Mary Marshall

Coyote Tries to Kill the Sun (1927)

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Text identifier: MM4
Speaker: Mary Marshall
Primary documentation: Edward Sapir
Edition: , Howard Berman, "Yurok Texts", Collected Works of Edward Sapir, volume 14, Northwest California Linguistics, ed. by Victor K. Golla and Sean O'Neill, pp. 1022-1025
Manuscript source: Edward Sapir, Yurok field notebook, American Philosophical Society

  1. Koh-chee 'o 'oo-lem' 'uuek-soh Se-gep we-hlo-woyhl k'ee 'uuek-soh.
    One time Coyote had ten children.
  2. Kwe-see' 'o lem', Chee nue ne-ge-po-yon.
    He said to them, Go and pick grass.
  3. Kwe-see' 'o lem'.
    Then they went.
  4. Kwe-see' 'o ten-pe-we'hl kwe-see' 'o ror' kwe-see' 'o me-ne-ko-let-kohl kue 'uuek-soh.
    It rained and it snowed and all his children froze.
  5. Kwe-see' weesh-tue' 'e-mehl te-to-mok's.
    That's why he got mad.
  6. Kwe-see' 'o le-gool' Se-gep.
    Coyote went.
  7. 'O lem', Kee ser-mer-terk' k'ee he-gor.
    He said, I'll kill the Sun.
  8. Kwe-see' 'o kerr-cherh 'ap 'o chpee-nah.
    Then he waited on a ridge.
  9. 'O koh-che-mo-'o' 'o wee-'eet.
    He stayed right there all night.
  10. Kwe-see' 'o-woohl won 'o pkwe-chop' he-gor woo-geen 'o 'uekerr-cherh.
    The next morning the Sun came out in a different place, on a different ridge.
  11. Hle-nue-tue' wo-no-ye-'eek ho nes-kwe-chokw'.
    Finally Coyote arrived in the sky.
  12. Mue-nee-per-nee ha-'aag weesh-tue' ne-gem'.
    He was carrying a sharp rock.
  13. Kwe-see' weet 'ap 'o chpee-nah 'er'-gerrch 'were-pokw.
    He waited by the doorway of the sweathouse.
  14. 'Ap 'o ko'-moy' 'och kol' ka ne-pem' chmey-yo-nen.
    In the evening he heard people eating.
  15. Kwe-see' 'er'-gerrch 'o lem' keech 'o chkeem'.
    Then they went to the sweathouse and they slept.
  16. Kwe-see' 'o-woohl koy nue-mee koy 'o ko'-mo-yom' pe-gah-che-wom' ko-leen.
    Next morning very early he heard one of them moving.
  17. Kwe-see' 'o noohl-pey' mehl 'er'-gerrch; nee-kee wokhl-ke-chee' kue 'wenoohl-peyk'.
    He went out from the sweathouse; it was just getting daylight when he went out.
  18. Kwe-see' wee't 'o myaahl-kah-pem', Se-gep pee serrhl.
    Right there he jumped on him, Coyote did.
  19. Kwe-see' 'o tekw-te-kwoh-som'.
    He hit him with the rock.
  20. Kwe-see' hlke-lee 'o le-kon' kue wo-news-leg.
    Then that Sun fell on the ground.
  21. Kwe-see' 'ee-kee ho-'oh-ko'hl.
    At once it got dark.
  22. Kwe-see' nee-kee 'we-gok' Se-gep.
    Right away Coyote left.
  23. Kwe-see' 'o ne-wom' wee't 'o ge-lo-mey-yem'.
    He saw that they were dancing there.
  24. 'O lem', Kee me-ge-lok', kee noo he-lo-meyk'.
    He said, I'll go with you, I'll dance with you.
  25. 'O le-gee', Paas!
    He was told, No!
  26. Mos wee't kee nohl he-lo-mey-yem' kee ne-kah ne-gohl he-lo-mey-yem'.
    You can't dance as long as we dance.
  27. 'O lem', Paa'!
    He said, No!
  28. To' kee me-ge-lok'.
    I'll go with you anyhow.
  29. 'O le-gee', Chuue'hl.
    Then he was told, All right.
  30. Kwe-see' nee-kee w'e-lo-mey-yem'.
    They kept on dancing.
  31. Keech koo-see 'ee-'ee-ko-new.
    All of them got hold of each other's hands.
  32. Kwe-see' nee-mee' nue-mee wo chpaa nohl he-lo-mey'.
    Coyote did not dance for a very long time.
  33. Kwe-see' 'o lem', Nek kwehl los-kah-peet kee-tee le-kon'.
    He said, My buckskin pipe-cover is about to fall.
  34. Kwe-see' 'o le-gee', Mos wee't kee mehl wey k'e-lo-meyk'.
    He was told, That's not why you're quitting dancing.
  35. Kwe-see' 'ee kom let-kwe-le-see'.
    They just dragged him around.
  36. Kwe-see' hlow hlke-lee 'o loo, 'ue'werhl-ker' chpee-kom.
    Finally they threw him down on the ground, only his bones were left.
  37. Kwe-see' kue 'uekue-chos 'wo'ol' wee-'eet nue-mee le-kon'.
    He fell right there exactly by his grandmother's house.
  38. Kwe-see' koy-poh kue 'uekue-chos 'em ne-wom' kes 'oohl-ke's.
    In the morning his grandmother saw him where he was lying.
  39. Kwe-see' 'o lem', Tee'-nee'-shoo wee'?
    She said, What is this?
  40. Kwe-see' 'o me-hlo-nem'.
    Then she touched him.
  41. 'O lem', Nek kwe-lekw 'ee yo chkeyk'.
    He said, It's me, I was just sleeping.
  42. Kwe-see' kue 'uek'ep-'ew wee'.
    That was her grandchild.
  43. Kwe-see' 'o'-lep 'o soo-tohl.
    Then they went into the house.
  44. Wee't ho wer-yer-kerhl.
    That's where it ended.