Mamie Offield: "The Devil Who Died Laughing" (1957)
Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-63
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 274-275, Text 63
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] | táay | vúra | kun-pâakuhi-naa-ti | má' | pâakuhiv |
much | Intensive | 3pl(>3s)-gather.acorns-PL-DUR | uphill | acorn.picking.time |
A lot of people were picking acorns in the mountains, in acorn season. |
[2] | kári | xás | tá | kun-pavyíihship | uum | koovúra |
then | then | PERF | 3pl(>3s)-go.away.again.(pl.) | 3.SG | all |
Then they all went home. |
[3] | yícheech | vúra | kích | kári | mu-hrôoha | xákaan |
alone | Intensive | only | then | 3sPOSS-wife | with.(one.person) |
Only one man and his wife were still (there). |
[4] | kári | xás | u-piip | tîi | kan-ítkaanv-an |
then | then | 3s(>3)-say | let... | 1s(>3)-spear.fish-go.to |
And he said, "Let me go spear fish!" |
[5] | kári | xás | chámuxich | ú-ykar |
then | then | sucker | 3s(>3)-beat |
And he caught a sucker. |
[6] | kári | xás | pa-'asiktávaan | u-piip | chími | kan-thimnûup-i |
then | then | the-woman | 3s(>3)-say | soon | 1s(>3)-roast.with.coals-IMPER |
And the woman said, "Let me roast it!" |
[7] | kári | xás | u-thímnup | pa-chámuxich |
then | then | 3s(>3)-roast.with.coals | the-sucker |
So she roasted the sucker. |
[8] | kári | xás | pá-faan | u-yhúkurishuk |
then | then | the-guts | 3s(>3)-take.guts.out |
And she took out the guts. |
[9] | kári | xás | pa-mukun-'ikrívraam | u-súruruprin-ahi-ti | yíthakan |
then | then | the-3plPOSS-house | 3s(>3)-have.holes-ESS-DUR | in.one.place |
And there was a hole through (the wall of) their house at one place. |
[10] | kári | xás | vaa | káan | u-'ákith-rupri | pá-faan |
then | then | so | there | 3s(>3)-handle.(soft.mass)-in.through | the-guts |
And she threw the guts there. |
[11] | hínupa | vaa | káan | u-tnûuprih-ti | yítha | pa-'apurúvaan |
surprise | so | there | 3s(>3)-look.through-DUR | one | the-sorcerer |
There was a certain devil peeking through there. |
[12] | hínupa | yúp-yaach | t-u-'ákithtir |
surprise | eye-Intensive | PERF-3s(>3)-hit.with.soft.mass |
There she threw it smack in his eye. |
[13] | yítha | pa-'apurúvaan | ú-ksah |
one | the-sorcerer | 3s(>3)-laugh |
And a certain devil (accompanying the first one) laughed. |
[14] | kári | xás | vúra | iksháh | u-'ahvákir |
then | then | Intensive | laugh | 3s(>3)-die.of |
And he died laughing. |
[15] | imáan | u-máh | u-tháaniv | vúra | kári | ú-ksaah-tih | káruma | t-u-'ív-aheen |
tomorrow | 3s(>3)-see | 3s(>3)-sit | Intensive | then | 3s(>3)-laugh-DUR | in.fact | PERF-3s(>3)-die-ANT |
The next day (the first devil) saw him, he was lying (there), he was still laughing; the fact was, he had died. |
[16] | púyava | yítha | xás | uum | u-pasúpiichva |
you.see | one | then | 3.SG | 3s(>3)-reveal |
So (that) one told the story. |