi! Xuniti këmitsi!"

English:

That must have been a witchcraft bundle,

Lenape:

Nuchihëweokàni wiòhshun èt mah nën,

English:

because several days later all the babies got sick, and finally they died.

Lenape:

èli kèxukwëni wèmi palsuwàk mimëntëtàk, xantki ànkëluk.

English:

Then one old man said, "We will hold a council tomorrow.

Lenape:

Na kwëti hilusës luwe, "Achimulsihënàch alàpa.

English:

We will soon know the people are who have the witchcraft."

Lenape:

Xuniti uwatuwënèn awènik welhatuhtit nuchihëweokàn."

English:

The next morning they began to cut firewood, and they used a

Lenape:

Opànke alëmi mànàxeyok, hnakatamuk

English:

fire-drill when they made a big fire.

Lenape:

sànkhikàn ènta manituhtit xinkwi tëntay.

English:

That old man sent for two men. When they came

Lenape:

Naka hilusësa wènchimao nisha lënuwàk. Enta pahtit

English:

the old man told them, "Go and get that old woman

Lenape:

naka hilusësa tëlao, "Nal na xawshisës

English:

who owns the witch bundle.

Lenape:

nihëlatànk na nuchihëwei wiòhshun.

English:

I think she is named Kaltas.”

Lenape:

Ntite luwènsu Kaltas.”

English:

Those two men drug that old woman

Lenape:

Nèki nisha lënuwàk pwètachilawo naka xawshisësa

English:

"Go and get your witch-medicine!"

Lenape:

"Nati në knuchihëweokàn!"

English:

The old woman begged. She told them,

Lenape:

Winëwe naka xawshisësa. Tëlawo,

English:

"I do not own any witch-medicine."

Lenape:

"Mata ta nulhatu nuchihëweokàn."

English:

Finally they burned her a little.

Lenape:

Xantki mahtiti lusa.

English:

Then she said, "I hid it in the woods! I will go and get it!"

Lenape:

Na luwe, "Nkànhatun ènta shinkèk! Natëmënch!"

English:

Those two men went along with her when she went to get it.

Lenape:

Nèki nisha lënuwàk wicheoo ènta natink.

English:

The old woman walked here and there, saying,

Lenape:

Mësi ahpamske naka xawshisësa, luwe,

English:

"It was around here! It was around here!"

Lenape:

"Na ta mah yu ta! Na ta mah yu ta!"

English:

Finally they grabbed her again.

Lenape:

Xantki làpi ikaalihëlala.

English:

They wanted to take her to the fire again,

Lenape:

Kahta èt ma làpi tënteyunk luxòla,

English:

but she took it out of the inside of a tree the bundle of the old woman.

Lenape:

shëk wètënëmën lamunkwe hìtkunk na wiòhskun naka xawshisësa.

English:

Again they took her to the fire

Lenape:

Làpi tëluxòlawo tënteyunk naka xawshisësa.

English:

The old man told her, "Now throw that

Lenape:

Na hilusësa tëlao, "Yukwe ta lanihi na

English:

no-good thing into the fire!", but the old woman didn't want to.

Lenape:

mahchikwi kèku tënteyunk!", shek na xawshisës shinki.

English:

Again and again he told her, but again she didn't want to

Lenape:

Lahëlàpi tëlao, shëk làpi shinki.

English:

Then they threw that old woman into the fire.

Lenape:

Na ika tëlanihineyo naka xawshisësa tëntëyunk.

English:

She burned up and so did the witch-medicine.

Lenape:

Wèkhwìksu òk na wënihënuchihëweokàn.

English:

Finally they burned several persons, men and women

Lenape:

Xantki lusëwo kèxa awènik, lënuwàk òk xkweyok,

English:

some must have been killed for nothing.

Lenape:

alënte èt nuchkwehaok.

English:

My great-aunt's mother was there when this happened.

Lenape:

Na ahanhùkwi nuhàm kohèsa ahpu ènta yu leke.

Shè Yu Wëski Kèku

Alahòtuwàk

Mikwëna Tëlekhikàn Pwètanehëmaok Lënapeyunkahke

Moni Ta Nëni

Wàni Lënape Elixsit

Na Lënu Òk Nèl Mwekaneyëma