William Bright: "Speech to Karuk Tribal Council" (2004)
Primary participant: William Bright (speaker)
Date: 2004
Project identifier: WB-01
Publication details: Unpublished (Recorded by Susan Gehr on February 26th, 2004)
Audio: Play
Note: A video of Bright's speech is available here. Bright states that Vina Smith and Violet Super helped him compose this speech.
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
| [1] | ayukîi | naní-fyiiv-shas |
| hello! | 1sPOSS-friend-PL |
| Hello, my friends. |
| [2] | púxich | tá | ná-'aachichha | pa-'ôok | tá | ní-krii | panámniik | pa-'ôok | kóovan | nu-'áraarahi-ti |
| very.much | PERF | 1s-be.happy | NOMZ-here | PERF | 1s(>3)-live | Orleans | NOMZ-here | together.with.(plural) | 1pl(>3)-live.(pl.)-DUR |
| I'm very happy that I'm here in Orleans, that I'm here with all of you. |
| [3] | pi'êep | pa-ni-yáan'iiftihan-haak | pa-'ôok | káruk | vee-thívthaaneen | pishîich | ni-'úum-haak | pa-panámniik | pishîich | ni-'úum-haak | naa | vúra | xakitrahyar | káru | yítha | hárinay | kích | tá | ní-krii |
| long.ago | NOMZ-1s(>3)-young.person-when | NOMZ-here | upriver | 3sPOSS-land | first | 1s(>3)-arrive-when | NOMZ-Orleans | first | 1s(>3)-arrive-when | 1sg. | Intensive | twenty | also | one | year | only | PERF | 1s(>3)-live |
| Long ago, when I was young, when I first came to Karuk country, when I first came to Orleans, I was only 21 years old. |
| [4] | naa | vúra | púfaat | na-'aapúnmu-tih-ara-hanik |
| 1sg. | Intensive | nothing | 1s(>3)-know-DUR-NEG-ANC |
| I didn't know anything! |
| [5] | kúna | vúra | pa-'arara-kéevriik-shas | pa-'arara-pihnîich-as | pa-nani-káruk | va-'ararée-fyiiv-shas | koovúra | nee-psháravrik |
| in.addition | Intensive | the-human-old.woman-PL | the-human-old.man-PL | the-1sPOSS-upriver | 3sPOSS-human-friend-PL | all | 2s/3s>1s-help |
| But the Karuk old women, the Karuk old men, my Karuk friends, they all helped me. |
| [6] | kári | xás | chaka'îimich | ni-'apúnmiik | pa-'arará-hih | pa-'arará-kuupha | pa-'arara-píkvah |
| then | then | slowly | 1s(>3)-learn.from | the-human-language | the-human-doing | the-human-story |
| And so I slowly learned the Indian language, the Indian customs, the Indian stories. |
| [7] | payêem | ná-mpaan | vúra | pihnîich | xakinivkihitráhyar | káru | itroopa-hárinay | tá | ní-krii |
| now | 1sg.-Emphatic | Intensive | old.man | seventy | also | five-year | PERF | 1s(>3)-live |
| Now I myself am an old man, I'm 75 years old. |
| [8] | kúna | vúra | kúkuum | ôok | tá | ni-'uum | pa-naní-fyiiv-shas | ni-músaruk-ti | kári | vúra | pa-káruk | vá-hi | ni-'aapúnmiik-ti |
| in.addition | Intensive | again | here | PERF | 1s(>3)-arrive | the-1sPOSS-friend-PL | 1s(>3)-come.to.see-DUR | then | Intensive | the-upriver | 3sPOSS-language | 1s(>3)-learn.from-DUR |
| But I've come back here again, I'm visiting my friends, and I'm still learning the Karuk language. |
| [9] | koovúra | pa-nani-'ararée-fyiiv-shas | naa | kíi-peen-tih-ap | yôotva | púxich | ta-ná-'aachichha |
| all | the-1sPOSS-human-friend-PL | 1sg. | 1/3>2pl-say.to-DUR-INV | hurray! | very.much | PERF-1s-be.happy |
| To all my Indian friends, I'm saying, "Thank you, I'm very glad!" |