Captain Spott

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

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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Edition: Andrew Garrett, unpublished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

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1.

Kwelekw witu si numi 'o hlko'y k'i niigem 'O Schegep'. Tu witu 'o tekto'y, tu witu si numi 'wo-'o hlkoyek' k'i niigem, k'i 'O Schegep' Numi chyu, numi chyu tema sooto'l, 'w-esek', Kus tu ko 'o tekto'y? Tu wi nini yo gooluulowi' k'i 'w-a'aag k'i riik'ew k'i pishkaahl, k'i 'O Schegep' 'o tekto'y. Tu k'i soneni, k'i soneni menomenehl tu' soneni tema tekto'y, kem tu nimi wo' pyekwcheni srnryrh ki 'we-tektonek'. 'W-esek' witu, Kwo 'o legohku' k'i niigem? Neskwi ki niki 'o tekti' k'i 'oohl 'o nohsunowoo'mek' Tu neskwi kiki 'o meroge'y 'w-ohku'. Tu witu mehl ho gooluuli' k'i ha'aag, tem lo gooleni. 'Iimokw wo' pyekwcheni sone'm 'we-tektoyek' wi k'i 'O Schegep' Pish tu witi mehl soneni newo'y koloni s'okto', mi si 'o legohku' ki s'oktop'. Tu' witu soneni mehl newi'. Kwel temi lo gooluulowi', 'w-esekw, Kus cho ki soneni tekto'y? Pishtu witu 'o lesi', Chuhl, Wit ku 'o tekto'y we'y k'i 'O Schegep', tu witi emehl rek'iinewor. K'i ni ya'aagono hi wohp'i 'o ko rek'iin, tu to'onoh keli hesi wohp'i 'o su rek'iinewor ... hesiirk 'emehl tepo'n k'i 'O Schegep' hesiirk emehl tepo'n, mo wi si 'o legohku' we'y ki s'oktop'. Tu' witu ... tu witu si segoo hohku'. Hi merhkwi si mehl tmiigooli' mehl hookchkehl. Tu witu si soo nohseni' k'i 'w-a'aagona. Hesi merhkwi mehl tmegooli' mehl hookchkehl. Tu wit si soo hegohku' niigem. Tu hee, to kwelekw me lego'l Wohpekumew, kwelekw Wohpekumew ... kwelekw Wohpekumew wish. Wotish sweyko'm mo kaamoksi' yo' wish. Tu wishto mehl sweyko'm Wohpekumew. mehl hes kechisi mi wo' 'o legohku' ku kwelas 'u-kaamoksek'. Tu hee, to kwelek me lego'l mewimor. Tu witu mehl mi wo' 'o legohku' niigem. 'Ap 'o witi 'emehl tekti' hesi hehlkew soneno'opeya. 'W-esek', Witu ki so'n hi merhkwi si mehl tmiigooli' mehl hookchkehl. Hesi merhkwi si mehl tmiigok'w. Tu witu si segoo nohsichií, tu Wohpekumew 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.