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

Julia Starritt: "Swearing" (1957)

Primary participants: Julia Starritt (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-0
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 142-149, Text With Analysis


Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components


[1] pa'áraar uum pupítihara pamú'arama múthvuy patu'ívahaak.
The Indian did not say his child's name when it died.

[2] káru vúra koovúra pamu'áraaras tá kun'ívahaak pupítihara mukun'íthvuy.
And when any of his relatives died, he did not say their names.

[3] " vaa uum" kunipíti " pitaxyárih."
That, they said, was "swearing."

[4] xás hâari tá kunipíthvuuymath míta pakêemish múthvuy.
Sometimes they name someone again with the name of the deceased.

[5] víriva kári uum tá kunipíti peethvuy, vúra puhúunhara.
Then they could still say the name, and no harm was done.


[6] xás hâari vúra ára puxútihara, víri vúra tóo piip peethvuy.
Sometimes a person just wasn't thinking, so he said the name.

[7] púyava tá kunixvíphuunish, xás tá kunváasanha.
Then they got angry at him and became his enemies.

[8] púyava uum fâat tu'ûukar.
Then he paid something.

[9] xás tá kunipchúphuunish.
Then they spoke to him again.

[10] hâari itrôop tu'ûukar káru hâari vúra itráhyar.
Sometimes he paid five dollars and sometimes ten.


[11] xás hâari vúra uum pa'áraar pahúuntahaak ára vúra tupitaxyárih.
Sometimes when a person was peculiar, he "swore" (on purpose).

[12] xás patá kunípeerahaak " fâat iyúrish" xás patu'ûurihaak púyava uum hâari ára vaa kúth tóo tháaniv.
When they told him to pay something and he refused, then sometimes a person was killed because of it.

[13] íkiich káru vúra mutípa káru muxúkam káru vúra akâay vúra pamu'áraar.
Maybe too it would be his brother or his uncle or any relative of his.

[14] vaa uum ararákuupha.
That was Indian law.