Ararahih'urípih
A Dictionary and Text Corpus of the Karuk Language

Karuk Dictionary

by William Bright and Susan Gehr (© Karuk Tribe)

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asáxvuh turtle, Pacific turtle; lock (on a door)

Dictionary Entry
lexicon ID #645 | revised Nov 02 2005

asáxvuh N • turtle, Pacific turtle; lock (on a door) Clemmys marmorata (ITIS).

Derivative (1)
asaxvuhpihnîich "Old Man Turtle, a myth character"

Source: WB 154, p.322; WB ani 06:821

Note: The extension of meaning is said to be due to the fact that old-fashioned padlocks resembled turtle shells. Also called káapivanach.

  • xás asáxvuh tuyship'ípanich ukrîish. And Turtle sat on a mountain-top. [Reference: WB 10 Coyote Steals Fire 018]
  • asáxvuh uum káan úkrii. Turtle lived there. [Reference: WB 21: Hair In The Soup 001]


Short recordings (2) | Sentence examples (5)

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  1. xas    úum    asáxvuh    papihnîich   
    then    3.SG    turtle    the.old.man   
    Then the old man (changed himself into) a turtle.
    Source: Margaret Harrie, "The Ten Young Men who Became the Pleiades" (DAF_KT-02) | read full text
  2. xás    asáxvu    tuyship'ípanich    ukrîish   
    then    turtle    mountain-top    he.sat.down   
    And Turtle sat down on a mountain-top.
    Source: Julia Starritt, "Coyote Steals Fire" (WB_KL-10) | read full text
  3. xás    asáxvuh    tuyship'ípanich    úkrii   
    then    turtle    mountain-top    he.was.sitting   
    And Turtle was sitting on a mountain-top.
    Source: Julia Starritt, "Coyote Steals Fire" (WB_KL-10) | read full text
  4. xás    pa'asáxvuh    kun'êe    pá'aah   
    then    Turtle    they.gave.him    the.fire   
    And they gave the fire to Turtle.
    Source: Julia Starritt, "Coyote Steals Fire" (WB_KL-10) | read full text
  5. asáxvu    uum    káan    úkrii   
    turtle    3.SG    there    he.lived   
    Turtle lived there.
    Source: Julia Starritt, "The Hair in the Soup" (WB_KL-21) | read full text