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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kêemish / keemisha- something supernaturally dangerous, a devil, a monster; poison; a wild animal

Dictionary Entry
lexicon ID #3794 | revised Oct 31 2014

kêemish / keemisha- • N • something supernaturally dangerous, a devil, a monster; poison; a wild animal

Derivatives (4)
kêemish "deceased person"
keemisháaxiich "halfbreed child (obsolete term)"
kêemishaha "to be poisonous"
keemishatunvêech "little wild animals"

Source: WB 868.3, p.360

  • pakôokaninay vúra vakêemishas îin kunípaanik ... The Savage Ones of every place used to say ... [Reference: TK 255.14]
  • kêemish kun'ákihanik. They fed him poison. [Reference: WB T93. Violet's dog. 012]

Short recording (1) | Sentence examples (12)

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  1. I have to be like ... fâat kumakêemish, poo'iithvútihanik fâatva...
    I'll be like ... some kind of animal to pack them, something ...
    Source: Violet Super, Grace Davis, Madeline Davis, Conversation: Weaving (GD-MD-VSu-01) | read full text
    Spoken by Violet Super | Download | Play

  2. káru hôoy akâayva 'îin kun kêemish kun'ákihanik, kéemish u'ávanik.
    "And somewhere, someone, they ... they fed him poison, he ate poison."
    Source: Violet Super, Violet's Dog (VSu-03) | read full text

  3. vaa kumá'ii paxáas tu'iv, pu'uum vúra fâat kumakêemish áamtihan."
    "That's why he almost died, he didn’t eat any kind of poison."
    Source: Violet Super, Violet's Dog (VSu-03) | read full text

  4. xás hâari tá kunipíthvuuymath míta pakêemish múthvuy.
    Sometimes they name someone again with the name of the deceased.
    Source: Julia Starritt, "Swearing" (WB_KL-0) | read full text

  5. xás úpeenti " îim ôok keemisha'îin i'áveeshap."
    And he told (the person sweating), "A monster outside here is going to eat you."
    Source: Chester Pepper, "Coyote's Journey" (WB_KL-03) | read full text

  6. púyava kári xás koovúra kumakeemishatunvêechas tá kunxúrihinaa, aayâach púfaat papúufich ôok kumeethívthaaneen.
    So then all the little wild animals were hungry, it was because there was no deer meat in this world.
    Source: Mamie Offield, "How Deer Meat Was Lost and Regained" (WB_KL-33) | read full text

  7. koovúra pakeemishatunvêechas kunpiip, " xâatik yíchaach nu'êerahiti."
    All the little wild animals said, "Let's store our food together."
    Source: Mamie Offield, "The Story of Slug" (WB_KL-38) | read full text

  8. ta'ítam koovúra pakeemishatunvêechas kunikyáviichvunaa, yukún vaa káan kunpávyiihmeesh patupíshyaavpa.
    So all the little wild animals worked, you see they were going to come back there when it was winter.
    Source: Mamie Offield, "The Story of Slug" (WB_KL-38) | read full text

  9. kári xás koovúra kumakeemishatunvêechas kunikyâavarihva.
    And all the little wild animals tried.
    Source: Mamie Offield, "Victory Over Fire" (WB_KL-45) | read full text

  10. káru vaa kumá'ii koovúra kumakeemishatunvêechas kun'áayti aah.
    And that's why all the little wild animals are afraid of fire.
    Source: Mamie Offield, "Victory Over Fire" (WB_KL-45) | read full text

  11. kinípeenti " kêemish pa'apxantínihichas."
    They were told that the white men were devils.
    Source: Nettie Ruben, "The White Man's Gifts" (WB_KL-65) | read full text