Nettie Ruben: "Coyote as Doctor" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-11
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp.196-198
Additional contributor: Kouros Falati (annotator)

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Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components

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[1]	pihnêefich	káan	u-'árihroovu-tih
	coyote	there	3s(>3)-go.upriver-DUR

Coyote was going upriver there.

[2]	u-xús	tîi	kan-kanmahvanáyviichvan
	3s(>3)-think	let...	1s(>3)-look.around.for.fun

He thought, "Let me go look around, just for fun."

[3]	kári	xás	káan	yánava	ára	kun-'áraarahi-tih
	then	then	there	visible	person	3pl(>3s)-live.(pl.)-DUR

And there he saw people were living.

[4]	yánava	yítha	âapun	u-tháaniv	u-kuhí-tih
	visible	one	on.the.ground	3s(>3)-sit	3s(>3)-be.sick-DUR

He saw one (girl) lying down, she was sick.

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[5]	xás	kun-ipêer	atafâat	íim	araraxus'úmaan
	then	3pl(>3s)-say.to	maybe	2sg.	doctor

And they said to him, "Maybe you're a doctor."

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[6]	kári	xás	u-piip	hãã	naa	araraxus'úmaan
	then	then	3s(>3)-say	yes	1sg.	doctor

And he said, "Yes, I'm a doctor."

[7]	xás	kári	u-pí-ti	xk!	ú-kxiikvu-tih
	then	then	3s(>3)-say-DUR	noise	3s(>3)-make.hawking.noise-DUR

And he kept saying, "xk," he was making a hawking noise.

(Bright: "Doctors make this kind of noise when preparing to regurgitate a 'pain' or disease object.")

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[8]	kári	xás	kun-ipêer	chími	patúmkoo
	then	then	3pl(>3s)-say.to	soon	suck.disease

And they said to him, "Suck (the disease out of) her!"

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[9]	xás	u-piip	chémi
	then	3s(>3)-say	all.right

And he said, "All right."

[10]	kári	xás	u-piip	chími	îim	kíi-vyiihrupuk-i
	then	then	3s(>3)-say	soon	outdoors	2pl(>3)-go.outdoors.(pl.)-IMPER

And he said, "You go outside!"

[11]	vaa	xás	ni-patumkôo-vish
	that	then	1s(>3)-suck.disease-FUT

Then I'll suck her that way!"

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[12]	chémi
	all.right

"All right."

[13]	ta'ítam	îim	tá	kun-iyviihrupuk
	so	outdoors	PERF	3pl(>3s)-go.outdoors.(pl.)

So they went outdoors.

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[14]	xás	u-piip	puxích	ík	vúra	ku-pakúriihv-eesh
	then	3s(>3)-say	very.much	must	Intensive	2pl(>3)-sing.songs-FUT

And he said, "You must sing loudly."

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[15]	xás	chémi
	then	all.right

And (they said) "All right."

[16]	ta'ítam	súva	t-u-pakúriihva
	so	listen!	PERF-3s(>3)-sing.songs

So he heard them singing.

[17]	xakáaniich	iinâak	pá-xuus	u-'uumú-tih
	just.the.pair	indoors	NOMZ-thought	3s(>3)-arrive-DUR

Just the two of them were indoors when he doctored.

[18]	kári	xás	kun-pakúriih-vunaa	puxích	vúra
	then	then	3pl(>3s)-sing-PL	very.much	Intensive

And they sang loudly (outside).

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[19]	kári	xás	u-piip	yítha	hûut	u-pí-tih	pa-yeeripáxvuh	iinâak	u-kpêehvu-tih
	then	then	3s(>3)-say	one	how	3s(>3)-say-DUR	the-adolescent.girl	indoors	3s(>3)-shout-DUR

Then one said, "What is the girl saying? She's shouting inside."

[20]	kári	xás	kun-p-ihmárafuruk	iinâak
	then	then	3pl(>3s)-ITER-run.indoors.(pl.)	indoors

Then they ran back indoors.

[21]	yánava	pa-pihnêefich	ávahkam	t-óo	thxuuptakiish
	visible	the-coyote	over	PERF-3s(>3)	lie.down.on.top.of

They saw Coyote was lying on top (of the girl).

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[22]	kári	xás	pa-'áhup	áak	u-'êethripaa
	then	then	the-wood	in.the.fire	3s(>3)-take.out

Then (one of them) took a stick out of the fire.

[23]	kári	xás	u-'áak	pihnêefich	u-'áak	áfup
	then	then	3s(>3)-hit.(with.implement)	coyote	3s(>3)-hit.(with.implement)	buttocks

And he hit him, he hit Coyote on the buttocks.

[24]	kári	xás	pihnêefich	u-piip	chánhaayfur
	then	then	coyote	3s(>3)-say	INTERJ

And Coyote said, "chánhaayfur!"

(Bright: "chánhaayfur is said to refer to sexual intercourse; its form-class and composition are unknown.")

[25]	xás	u-p-árihrupuk
	then	3s(>3)-ITER-rush.outdoors

And he jumped outside again.

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[26]	t-óo	hmaachichva	pa-yeeripáxvuh
	PERF-3s(>3)	bother	the-adolescent.girl

He was fooling around with the girl.

[27]	hínu páy	uum	u-píkshaayvu-tih	pu-tákta-hara	pu-'araraxus'úmaan-hara
	surprise	3.SG	3s(>3)-tell.lie-DUR	NEG-doctor-NEG	NEG-doctor-NEG

There he was lying, he wasn't a doctor, he wasn't a shaman.

[28]	vúra	t-u-tápkuup	pa-yeeripáxvuh
	Intensive	PERF-3s(>3)-like	the-adolescent.girl

He just liked the girl.

[29]	kíri	ní-hmaachichva
	I.wish	1s(>3)-bother

He thought, "Let me fool around with her!"

[30]	xás	pa-kéevniikich	u-piip	oo!	pu-yáv-hara	pa-pihnêefich	táay	u-kupavêenahi-ti	pa-pihnêefich
	then	the-old.woman.(dimin.)	3s(>3)-say	oh!	NEG-good-NEG	the-coyote	much	3s(>3)-do-DUR	the-coyote

And the old woman said, "Oh, Coyote's no good, he does lots of mischief!"

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[31]	kári	xás	u-'árihrupuk
	then	then	3s(>3)-rush.outdoors

So he jumped outdoors.

[32]	xás	kun-'áharam
	then	3pl(>3s)-follow

And they followed him.

[33]	kári	xás	sáruk	úuth	ú-skaakar
	then	then	downhill	out.to.water	3s(>3)-jump.into.water

And he jumped into the river downhill.

[34]	xás	u-'iipkúrih
	then	3s(>3)-dive

He dived in.

[35]	kári	xás	kun-piip	tá	húukava
	then	then	3pl(>3s)-say	PERF	to.somewhere

And they said, "Where has (he gone) to?"

[36]	tá	kun-iyvúunsip
	PERF	3pl(>3s)-start.to.chase

They had started to chase him.

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[37]	xás	kári	ifápiit-sha	kun-'iin
	then	then	young.unmarried.woman-PL	3pl(>3s)-(two).be

And two young women lived there.

[38]	xás	sáruk	kun-túraayvu-tih	púra fátaak
	then	downhill	3pl(>3s)-look.around-DUR	nowhere

And they looked for him downhill, (but) he was nowhere (to be seen).

[39]	kári	xás	kári	tá	kóo	tá	kun-iyvúunsip
	then	then	then	PERF	all	PERF	3pl(>3s)-start.to.chase

So they quit starting to chase him.

[40]	káruma	uum	yúruk	t-óo	kpúhish
	in.fact	3.SG	downriver	PERF-3s(>3)	swim.ashore

The fact was, he had swum ashore downriver.

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[41]	kári	xás	pa-'ifápiit-sha	kun-piip	chôora	êev	íshaha	nu-ktávan
	then	then	the-young.unmarried.woman-PL	3pl(>3s)-say	let's.go	greeting.to.women	water	1pl(>3)-go.get.(in.hand)

And the young women said (to each other), "Let's go, dear, let's go get water."

[42]	kári	xás	u-piip	yítha	pa-'ifápiit	ii!	íf	êev	sishanayâamach	t-óo	síinvar
	then	then	3s(>3)-say	one	the-young.unmarried.woman	oh!	truly	greeting.to.women	pretty.one.having.a.penis	PERF-3s(>3)	drown

And one young woman said, "Alas, dear, sishanayâamach has really drowned!

(Bright: "sishanayâamach is literally 'pretty one with a penis,' from síshara 'having a penis' (sísh "penis," -ara "characterized by") and yâamach "pretty.")

[43]	íim	êev	hûum	kích	i-xú-tih
	2sg.	greeting.to.women	is.that.so?	only	2s(>3)-think-DUR

What do you think, dear?

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[44]	xás	u-piip	ii!	naa	êev	káru	vúra	vaa	ni-xú-tih
	then	3s(>3)-say	oh!	1sg.	greeting.to.women	also	Intensive	that	1s(>3)-think-DUR

And she said, "Alas, dear, I think so too."

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[45]	kári	xás	pa-'íshaha	kun-íktav
	then	then	the-water	3pl(>3s)-hold.in.hand

So they got the water.

[46]	xás	kun-pínaa	vaa	kích	vúra	pa-kun-ipí-tih	sishanayâamach	t-óo	síinvar
	then	3pl(>3s)-come.(pl.)	that	only	Intensive	NOMZ-3pl(>3s)-say-DUR	pretty.one.having.a.penis	PERF-3s(>3)	drown

And they came back uphill; that was all they were saying, "sishanayâamach has drowned."

[47]	kári	xás	axmáy	vúra	pa-'asiktávaan	u-piip	yáxa	ee!	yáxa	ithyáruk
	then	then	suddenly	Intensive	the-woman	3s(>3)-say	look!	oh!	look!	across

Then suddenly one woman said, "Look, oh look across-river!"

[48]	axmáy	ithyáruk	ú-skaakroov	u-pihnêefhi-tih
	suddenly	across	3s(>3)-jump.away.upriver	3s(>3)-howl.like.coyote-DUR

Suddenly he jumped upriverward across-river, he gave a coyote-howl.

[49]	hínu páy	uum	ithyáruk	t-óo	kvíriproov	káruma	uum	kun-xú-tih	t-óo	síinvar
	surprise	3.SG	across	PERF-3s(>3)	run.upriver.from.here	in.fact	3.SG	3pl(>3s)-think-DUR	PERF-3s(>3)	drown

There he ran upriverward across-river; the fact was, they thought he had drowned.

[50]	púyava	pihnêefich	u-kúph-aanik	kupánakanakana
	you.see	coyote	3s(>3)-do-ANC	the.end

Coyote did it. kupánakanakana.

[51]	pa-yeeripáxvuh	ú-hmaachichva
	the-adolescent.girl	3s(>3)-bother

He fooled around with the girl.