Messenger
Oneida Sound Recording
Description: Old time way of spreading news by runners told by Louis Hill to Dennison Hill and read by Maria Hinton
Written text: Internlinear Translation (PDF)
Tip: Save the interlinear translation pdf to your computer and open it in Adobe Acrobat where you can click the lines and phrases to play embedded sound recordings.
English Translation
He Carries the News
Back in the day the Oneidas lived far apart. When someone died, from the remaining someone would be selected to carry the news. This man will run and yell at certain intervals. The Oneidas would know that something happened and they would hear by his yelling how it is when someone yells. They would ask him what news he carries. He’d have a strong voice to have the job of carrying the news where the Oneidas live.
More Texts
This traditional Oneida story is one of several. For more, see our listing of Oneida Sample Texts.
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Meet Forrest Brooks, our resident advocate to uplift the Oneida language. As a lifelong learner of Haudenosaunee original ways of thinking, being and doing, he's passionate about sharing Indigenous culture.