Captain Spott

"The Obsidian Cliff at Rek'woy" (June 17, 1907)

Writing system: default | hyphens | linguistic
Display style: paragraph | sentence | look-up

Text identifier: X16
Speaker: Captain Spott
Primary documentation: A. L. Kroeber
Edition: Andrew Garrett, unpublished
Translation: A. L. Kroeber, Yurok Myths (1976), p. 435-436 (myth X16)
Manuscript source: A. L. Kroeber, Yurok field notebook 75, pp. 1-8

Yurok audio:  
| Download: 24-1031.mp3 | Password required

  1. Kwelekw weetue see nuemee 'o hlkoy' k'ee neeegem 'O Schegep'.
    Obsidian would actually have been gathered at 'O Schegep'.
  2. Tue weetue 'o tektoy', tue weetue see nuemee 'wo-'o hlkoyek' k'ee neeegem, k'ee 'O Schegep'
    That's where it stands, that's where obsidian would actually have been gathered, at 'O Schegep'.
  3. Nuemee chyue, nuemee chyue tema sootol', 'w-esek', Kues tue ko 'o tekto'y?
    Everywhere, he tried to go everywhere, thinking, Where will it stand?
  4. Tue wee neenee yo gooluuelowee' k'ee 'w-a'aag k'ee reeek'ew k'ee peeshkaahl, k'ee 'O Schegep' 'o tekto'y.
    He was carrying his rock around at the sea-shore, the one that stands at 'O Schegep'.
  5. Tue k'ee sonenee, k'ee sonenee menomenehl tue' sonenee tema tektoy', kem tue neemee wo' pyekwchenee serneryerh kee 'we-tektonek'.
    Like a cliff it was to stand there, but it did not look right as it stood there.
  6. 'W-esek' weetue, Kwo 'o legohkue' k'ee neeegem? Neskwee kee neekee 'o tektee' k'ee 'oohl 'o nohsuenowoo'mek'
    He was thinking thus, How will they make obsidians? It will stand close to where people live.
  7. Tue neskwee keekee 'o merogey' 'w-ohkue'.
    If it is close it will be easy to make.
  8. Tue weetue mehl ho gooluuelee' k'ee ha'aag, tem lo goolenee.
    That is why he carried the rock, carrying it for a long time.
  9. 'Ieemokw wo' pyekwchenee sonem' 'we-tektoyek' wee k'ee 'O Schegep'
    But it did look right where it stood at 'O Schegep'.
  10. Peesh tue weetee mehl sonenee newoy' kolonee s'okto', mee see 'o legohkue' kee s'oktop'.
    Then the way it looked was seemingly reddish, because he was going to make it red.
  11. Tue' weetue sonenee mehl newee'.
    That is how it looked.
  12. Kwel temee lo gooluuelowee', 'w-esekw, Kues cho kee sonenee tekto'y?
    He carried it about, thinking, "Where will it stand like this?"
  13. Peeshtue weetue 'o lesee', Chuehl, Weet kue 'o tektoy' wey' k'ee 'O Schegep', tue weetee emehl rek'eeenewor.
    Then what he thought was, Well, it will stand here at 'O Schegep', that is where it will sit.
  14. K'ee nee ya'aagono hee wohp'ee 'o ko rek'eeen, tue to'onoh kelee hesee wohp'ee 'o sue rek'eeenewor ...
    And from these rocks out in the ocean they will sit, four of them, sitting out in the water ...
  15. heseeerk 'emehl tepon' k'ee 'O Schegep' heseeerk emehl tepon', mo wee see 'o legohkue' wey' kee s'oktop'.
    off 'O Schegep' on the shore, when he was going to make it red.
  16. Tue' weetue ... tue weetue see segoo hohkue'.
    Thus, thus they would have regularly made (them).
  17. Hee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegoolee' mehl hookchkehl.
    It would have been shot onto the ground with arrow-flakers.
  18. Tue weetue see soo nohsenee' k'ee 'w-a'aagona.
    Thus the rock would have been chipped off.
  19. Hesee merhkwee mehl tmegoolee' mehl hookchkehl.
    People shoot it onto the ground with arrow-flakers.
  20. Tue weet see soo hegohkue' neeegem.
    So they would have made obsidians.
  21. Tue hee, to kwelekw me legol' Wohpekuemew, kwelekw Wohpekuemew ... kwelekw Wohpekuemew weesh.
    Hee, Wohpekumew is the one who was there, it was Wohpekumew ... Wohpekumew himself.
  22. Woteesh sweykom' mo kaamoksee' yo' weesh.
    He is the one who damaged it when he was disliked.
  23. Tue weeshto mehl sweykom' Wohpekuemew.
    Wohpekumew damaged ...
  24. mehl hes kecheesee mee wo' 'o legohkue' kue kwelas 'ue-kaamoksek'.
    They do not make them there ... (because) they disliked him.
  25. Tue hee, to kwelek me legol' meweemor.
    Hii, the old man is the one who was there then.
  26. Tue weetue mehl mee wo' 'o legohkue' neeegem.
    That is why they do not make obsidians there.
  27. 'Ap 'o weetee 'emehl tektee' hesee hehlkew soneno'opeya.
    Then for that reason it stands inland.
  28. 'W-esek', Weetue kee son' hee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegoolee' mehl hookchkehl.
    They thought, It will come to pass that it would have been shot onto the ground with an arrow-flaker.
  29. Hesee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegok'w.
    One could shoot them onto the ground.
  30. Tue weetue see segoo nohseecheeí, tue Wohpekuemew skoweyko.
    In that way it would regularly have been chipped off, but Wohpekumew spoiled it.