Mamie Offield: "Victory Over Fire" (1957)
Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-45
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 246-247, Text 45
Additional contributor: Nico Baier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] | aah | uum | ú-paanik | púra fâat | vúra | îin | na-'íship-tih-eesh-ara |
fire | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-say.(ancient) | nothing | Intensive | TOPIC | 2s/3s>1s-extinguish.fire-DUR-FUT-NEG |
Fire once said, "Nothing can put me out." |
[2] | kári | xás | pirishkâarim | u-piip | naa | îin | nu-'íship-tih-eesh |
then | then | grizzly | 3s(>3)-say | 1sg. | TOPIC | 1pl(>3)-extinguish.fire-DUR-FUT |
Then Grizzly Bear said, "I can put you out." |
[3] | kári | xás | máruk | ikuraa-'ípan | u-'ikrîish |
then | then | uphill | ridge.heading.upward-end | 3s(>3)-sit.down |
And she sat down uphill on the end of a ridge. |
[4] | kári | xás | pá-'aah | ta'ítam | u-'iin-aa-heen |
then | then | the-fire | so | 3s(>3)-burn-here-ANT |
Then Fire burned uphill (toward her). |
[5] | kári | xás | u-kvíp | pirishkâarim |
then | then | 3s(>3)-run | grizzly |
And Grizzly Bear ran. |
[6] | kári | xás | koovúra | kuma-keemishatunvêech-as | kun-ikyâavarihva |
then | then | all | 3sPOSS-little.wild.animals-PL | 3pl(>3s)-try |
And all the little wild animals tried. |
[7] | koovúra | kun-íruram-va |
all | 3pl(>3s)-run.away.(pl.)-PL.ACT |
They all fled. |
[8] | kári | xás | p-aachvíiv | kúna | kun-ikyâavarihva |
then | then | the-bird | in.addition | 3pl(>3s)-try |
And the birds tried in turn. |
[9] | takús | u-piip | naa | píshiich | ni-ikrîishrih-eesh |
pelican | 3s(>3)-say | 1sg. | first | 1s(>3)-sit.down-FUT |
Pelican said, "I'll sit down first." |
[10] | kári | xás | u-krîish |
then | then | 3s(>3)-sit.down |
And he sat down. |
[11] | xás | vúra | uum | itníiv | u-músaha |
then | Intensive | 3.SG | mean | 3s(>3)-look |
And he looked mean. |
[12] | sárukvari | pa-mu-vúup | u-tákararihva |
low | the-3sPOSS-neck | 3s(>3)-be.hanging |
His neck hung down low. |
[13] | kári | xás | pá-'aah | kaanvárih | u-'uum |
then | then | the-fire | in.that.direction | 3s(>3)-arrive |
Then Fire arrived close to there. |
[14] | kári | xás | u-kvíp | tákus |
then | then | 3s(>3)-run | pelican |
And Pelican ran. |
[15] | chavúra | púra kára | îin | ishkáxishrihmath-ap | pá-'aah |
finally | nobody | TOPIC | stop.from.doing-NEG | the-fire |
Finally nothing stopped Fire. |
[16] | púya | xás | káan | u-'uum | pathriha-pihníich |
and.so | then | there | 3s(>3)-arrive | rain-old.man |
So Old Man Rain arrived there. |
[17] | kári | xás | u-piip | naa | îin | ni-shkáxishrihmath-eesh |
then | then | 3s(>3)-say | 1sg. | TOPIC | 1s(>3)-stop.from.doing-FUT |
And he said, "I'll stop him." |
[18] | kári | xás | u-piip | aah | naa | vúra | púra fâat | îin | nee-shkáxishrihmath-eesh |
then | then | 3s(>3)-say | fire | 1sg. | Intensive | nothing | TOPIC | 2s/3s>1s-stop.from.doing-FUT |
And Fire said, "Nothing can stop me." |
[19] | kári | xás | u-páthrih | xás | vúra | u-páthrih |
then | then | 3s(>3)-rain | then | Intensive | 3s(>3)-rain |
But then it rained and it rained. |
[20] | ta'ítam | u-msípa-heen | pá-'aah |
so | 3s(>3)-cool.off-ANT | the-fire |
And Fire went out. |
[21] | víri | vaa | kumá'ii | payêem | íshaha | xás | vúra | kumá'ii | ú-msiip-ti | aah |
so | that | because.of | now | water | then | Intensive | because.of | 3s(>3)-cool.off-DUR | fire |
For that reason it's water now, that's why it puts out fire. |
[22] | káru | vaa | kumá'ii | koovúra | kuma-keemishatunvêechas | kun-'áay-ti | aah |
also | that | because.of | all | 3sPOSS-little.wild.animals | 3pl(>3s)-fear-DUR | fire |
And that's why all the little wild animals are afraid of fire. |
[23] | yakún | puxáy | vúra | mít | ishkáxishrihmath-at |
you.see | not.yet | Intensive | near.past | stop.from.doing-PAST |
You see, they couldn't stop it. |