Ararahih'urípih

Daisy Jones: "The Perils of Weasel" (1957)

Primary participants: Daisy Jones (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-20
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 210-213, Text 20
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)

Note: Bright: "This version of the Weasel story could not be obtained entirely in Karok, since the informant kept switching into English in spite of herself. The lacunae in the Karok text are indicated by dots (. . .); a condensation of the English material which the informant supplied at these points is given, set off by parentheses, in the translation."

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[1] âanaxus uthítiimti " táay tá kiníykar áraaras."

Weasel heard that they were killing a lot of people.

[2] xás upiip " kîit chími naa tá nivâaram.

And he said, "Grandmother, I'm going.

[3] xâatik naa káruk nivâaram."

Let me go upriver!"

[4] xás kîit upiip, " xáyfaat.

And (his) grandmother said, "Don't.

[5] xáy iykárap."

Don't let them kill you."

[6] xás upiip, " xâatik vúra nivâaram."

And he said, "Let me go!"

[7] xás úkyav páyuux, úkyav, úkyav.

And he fixed sand, he fixed it and fixed it.

[8] xás vaa káan pamupíkvas uhyákurih.

And he stuck his headdress-feather in there.

[9] xás upêer pamukîit " peemáhaak ' nanipíkvas tóo kyívunih,' tá ni'iv."

And he told his grandmother, "When you see my headdress-feather fall down, I'm dead."

[10] vúra uum hitíhaan kumasúpaa póomuusti pápikvas.

She looked at the headdress-feather every day (while he was gone).

[11] axmáy ík vúra yav.

At one moment it would be good.

[12] xás vúra ii! xáas vúra ukyívuni pamupíkvas, tóo xus, " ii! tu'iv."

Then alas! his headdress-feather would almost fall, she would think, "Alas, he's dead!"

[13] (. . .) papihnîich upiip, " yôotva, nini'íkam.

(He went upriver and met an old man living with his family.) The old man said, "Hurray, my son-in-law.

[14] táay pa'áama.

There are lots of salmon.

[15] vúra yítha kéech.

There's one real big one.

[16] vaa kíri ni'av, pakéech."

Let me eat that one, the big one!"

[17] xás upiip, " chémi, imáan ník niykáreesh."

And (Weasel) said, "All right, I'll kill it tomorrow."

[18] pa'asiktavan'îin kunipêer " xáyfaat, xáyfaat ivâaram."

The women told him, "Don't, don't go."

[19] uumkun kun'áapunmuti " púxay áamahara."

They knew it was not a salmon.

(Bright: "The 'salmon' was really a long-snake, as in" WB_KL-18.)

[20] xás vúra uvâaram.

Then he went.

[21] xás úykar pa'áama.

And he killed the salmon.

[22] xás upiip, " chémi, tá níykar pa'áama."

And he said, "All right, I've killed the salmon."

[23] xás úxrar papihnîich, hínupa mú'aramah.

And the old man cried, it was his child.

[24] xás u'árihroov.

Then (Weasel) went upriver.

[25] xás kúkuum káan uum kun'áraarahiti áraar.

And again people were living there.

[26] " oo! yôotva, nini'íkam, yôotva.

(The old man said), "Oh, hurray, my son-in-law, hurray!

[27] vaa máruk páykuuk kinínaasich úkrii.

(My) pet is uphill there.

[28] víri vaa nixútih, ' kíri ni'axaychákish.'"

I am thinking, 'Let me catch him!'"

[29] xás upiip, " chôora."

And (Weasel) said, "Let's go."

[30] xás mâa páykuuk pakinínaasich iinâak utnúpukva.

And behold, there the pet peeked out from inside (a nest).

[31] xás axmáy ukréemyah, ukréemyah.

And suddenly the wind blew and blew.

[32] xás pookréemya pa'áptiik koovúra uvrárasur.

And when it blew, the branches all fell off.

[33] uum vúra vaa âanaxus úkriivkuti pa'ípaha.

Weasel held on to the tree.

(Weasel was climbing a tree to get the old man's pet bird, as he did to get the wind-eggs in" WB_KL-18 "and the long-snakes in" WB_KL-19.)

[34] tóo ykar páachviiv.

He killed the bird.

[35] papihnîich mú'arama tá kuníykar.

He killed the old man's child.

[36] sáruk u'íipma.

He arrived back downhill.

[37] xás upiip, " chémi, tá nivâaram."

And he said, "All right, I'm going."

[38] káruk u'árihroov.

He went upriver.

[39] xás vaa káan pihnîich úkrii, áxak pa'avansáxiitichas kunkunaaskúnas-hitih.

And an old man was there, (and) two little boys were playing on a teeter-totter.

[40] úpêer papihníich, " chími nukunaaskúnas-hitih."

The old man said to them, "Let's (you and I) play on the teeter-totter."

[41] xás âanaxus upiip, " pûuhara."

And Weasel said, "No."

[42] xás pihnîich kunipêer " ôok naa."

And the old man said, "Come here!"

[43] xás âanaxus upiip, " chími nuu ka'íru."

And Weasel said, "Let me and you (do it) too."

[44] " chémi."

"All right."

[45] xás papihnîich úskaaksur.

Then the old man jumped off (the teeter-totter).

[46] xás upiip, " yôotva u'iv, yôotva u'iv, yôotva u'iv."

And he said, "Hurray, he's dead, hurray, he's dead, hurray, he's dead!"

(Bright: "The Indian teeter-totter seems to have been a flexible board, anchored at one end. One person would bounce up and down on the free end, while another would sit in front of him and ride. If the former person jumped off the board at the end of its downward motion, the rider would be propelled upward with some force.")

[47] xás âanaxus upiip, " hûut ipítih."

And Weasel said, "What are you saying?"

[48] " nipíti ' kêemachkoo nini'íkam.'"

"I'm saying, 'My poor son-in-law!'"

[49] xás âanaxus upiip, " chími ôok naa, chími nukunaaskúnas-hitih."

Then Weasel said, "Come here, let's play on the teeter-totter."

[50] pihnîich upiip, " pûuhara."

The old man said, "No."

[51] (. . .) xás âanaxus úskaaksur, pihnîich á' ukyívuraa.

(But Weasel forced the old man to get on.) Then Weasel jumped off, (and) the old man flew up into the air.

[52] xás pihnîich upiip, " yôotva, íf yáv tá néekyav.

And the old man said, "Hurray, I'm really doing well.

[53] naa vúra ôok nikrêevish."

I'm going to stay here."

(Bright: "The old man became the sun.")

[54] xás âanaxus tóo naa, pa'áraar kuniykáranaati âanaxus.

Then Weasel went upriver, the people were killing (i.e., trying to kill) Weasel.

[55] (. . .) áxruu áhup mûuk kuníktiinvuti.

(Weasel met two boys who were trying to hunt gray squirrels, but had no bows.) They were throwing sticks at the gray squirrels.

[56] xás âanaxus uxus, " kêemachkoos."

And Weasel thought, "Poor fellows!"

[57] xás uxus, " chími kanikyav, xuskáamhar."

And he thought, "Let me make a bow."

[58] xás úkyav.

So he made it.

[59] xás upiip, " chími kúniihki pa'áxruuh."

And he said, "Shoot the gray squirrels."

[60] xás ukúniihka, ukyívunih.

Then they shot (a squirrel), (and) it fell down.

[61] oo! xás " yôotva, yôotva.

Oh, then (they said), "Hurray, hurray!

[62] pavúra ixusáhaak, ' kúnish chí kaneeykáreesh vúra,' ikpêehveesh ík.

Whenever you think they are sort of about to kill you, you must shout.

[63] ník vaa káan nu'úumeesh.

We will go there (to help you)."

[64] (. . .) xás uxus, " chími ni'íveesh."

(Weasel was again sent by an old man to fight a monster. The monster was getting the better of Weasel.) And he thought, "I'm going to die."

[65] víri pakéevniikich úmuusti pamupíkvas.

The old woman (his grandmother) was looking at his headdress-feather.

[66] kári xás ukpêehva.

Then he shouted.

[67] axmáy kun'áhoo pa'avansáxiich.

Suddenly the boys came.

[68] xás kunipêer " vaa káan kúniihki mufithíhkaam mupîimich, vaa káan pamúthvaay utháaniv."

And they told him, "Shoot him there by his big toe, his heart lies there."

[69] xás vaa káan ukúniihka, xás ukyívishriheen.

So he shot him there, and (the monster) fall down.

[70] xás papihnîich úxrar, mú'arama tá kuníykar.

And the old man cried, his child had been killed.

[1]	âanaxus uthítiimti " táay tá kiníykar áraaras."
	Weasel heard that they were killing a lot of people.

[2]	xás upiip " kîit chími naa tá nivâaram.
	And he said, "Grandmother, I'm going.

[4]	xás kîit upiip, " xáyfaat.
	And (his) grandmother said, "Don't.

[6]	xás upiip, " xâatik vúra nivâaram."
	And he said, "Let me go!"

[7]	xás úkyav páyuux, úkyav, úkyav.
	And he fixed sand, he fixed it and fixed it.

[8]	xás vaa káan pamupíkvas uhyákurih.
	And he stuck his headdress-feather in there.

[9]	xás upêer pamukîit " peemáhaak ' nanipíkvas tóo kyívunih,' tá ni'iv."
	And he told his grandmother, "When you see my headdress-feather fall down, I'm dead."

[10]	vúra uum hitíhaan kumasúpaa póomuusti pápikvas.
	She looked at the headdress-feather every day (while he was gone).

[11]	axmáy ík vúra yav.
	At one moment it would be good.

[12]	xás vúra ii! xáas vúra ukyívuni pamupíkvas, tóo xus, " ii! tu'iv."
	Then alas! his headdress-feather would almost fall, she would think, "Alas, he's dead!"

[13]	(. . .) papihnîich upiip, " yôotva, nini'íkam.
	(He went upriver and met an old man living with his family.) The old man said, "Hurray, my son-in-law.

[16]	vaa kíri ni'av, pakéech."
	Let me eat that one, the big one!"

[17]	xás upiip, " chémi, imáan ník niykáreesh."
	And (Weasel) said, "All right, I'll kill it tomorrow."

[18]	pa'asiktavan'îin kunipêer " xáyfaat, xáyfaat ivâaram."
	The women told him, "Don't, don't go."

[19]	uumkun kun'áapunmuti " púxay áamahara."
	They knew it was not a salmon.

[22]	xás upiip, " chémi, tá níykar pa'áama."
	And he said, "All right, I've killed the salmon."

[23]	xás úxrar papihnîich, hínupa mú'aramah.
	And the old man cried, it was his child.

[25]	xás kúkuum káan uum kun'áraarahiti áraar.
	And again people were living there.

[26]	" oo! yôotva, nini'íkam, yôotva.
	(The old man said), "Oh, hurray, my son-in-law, hurray!

[27]	vaa máruk páykuuk kinínaasich úkrii.
	(My) pet is uphill there.

[28]	víri vaa nixútih, ' kíri ni'axaychákish.'"
	I am thinking, 'Let me catch him!'"

[29]	xás upiip, " chôora."
	And (Weasel) said, "Let's go."

[30]	xás mâa páykuuk pakinínaasich iinâak utnúpukva.
	And behold, there the pet peeked out from inside (a nest).

[31]	xás axmáy ukréemyah, ukréemyah.
	And suddenly the wind blew and blew.

[32]	xás pookréemya pa'áptiik koovúra uvrárasur.
	And when it blew, the branches all fell off.

[33]	uum vúra vaa âanaxus úkriivkuti pa'ípaha.
	Weasel held on to the tree.

[35]	papihnîich mú'arama tá kuníykar.
	He killed the old man's child.

[37]	xás upiip, " chémi, tá nivâaram."
	And he said, "All right, I'm going."

[39]	xás vaa káan pihnîich úkrii, áxak pa'avansáxiitichas kunkunaaskúnas-hitih.
	And an old man was there, (and) two little boys were playing on a teeter-totter.

[40]	úpêer papihníich, " chími nukunaaskúnas-hitih."
	The old man said to them, "Let's (you and I) play on the teeter-totter."