Captain Spott

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

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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Edition: Andrew Garrett, unpublished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

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1.

Kwelekw weetue see nuemee 'o hlkoy' k'ee neeegem 'O Schegep'. Tue weetue 'o tektoy', tue weetue see nuemee 'wo-'o hlkoyek' k'ee neeegem, k'ee 'O Schegep' Nuemee chyue, nuemee chyue tema sootol', 'w-esek', Kues tue ko 'o tekto'y? Tue wee neenee yo gooluuelowee' k'ee 'w-a'aag k'ee reeek'ew k'ee peeshkaahl, k'ee 'O Schegep' 'o tekto'y. Tue k'ee sonenee, k'ee sonenee menomenehl tue' sonenee tema tektoy', kem tue neemee wo' pyekwchenee serneryerh kee 'we-tektonek'. 'W-esek' weetue, Kwo 'o legohkue' k'ee neeegem? Neskwee kee neekee 'o tektee' k'ee 'oohl 'o nohsuenowoo'mek' Tue neskwee keekee 'o merogey' 'w-ohkue'. Tue weetue mehl ho gooluuelee' k'ee ha'aag, tem lo goolenee. 'Ieemokw wo' pyekwchenee sonem' 'we-tektoyek' wee k'ee 'O Schegep' Peesh tue weetee mehl sonenee newoy' kolonee s'okto', mee see 'o legohkue' kee s'oktop'. Tue' weetue sonenee mehl newee'. Kwel temee lo gooluuelowee', 'w-esekw, Kues cho kee sonenee tekto'y? Peeshtue weetue 'o lesee', Chuehl, Weet kue 'o tektoy' wey' k'ee 'O Schegep', tue weetee emehl rek'eeenewor. K'ee nee ya'aagono hee wohp'ee 'o ko rek'eeen, tue to'onoh kelee hesee wohp'ee 'o sue rek'eeenewor ... heseeerk 'emehl tepon' k'ee 'O Schegep' heseeerk emehl tepon', mo wee see 'o legohkue' wey' kee s'oktop'. Tue' weetue ... tue weetue see segoo hohkue'. Hee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegoolee' mehl hookchkehl. Tue weetue see soo nohsenee' k'ee 'w-a'aagona. Hesee merhkwee mehl tmegoolee' mehl hookchkehl. Tue weet see soo hegohkue' neeegem. Tue hee, to kwelekw me legol' Wohpekuemew, kwelekw Wohpekuemew ... kwelekw Wohpekuemew weesh. Woteesh sweykom' mo kaamoksee' yo' weesh. Tue weeshto mehl sweykom' Wohpekuemew. mehl hes kecheesee mee wo' 'o legohkue' kue kwelas 'ue-kaamoksek'. Tue hee, to kwelek me legol' meweemor. Tue weetue mehl mee wo' 'o legohkue' neeegem. 'Ap 'o weetee 'emehl tektee' hesee hehlkew soneno'opeya. 'W-esek', Weetue kee son' hee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegoolee' mehl hookchkehl. Hesee merhkwee see mehl tmeeegok'w. Tue weetue see segoo nohseecheeí, tue Wohpekuemew skoweyko.

Obsidian would actually have been gathered at 'O Schegep'. That's where it stands, that's where obsidian would actually have been gathered, at 'O Schegep'. Everywhere, he tried to go everywhere, thinking, Where will it stand? He was carrying his rock around at the sea-shore, the one that stands at 'O Schegep'. Like a cliff it was to stand there, but it did not look right as it stood there. He was thinking thus, How will they make obsidians? It will stand close to where people live. If it is close it will be easy to make. That is why he carried the rock, carrying it for a long time. But it did look right where it stood at 'O Schegep'. Then the way it looked was seemingly reddish, because he was going to make it red. That is how it looked. He carried it about, thinking, "Where will it stand like this?" Then what he thought was, Well, it will stand here at 'O Schegep', that is where it will sit. And from these rocks out in the ocean they will sit, four of them, sitting out in the water ... off 'O Schegep' on the shore, when he was going to make it red. Thus, thus they would have regularly made (them). It would have been shot onto the ground with arrow-flakers. Thus the rock would have been chipped off. People shoot it onto the ground with arrow-flakers. So they would have made obsidians. Hee, Wohpekumew is the one who was there, it was Wohpekumew ... Wohpekumew himself. He is the one who damaged it when he was disliked. Wohpekumew damaged ... They do not make them there ... (because) they disliked him. Hii, the old man is the one who was there then. That is why they do not make obsidians there. Then for that reason it stands inland. They thought, It will come to pass that it would have been shot onto the ground with an arrow-flaker. One could shoot them onto the ground. In that way it would regularly have been chipped off, but Wohpekumew spoiled it.