How Great You Are

[Koontz John E]

Carl Masthay sent this Dakota version of a hymn.  "How Great Thou Art"
is the English of the title that I'm familiar with.  Carl was wondering
how close he had come to rendering the Dakota text.  As was explained at
the Siouan Conference in the presentation on music, renditions of hymns in
Siouan languages are seldom literal translations of the nominal original.
They tend to be riffs on some of the salient sentiments, and the music may
be fairly freely adapted, too.

It occurred to me that this sort of thing is meat and drink to some of the
list members.  Feel free to reply direct to Carl and Lee.

John E. Koontz
http://spot.colorado.edu/~koontz

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 16:17:16 -0500
From: Carl Masthay <cmasthay at juno.com>
To: lee at jubchuqun.com, John.Koontz at Colorado.edu
Subject: How Great You Are

Lee, this is the best plugging it I can do.

----- Forwarded Message -----
Date:  12 Jun 2006
From: "Lee Lewis" <lee at jubchuqun.com>
Subject: re  Mt. Rainier

> This just in from my cousin...

> How Great You Are (In Sioux)

> Wa-kan-tan-ka, Mako-che Ki Le Lu-ha
> Wi-cah-pi Lena Ko Wan Bla-ka Chan
> Wa-ki-yan Hon Ton Pi Kin Le-na Ko El
> Wo-wa-sha-ke Ni-ta-wa Kin Ta-nin

> Mi-na-gi Kin He-ya A Lo-o-wan
> Wa-ni-ki-ya, Wa-kan-tan-ka
> Wa-ni-ki-ya, Mi-Ta-wa Kin Ni-te
> I-ni-tan-can, I-ni-tan-can

Carl's attempt at a back translation:

> Spirit-great, country (to? here? long ago?)
> Star these and one go? night
> Discuss? ? have? (plural) also these and in/at/to
> Work? your the old??

> My soul also say(s) sing-in-praise?
> Savior, spirit-great
> Savior, my also yours
> ?take-a-sweat body, take-a-sweat body?