Nettie Ruben: "The Adulterers Discovered" (1957)
Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-39
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 240-241
Additional contributors: Erin Donnelly (annotator), Erik Maier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] | apsunmúnukich | u-kitaxríharahi-tih |
racer.snake | 3s(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR |
Western Yellow-Bellied Racer (a snake) was being unfaithful to his wife. |
[2] | ith'aran-ihrôoha | xákaan | kun-'ásim-tih |
stranger-wife | with.(one.person) | 3pl(>3s)-go.to.bed-DUR |
He was sleeping with another's wife. |
[3] | xás | t-óo | piip | apsunmúnukich | vúra | púra kára | aapúnm-eesh-ara |
then | PERF-3s(>3) | say | racer.snake | Intensive | nobody | know-FUT-NEG |
And Racer said, "Nobody will find out." |
[4] | xás | kúkuum | vúra | imáan | t-u-músar |
then | again | Intensive | tomorrow | PERF-3s(>3)-go.see |
So again the next day he went to see her. |
[5] | pa-'asiktávaan | káru | uum | t-u-vôonupuk |
the-woman | also | 3.SG | PERF-3s(>3)-leave.house |
The woman went out too. |
[6] | yiimúsich | t-óo | pmah | apsunmúnukich |
little.ways.off | PERF-3s(>3) | see.again | racer.snake |
She saw Racer a little ways off. |
[7] | káan | t-u-'uum |
there | PERF-3s(>3)-arrive |
She arrived there. |
[8] | púya-va | pa-t-óo | kxáramha | pa-'asiktávaan | t-u-'ípak |
and.so-so | NOMZ-PERF-3s(>3) | be.night | the-woman | PERF-3s(>3)-come.back |
And when it got dark, the woman returned home. |
[9] | vúra | púra | húun | kupí-tih-ara |
Intensive | NEG | harmful | do-DUR-NEG |
(It was as if) she was doing no harm. |
[10] | vúra | yáv | pa-'asiktávaan |
Intensive | good | the-woman |
She was a good woman. |
[11] | káruma | uum | u-kitaxríharahi-tih |
in.fact | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR |
(But) the fact was, she was being unfaithful. |
[12] | xás | pa-'ávansa | vúra | uum | pu-'aapúnmu-tih-ara |
then | the-man | Intensive | 3.SG | NEG-know-DUR-NEG |
And the man (her husband) didn't know. |
[13] | xás | kári | kúkuum | vúra | imáan | tá | kun-pithvuyrám-eesh |
then | then | again | Intensive | tomorrow | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-meet-FUT |
And again the next day they were going to meet. |
[14] | púya-va | imáan | t-u-vôonupuk | pa-'asiktávaan |
and.so-so | tomorrow | PERF-3s(>3)-leave.house | the-woman |
So the next day the woman went out. |
[15] | yanav-éek-va | t-u-'áhoo-heen | apsunmúnukich |
one-must-so | PERF-3s(>3)-go-ANT | racer.snake |
She saw Racer coming. |
[16] | kári | xás | ii | xás | u-piip | vúra | ník | pu-kín-'aapunm-eesh-ap | pa-nu-kitaxríharahi-tih |
then | then | oh! | then | 3s(>3)-say | Intensive | a.little | NEG-3>1pl-know-FUT-NEG | NOMZ-1pl(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR |
Then (hearing someone coming) he said, "Oh, they mustn't know that we're being unfaithful!" |
[17] | kári | xás | u-piip | chími | na-'íshunv-i |
then | then | 3s(>3)-say | soon | 2s/3s>1s-hide-IMPER |
And he said, "Bury me!" |
[18] | kári | xás | pá-yuux | u-xyátap |
then | then | the-dirt | 3s(>3)-cover.with |
So she threw dirt on him. |
[19] | u-'íshunva |
3s(>3)-hide |
She buried him. |
[20] | púxay | vúra | kín-'aapunm-eesh-ap |
not.yet | Intensive | 3>1pl-know-FUT-NEG |
They were not to know. |
[21] | kári | xás | pa-'asiktávaan | t-óo | pvâaram |
then | then | the-woman | PERF-3s(>3) | go.back |
Then the woman went back home. |
[22] | kári | xás | apsunmúnukich | axmáy | u-vôonuprav |
then | then | racer.snake | suddenly | 3s(>3)-crawl.up.out |
And suddenly Racer crawled out (prematurely). |
[23] | xás | kári | ee | kári | xás | kun-piip | uum | apsunmúnukich | t-u-kitaxríharahi-tih |
then | then | oh! | then | then | 3pl(>3s)-say | 3.SG | racer.snake | PERF-3s(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR |
And (people) said, "Oh, Racer is being unfaithful!" |
[24] | tá | kun-'áapunma | p-oo-kitaxríharahi-tih |
PERF | 3pl(>3s)-know | NOMZ-3s(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR |
They found out that he was being unfaithful. |
[25] | kári | xás | apsunmúnukich | u-piip | pa-yaas'ára | u-'iiníshri-haak | víri | pa-'asiktávaan | vaa | u-kupí-ti-haak | u-kitaxríharahi-ti-haak | xáat | káru | u-xú-ti | vúra | pu-'aapúnm-eesh-ap | víri | vaa | vúra | kun-'áapunm-eesh |
then | then | racer.snake | 3s(>3)-say | NOMZ-rich.person | 3s(>3)-come.into.existence-when | so | NOMZ-woman | so | 3s(>3)-do-DUR-when | 3s(>3)-be.unfaithful-DUR-when | may | also | 3s(>3)-think-DUR | Intensive | NEG-know-FUT-NEG | so | so | Intensive | 3pl(>3s)-know-FUT |
Then Racer said, "When Mankind comes into existence, when a woman does this, when she is unfaithful, even though she thinks they won't find out, they will find out like this." |