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WoLakota Project & Teachings of Our Elders

OSEU Five: Delores Taken Alive– The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man

Explore OSEU Five: Delores Taken Alive– The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man with available transcripts, learning questions and source alignments in the South Dakota an

Interview · South Dakota · Delores Taken Alive · OSEU 5

Themes: Kinship & family, Storytelling & oral tradition, Values & generosity, Listening & observation, Children & young people, Humor & play

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Learn About questions

What does “tipi times” mean? What does the word “hakela” mean? What are some important detaisl from the story of “The Child & the Hairy Man?” Who was the big hairy man that took care of the boy? What does Hihan kagapi mean?

Learn From questions

What stories do you have that help to explain why things happen the way they do? Have you ever been taken in by someone when you felt alone? Have you ever taken someone in when they were alone?

Transcripts

The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 5

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There was one that our grandpa always tells us. He always says, remember this story because it has something to do with a child. And then he said that was a long time ago in tipi times. And every time they sit down to eat the hakela, the youngest of the family was a little boy. They call him hakela. And he always cries and pouts because you know he was kind of spoiled in a way. And the older children always say to their mother, Mother, why don't you do something about him? Every time we're going to eat, he spoils our meal. Why don't you do something about it? So he'll stop that crying and whining. So the mother says, oh, OK. So she said, Hugh, come on. She said, you're going to stand outside until you're done crying. So she put him outside the tipi and she went back in. And here they were all laughing, talking, enjoying the meal. All of a sudden, the oldest son said, Mom, our little brother is not crying anymore. Maybe you should bring him in. She went out and here there's nowhere to be found. So the mother went from tipi to tipi, all that camp. She went around and asked if they had seen her son, the hakela. And they said no. So at that time, at that hour, she used to go in the woods and she'd be crying, looking for her son. She's been doing that for I don't know how long. And one day she was doing that here, somebody tapped her on the shoulder and he said, why are you crying? He said, I am. I am the son that you put outside our tipi. This is me. So she looked and he was all like a hairy young man. And I said, I am your son. And told her more who he was, how he was raised. So she stopped crying and looked and they were talking. And so I'll tell you why you're like this. So he said, when you put me outside the tipi, he said a big, hairy man like me came and took me. He took me and he said he'll take care of me. So I won't be crying. So he did. He really is a good provider. This hairy man. He taught me how to hunt. He taught me how to butcher and he taught me how to cook. So this is how I am. So that must have been years and years later because he was now a young man. So my grandpa always says, don't ever, ever put a child outside at night because you'll never know what will happen. So that is my favorite story that grandpa always tells. And he calls that he hunk a hoppy. He looked like an image of a ghost, like, you know. So he calls the hunk a hoppy. So, you know, when he took him, he took him far away from that camp into a cave. And he grew up with animals. And he said even the birds, they talk to them. So, you know, that's always my favorite story because it's about a child. So we always say, don't put your children outside or, you know, close your windows, you know, because in teepee times there's such a thing as windows. You know, my nephew Virgil said, you know, in teepee times people are trusted so much that there's no padlocks on their doors. He makes us laugh. Oh, it's telling some kind of joke.

Resource text

OSEU 5: INTERVIEW WITH DELORES TAKEN ALIVE WoLakota Project N From the current WoLakota source page: The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man Delores Taken Alive Transcript (deep listening, information) (deep listening, transformation)

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The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man

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The Story of the Child & The Hairy Man - Delores Taken Alive - OSEU 5 There was one that our grandpa always tells us. He always says, remember this story because it has something to do with a child. And then he said that was a long time ago in tipi times. And every time they sit down to eat the hakela, the youngest of the family was a little boy. They call him hakela. And he always cries and pouts because you know he was kind of spoiled in a way. And the older children always say to their mother, Mother, why don't you do something about him? Every time we're going to eat, he spoils our meal. Why don't you do something about it? So he'll stop that crying and whining. So the mother says, oh, OK. So she said, Hugh, come on. She said, you're going to stand outside until you're done crying. So she put him outside the tipi and she went back in. And here they were all laughing, talking, enjoying the meal. All of a sudden, the oldest son said, Mom, our little brother is not crying anymore. Maybe you should bring him in. She went out and here there's nowhere to be found. So the mother went from tipi to tipi, all that camp. She went around and asked if they had seen her son, the hakela. And they said no. So at that time, at that hour, she used to go in the woods and she'd be crying, looking for her son. She's been doing that for I don't know how long. And one day she was doing that here, somebody tapped her on the shoulder and he said, why are you crying? He said, I am. I am the son that you put outside our tipi. This is me. So she looked and he was all like a hairy young man. And I said, I am your son. And told her more who he was, how he was raised. So she stopped crying and looked and they were talking. And so I'll tell you why you're like this. So he said, when you put me outside the tipi, he said a big, hairy man like me came and took me. He took me and he said he'll take care of me. So I won't be crying. So he did. He really is a good provider. This hairy man. He taught me how to hunt. He taught me how to butcher and he taught me how to cook. So this is how I am. So that must have been years and years later because he was now a young man. So my grandpa always says, don't ever, ever put a child outside at night because you'll never know what will happen. So that is my favorite story that grandpa always tells. And he calls that he hunk a hoppy. He looked like an image of a ghost, like, you know. So he calls the hunk a hoppy. So, you know, when he took him, he took him far away from that camp into a cave. And he grew up with animals. And he said even the birds, they talk to them. So, you know, that's always my favorite story because it's about a child. So we always say, don't put your children outside or, you know, close your windows, you know, because in teepee times there's such a thing as windows. You know, my nephew Virgil said, you know, in teepee times people are trusted so much that there's no padlocks on their doors. He makes us laugh. Oh, it's telling some kind of joke.