Mamie Offield: "Blue Jay As Doctor" (1957)
Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-28
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 222-225, Text
28
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] | kachakâach | u-'eemhîichva |
bluejay | 3s(>3)-pretend.to.be.a.doctor |
Blue Jay pretended to be a 'doctor.' |
[2] | t-u-'ápur | pa-achviv-tunvêech-as |
PERF-3s(>3)-bewitch | the-bird-small.(pl.)-PL |
She bewitched the little birds. |
[3] | xás | t-u-patúmkoo |
then | PERF-3s(>3)-suck.disease |
Then she sucked them (as treatment for their illnesses). |
[4] | t-u-másnaahva |
PERF-3s(>3)-dance.for.curing |
She did a doctor's dance. |
[5] | vúra | kuma-kâarim | pa-yíkihar |
Intensive | 3sPOSS-bad | the-sick |
The sick person just got worse. |
[6] | kúkuum | tá | kun-p-íshavsip | xúrish | athithxuntápan | úus | koovúra | kuma-'ávaha |
again | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-ITER-pay.as.fee | shelled.acorn | hazelnut | pine.nut | all | 3sPOSS-food |
They would pay her fee repeatedly with shelled acorns, hazel nuts, pine nuts, all kinds of food. |
[7] | hínupa | vúra | uum | u-'apunkôo-naa-tih | kachakâach | uum | u-'apunkôo-naa-tih |
surprise | Intensive | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-cast.spell.on-PL-DUR | bluejay | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-cast.spell.on-PL-DUR |
There she was bewitching them, Blue Jay herself was bewitching them. |
[8] | púyava | pa-t-óo | xus | miník | kóo ník | pa-tá | kana-'íshavsip | púyava | kári | xás | t-u-'aráriihkanha |
you.see | NOMZ-PERF-3s(>3) | think | of.course | enough | NOMZ-PERF | 2pl>1s-pay.as.fee | you.see | then | then | PERF-3s(>3)-get.well |
Then when she thought they had paid her enough in fees, then (the patient) would get well. |
[9] | koovúra | tá | kun-másmaahvu-naa | pa-achviv-tunvêech-as |
all | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-dance.for.curing-PL | the-bird-small.(pl.)-PL |
All the little birds were doing doctor's dances. |
[10] | pa-kun-xú-tih | kíri | nu-'áapunma | hûut | kumá’ii | pa-kun-yíkihi-ti | púyava | kári | xás | kun-píkav | xánkiit |
NOMZ-3pl(>3s)-think-DUR | I.wish | 1pl(>3)-know | how | because.of | NOMZ-3pl(>3s)-get.sick-DUR | you.see | then | then | 3pl(>3s)-get.(person) | bullhead |
When they thought, "Let's find out why they are sick," then they summoned Bullhead. |
[11] | xás | u-piip | áchpuus | kana-p-íshavsiiprin-i |
then | 3s(>3)-say | part.of.salmon | 2pl>1s-ITER-pay.as.fee-IMPER |
And she said, "Pay my fee with 'áchpuus." |
(áchpuus is translated by Harrington, 1932b, pp.29-31, as 'gut strings.' My informants, however, identify it as 'white stuff under the throat of a salmon.'") |
[12] | xás | vúra | pu-'aapúnma-ra | xánkiit |
then | Intensive | NEG-know-NEG | bullhead |
But Bullhead didn't find out. |
[13] | kári | xás | mahnûuvanach | kúna | kun-píkav |
then | then | chipmunk | in.addition | 3pl(>3s)-get.(person) |
Then in turn they summoned Chipmunk. |
[14] | kári | xás | u-másmaahva | mahnûuvanach |
then | then | 3s(>3)-dance.for.curing | chipmunk |
And Chipmunk did a doctor's dance. |
[15] | kári | xás | kachakâach | káan | u-krîish |
then | then | bluejay | there | 3s(>3)-sit.down |
And Blue Jay sat down there. |
[16] | paráamvar | u-'êeth-tih |
maul | 3s(>3)-carry-DUR |
She was holding a maul (for driving wedges). |
[17] | chími | ú-kxaavkurih-eesh |
soon | 3s(>3)-crush-FUT |
She was going to smash (Chipmunk) with it. |
[18] | xás | mahnûuvanach | u-piip | akáray | yakún | mu-véeniichva |
then | chipmunk | 3s(>3)-say | who | you.see | 3sPOSS-mischief |
Then Chipmunk said, "You see, it's someone's mischief. |
[19] | mán | kachakâach | mu-véeniichva |
why... | bluejay | 3sPOSS-mischief |
Why, it's Blue Jay's mischief." |
[20] | hínupa | uum | kachakáach | u-'apunkôo-naa-tih |
surprise | 3.SG | bluejay | 3s(>3)-cast.spell.on-PL-DUR |
There Blue Jay herself was bewitching them. |
[21] | mahnûuvanach | xás | uum | u-'aapúnma |
chipmunk | then | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-know |
Chipmunk found it out. |
[22] | kachakâach | mu-'ápuroon | ku-máh-eesh | hôoyva | ípaha-k | u-tákararihva | sú' | vákay | ú-krii |
bluejay | 3sPOSS-magic.charm | 2pl(>3)-see-FUT | somewhere | tree-LOC | 3s(>3)-be.hanging | inside | worm | 3s(>3)-live |
You can see Blue Jay's 'devil machine' somewhere, it is hanging on a tree, there's a worm inside. |
(Bright: "An ápuroon or 'devil machine' is the object used by a sorcerer ('Indian devil') to impose his spells. The kachakach'ápuroon 'bluejay's devil machine' is a type of cocoon.) |