Nettie Ruben: "Medicine to Get a Husband" (1957)
Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-50
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 250-253, Text 50
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] | panamníh-maam | koovúra | tá | kun-imfipíshriihva | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-shas |
Orleans-behind | all | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-come.together | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL |
All the spirit girls gathered back of Orleans. |
[2] | kun-thítiim-ti | vaa | káan | kun-'ûupvu-naa-tih | tayiith |
3pl(>3s)-hear-DUR | so | there | 3pl(>3s)-dig.roots-PL-DUR | Brodiaea |
They heard that (people) were digging brodiaea roots there. |
[3] | víri | kôokinay | kahyúras | tá | kun-'aramsípriin | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-shas |
so | everywhere | Klamath.Lakes | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-start.out | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL |
They came from Klamath Lakes and everywhere, the spirit girls. |
[4] | tá | kun-imfipíshriihva | panamníh-maam |
PERF | 3pl(>3s)-come.together | Orleans-behind |
They gathered back of Orleans. |
[5] | kári | xás | yítha | uum | káan | u-'íf-anik |
then | then | one | 3.SG | there | 3s(>3)-grow-ANC |
And one (girl) had grown up there (at Orleans). |
[6] | uum | vúra | kâanimich |
3.SG | Intensive | poor |
She was poor. |
[7] | vaa | vúra | u-kupa-'iifshípree-nik | pa-kâanimich | u-'iifshípree-nik |
so | Intensive | 3s(>3)-MODAL-grow.up-ANC | NOMZ-poor | 3s(>3)-grow.up-ANC |
She had grown up that way, since she had grown up poor. |
[8] | kári | xás | u-xus | ii | tîi | naa | káru | kan-'ûupvan |
then | then | 3s(>3)-think | oh! | let... | 1sg. | also | 1s(>3)-go.to.dig.roots |
And she thought, "Oh, let me go dig roots too!" |
[9] | kári | xás | ta'ítam | u-'uum-áheen | panamníh-maam |
then | then | so | 3s(>3)-arrive-ANT | Orleans-behind |
And so she arrived back of Orleans. |
[10] | víri | p-oo-túraayva | púra fátaak | vúra | yâahi-tih-ara | pa-kun-'ûupvu-naa-tih | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-sha |
so | NOMZ-3s(>3)-look.around | nowhere | Intensive | be.good-DUR-NEG | NOMZ-3pl(>3s)-dig.roots-PL-DUR | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL |
When she looked around, she couldn't fit in anyplace where the spirit girls were digging roots. |
[11] | víri | p-oo-ksah-ár-ahi-tih | kun-tákaam-tih | pa-'asiktávaan | pa-kâanimich | p-oo-'ûupvu-tih |
so | NOMZ-3s(>3)-laugh-go.to-ESS-DUR | 3pl(>3s)-ridicule-DUR | the-woman | the-poor | NOMZ-3s(>3)-dig.roots-DUR |
So they laughed, they ridiculed her, the woman, the poor one, as she dug roots. |
[12] | pa-mu-yáfus | á' | t-óo | stakúraan |
the-3sPOSS-dress | above | PERF-3s(>3) | become.ripped.up |
Her dress was ripped up. |
[13] | víri-va | yiimúsich | vúra | p-oo-'ûupvu-tih |
so-so | little.ways.off | Intensive | NOMZ-3s(>3)-dig.roots-DUR |
She dug roots a little ways away. |
[14] | víri | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-sha | tá | kun-piip | íf | u-xú-tih | ni-tâatruprav-eesh |
so | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-say | truly | 3s(>3)-think-DUR | 1s(>3)-scoop.out-FUT |
The spirit girls said, "She really thinks she's going to dig up something!" |
[15] | víri | chavúra | tapipshítaani | kári | xás | kun-piip | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-shas | yáxa | hûut | u-pí-tih |
so | finally | after.a.while | then | then | 3pl(>3s)-say | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL | look! | how | 3s(>3)-say-DUR |
Finally after a while the spirit girls said, "Look, what is she saying?" |
[16] | yánava | u-pakurîihvu-tih | pa-kâanimich |
visible | 3s(>3)-sing.songs-DUR | the-poor |
They saw the poor one was singing. |
[17] | yánava | u-pí-tih | yôotva | nini-'ávan | tá | ni-tâatruprav |
visible | 3s(>3)-say-DUR | hurray! | 1sPOSS-husband | PERF | 1s(>3)-scoop.out |
They saw her say, "Hurray, I've dug up my husband!" |
[18] | kári | xás | pa-mú-vaas | xás | vaa | u-yxôorariv |
then | then | the-3sPOSS-blanket | then | so | 3s(>3)-cover.with |
And she covered him with her blanket. |
[19] | kári | xás | vaa | kun-kúupha | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-sha |
then | then | so | 3pl(>3s)-do | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL |
Then the spirit girls did this. |
[20] | p-oo-túraayva | yánava | koovúra | tá | púfaat | p-eekxariya-'ifápiit-sha |
NOMZ-3s(>3)-look.around | visible | all | PERF | nothing | the-spirit.person-young.unmarried.woman-PL |
When (the poor one) looked around, she saw they were all gone, the spirit girls. |
[21] | tá | kun-ipkeevíshriih-va |
PERF | 3pl(>3s)-be.transformed-PL.ACT |
They were transformed. |
[22] | kári | xás | u-xus | pa-yaas'ára | u-'iiníshrih-aak | víri | uum | káru | vúra | vaa | u-kuph-eesh | xáat | kâanimich |
then | then | 3s(>3)-think | NOMZ-rich.person | 3s(>3)-come.into.existence-when | so | 3.SG | also | Intensive | so | 3s(>3)-do-FUT | may | poor |
And she thought, "When Mankind comes into existence, (a woman) will do this way also, (though) she may be poor. |
[23] | víri-va | vúra | ávan | u-thiiná-tih-eesh |
so-so | Intensive | husband | 3s(>3)-have-DUR-FUT |
She will have a husband. |
[24] | pa-nini-pákuri | u-'aapúnm-ahaak | víri-va | vúra | ávan | u-thiiná-tih-eesh | xáat | asiktavan-kéem |
NOMZ-1sPOSS-song | 3s(>3)-know-when | so-so | Intensive | husband | 3s(>3)-have-DUR-FUT | may | woman-bad |
If she knows my song, she will have a husband, (though) she may be a homely woman." |
[25] | víri | kári | xás | yíthuk | u-'uum |
so | then | then | elsewhere | 3s(>3)-arrive |
Then she went elsewhere (i.e., was transformed). |