Chester Pepper: "Coyote's Gambling Song" (1957)

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Note: Bright: "The content of this story suggests that it is actually a medicine formula, to be recited by gamblers for good luck. It lacks, however, a closing remark to the effect that 'Mankind will do likewise,' which is a usual part of such formulas."

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[1]	vaa kunkúphaanik, ithâan.
	They did this way once.

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[2]	peekxaréeyav yíchakanach koovúra kunpamfipishniháyaacha.
	The gods all gathered together.

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[3]	kunpavyíhishrihanik.
	They had assembled.

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[4]	kári xás kunxútih, " chími núthtiitvunaa."
	And they thought, "Let's gamble."

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[5]	ta'ítam kuníthtiitvunaa.
	So they gambled.

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[6]	pâanpay vaa tá kunkúupha.
	Finally they did this way.

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[7]	ápapkam tá kinchífich.
	One side beat them (on the other side).

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[8]	vúra koovúra tá kunpaxeepáyaachha, pamukún'uup.
	They won all their property from them.

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[9]	vúra tá kinchífich.
	They beat them.

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[10]	xánahichvari axmáy u'áhoo, pihnêefich.
	In a little while, suddenly Coyote came.

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[11]	ta'ítam kuntáriheen.
	So they dealt him the "cards".

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[12]	xás upiip, " naa vúra ninipákuri nipakúriihveesh, pani'éethkaanvahaak."
	And he said, "I'm going to sing my song as I shuffle the 'cards'."

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[13]	ta'ítam u'éethkaanvaheen.
	So he shuffled the "cards".

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[14]	ta'ítam upakurîihvaheen.
	And he sang.

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[15]	"ayiyihanijanee hanijaaneeya."
	"ayiyihanijanee hanijaaneeya."

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(Bright: "Coyote's song consists of these meaningless syllables, repeated over and over. No significant pitch or stress can be determined for this sequence; the word-division which is written indicates the phrasing of the melody, rather than a juncture phoneme. The phone 'j,' which has not been found in any other Karok material, is like that in English 'judge.'")

[16]	chavúra koovúra ixráam upikyafipáyaachha, pa'ípa kóo kinpáxeepat.
	Finally he won back all the stakes, as much as they had won away.

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[17]	peekxaréeyav vúra ixráam upikyafipáyaachha.
	He won back the stakes from the gods.

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[18]	kári xás upvôonsip.
	Then he got up.

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[19]	xás ta'ítam u'ípahooheen.
	And he went on again.

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[20]	púya vaa vúra kich.
	So that's all.

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