Ararahih'urípih
A Dictionary and Text Corpus of the Karuk Language

Benonie Harrie: "How I Found Gold" (1927)

Primary participant: Benonie Harrie (speaker)
Date: 1927
Project identifier: DAF_KT-05b
Publication details: Jaime de Angulo and L.S. Freeland, International Journal of American Linguistics 6 (1931), pp. 223-224
Published text scan: http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~karuk/text-pdfs/DAF_KT-05b.pdf
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)

Note: This text retains de Angulo and Freeland's transcriptions in some cases when it differs from the current spelling. For example, double consonants are written and some words de Angulo and Freeland transcribe with unexpected vowels or consonants retain those unexpected vowels or consonants. Long vowels, ', ch, th, sh and accent (where possible) are written using the current spelling system.


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[1] ithâan mit masúruk saamváruk níshxaaytihat.
Once I went up the creek, fishing with hook and line.

[2] xas kaan nimáhat pi'êep va'irípraam.
There I saw an old mine.

[3] xas pishyávpiish vaa kaan nikvêeshrihar.
The next autumn I went back and camped there.

[4] simsimmúruk ni'ávikva.
I took a pan with me.

[5] xás kári niktamkúrihva.
And [I] started right in panning.

[6] yanava uspúkahiti kaan.
I found there was gold there.

[7] xas kari íripar nipsárar.
Then I went after a pick.

[8] kari xás ni'íripkurih matée kumayaayaach.
The farther down I dug the better luck I had.

[9] cháavura satáranak ni'íripishri.
Finally I got down to bed-rock.

[10] kâan xas kêechas péeshpuk cháavura áxxak nimma.
And right there I found two big gold nuggets.

[11] kuyrakinívkihámmahich kuníthvoohiti.
They were worth eight dollars apiece.

[12] karu kâakum kumatupichas-háyaachas xakinivki'itráhyar chávura nimma koovura.
Then there were a lot of smaller ones, so that in the end I had seventy dollars in all.


[13] viriva payváaheem vura kári kaan nipiktamkurihvankôoti.
Even now I go back and pan at that place.

[14] kári vura nixúti kúkuum vura ikhich nimáhis táay hôoyvurava vaa kâan.
I still think maybe I'll make a find again somewhere right there.