Jennie Wakinyandutawin/Lizzie Trudell Henry

[marnie]

I am stuck and confused. I wish to find out more about Jennie and who Lizzies mother and father were. I have Jennie as Lizzies mother on her baptisim, no father listed. I don't know what Jennies English name was.
Lizzies husbands were Peter Trudell and George Henry
Peter and Lizzies daughter 'Elizabeth Lavina' is my ggrandmother. I am stuck at Jennie
I found a marriage of Jennie Wakinyandutawin and David Wakanhdikoyake at Brazille Creek, Ne in 1876. If anyone has some more info to share on Jennie I sure need help with this. What does David's last neme translate to?
Thank you , marnie
Lizzie was born at Crow Creek in 1866 and died sept. 1916 at Santee

[hermin1]

Lizzie Boyd Henry Kage is the name I have for the spouse of Peter Trudell,son of Francis Trudell Senior and Mary Iciyapewin.
Wakinyandutawin, I believe translates to Red Thunder woman.
I have no idea who her father was.

[hermin1]

I think the Wakanhdi means thunder and koyaka means clothing?

[sara]

Wakan hdi

His Holy, or He's Holy

I believe.

[tamara]

Wakanhdi was a focus of mine some years back.

Wakanhdiwin is a family name of my grandmother's great grandmother.

The language persons I knew who currently work with teaching Dakota language and do total immersion type stuff, told me
Wakan is holy and
Hdi is returns
(also is you say verbally Hdi with too much gutteral sound you are saying "sore" and that part made my step-dad laugh and walk away instead of helping me...)

My grandfather kept saying "its like electricity like a battery" I was sort of confused as the two translations are so different.

My grandmother came into the room and told me that Wakanhdi is her g/grandmother and her name was Lightening Woman. therefore my grandfathers insistance that it was a word that was used in more modern terms as associated with batteries or electricity. Remembering that both he and my grandmother spoke fluently and come from a time when Dakota was spoken in the home. English being a second language to him. so often he would translate for me in a more modern sense. (Sigh) I miss him so much... I know I could have never had enough time to touch and learn everything he could have taught me and have to tell myself I learned as quickly as possible all that I could.
The lesson I learned from above is that you have to be careful when picking out certain words from a name. The meaning isnt always the same taken apart. here is a good example Wasu win
Wasu I asked my grandma what Wa meant she said
Wa means snow
Then I asked her what Su meant
Su means Seeds

I told her that I thought this womans name was "Snow Seed Woman" and she laughed hard and told me that WaSu means Hail!! not snow seeds! understandable but not correct!
LOL
Tamara

[hermin1]

thanks Sara for the translation.

[santee1961]

I have had the pleaasure of talking with the Rev. Sidney Byrd regarding our Dakota language. He helped with the interpretation of the Dakota prisoners letters. He told of the difficulty the translators encountered as many of the words used now do not have the same meaning when such documents as the Prisoners Letters were written. He also talked of such slang words and how the literal translation can be very confusing or even more offensive. I try to remember this as I attempt to translate and I am probably more cautious since I would feel bad if I offended anyone and didn't mean to.

[marnie]

Thanks to all of you who give and share your gifts so freely. I love hearing about all of these things. I wish I had more to contribute. My mother took me from there when she and my father divorced. I think that I was just about two. She said we used to live in the old schoolhouse, in three rooms of it anyway, in Santee. That was in 1946. I'm pretty sure none of you were around yet then. I haven't had a bad life, but listening to you all talk about culture and your families, makes me think that I really missed out on a whole bunch. Thanks again for sharing your stories.
marnie

[santee1961]

I need to clarify my lass comment about Rev. Byrd helping me with my interpretation of the letters. I did not do anything with the group of elders who spent a long time on that project. They deserve such honours for their time and contributions on that project. I hope that someday I can be worthwhile and fortunate enough to contribute something so vital and important regarding this time in the lives of the Dakota people at that time. To clarify: I just asked Rev. Sidney about the verbage regarding a couple of the letters I was reading. The literal terminology in the translation was describing was unfamiliar and he was kind enough to assist. Reverand Byrd is also a wealth of knowledge and has a mind still sharp as a tack. He has a wonderful sense of humour and many, many wonderful stories about our proplr. He lives in Flandreau and I am sure he would enjoy the company and you will enjoy his stories. So just one more time, I did not do any translating of the Dakota Prisoner's Letters. I only read them and my heart hurt for our people who lived it.

[sara]

Santee1961,

It was my honor to meet Rev Byrd at last years DavenportMemorial,and then again up in Sisseton for the Dakota letter Symposium. I met him in the lobby at Dakota Magic, he said, "Are you going to the Symposium tomorrow?" I said sure am. He said "Good I'll ride with you." I was so honored and humbled to have Rev Syd Byrd in my car. It was about a 20 minute ride to the Sisseton College, he told I and my daughter and niece afew stories of his life. Later he drew pictures for my daughter and niece. I didn't get to read many of the letters, because I was visiting with several people. I wouldn't trade that time in my life for anything.
My daughter and niece did not want to leave, my niece said she wanted to someday go to school at the Sisseton College(she is 11), she said, "I liked Rev Byrds stories and songs, and everyone was so nice at the college", we all wanted to cry driving away.

I hope Rev Byrd will make it to the Memorial again here in Davenport, and I hope many others around Indian Country will come as well.

Sara