Lottie Beck: "Old Man Turtle Dances" (1957)
Primary participants: Lottie Beck (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-22
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 214-215, Text
22
Additional contributor: Morgan Jacobs (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] |
kahyúras tá kunyíchaachha.
|
They gathered at Klamath Lakes. |
[2] |
ayu'âach páy pasaamnúpahitihan chí kun'íihrupaavish.
|
It was because they were going to dance downriver that way the stream
flows. |
[3] |
xás payáan'iiftihansa tá kunívyiihma káru pa'asiktávaansas.
|
And the young men and the women arrived. |
[4] |
víri tá kári pachí kun'íihrupaavish,
xás asaxvuhpihnîich tóo thvoonha.
|
It was time for them to dance down, and then Old Man Turtle wanted to. |
[5] |
víri kunipêer''
hôoy íf yaxéek i'úumeesh.
|
They told him, "You can't get there. |
[6] |
ayu'âach pa'asiktávaan uum yáan'iiftihansa.''
|
It's because the women are young." |
[7] |
asaxvuhpihnîich vúra tóo thvoonha.
|
Old Man Turtle just wanted to. |
[8] |
''
naa vúra kóo yáv pa'akâayva kumayáan'iiftihan.''
|
"I'm just as good as any young man." |
[9] |
pâanpay vúra tá kunchímiha.
|
Finally, they agreed. |
[10] |
ta'ítam tá kunkáriha.
|
So they were ready. |
[11] |
asuxvuypihnîich áachip tóo hyárihish.
|
Old Man Turtle stood in the middle. |
[12] |
u'aakrúprihtih pa'asiktávaan.
|
He locked arms with the women. |
[13] |
xás tá kun'íihvarak.
|
Then they danced down from upriver. |
[14] |
pâanpayvari asaxvuhpihnîich tóo kfuuyshur.
|
Finally Old Man Turtle got tired. |
[15] |
víri u'arihishrîihvuti''
matêe kéeyish âapun''.
|
He was singing "matêe kéeyish âapun". |
|
(Bright: "matêe 'wait a moment!'; kéeyish, no meaning; âapun '(down) on the ground.'") |
[16] |
vúra vaa kun'íihtih.
|
They kept dancing that way. |
[17] |
pâanpay vúra tóo xráratih.
|
Finally he was weeping. |
[18] |
''
matêe kéeyish âapun.
|
"matêe kéeyish âapun |
[19] |
tá néekfuuyshur.''
|
I'm tired." |
[20] |
vúra vaa kun'íihtih.
|
They kept dancing that way. |
[21] |
pâanpay vúra tá kunithyúrutih.
|
Finally they were dragging him. |
[22] |
káan ník uxrarâavutih.
|
He gave a cry now and then. |
[23] |
vúra vaa áachip tá kun'íihvarak.
|
They danced down from upriver that way to the middle (of their course). |
[24] |
pamútraax vúra kích tá kun'áaphutih.
|
They were just carrying his arms. |
[25] |
vaa vúra káan asaxvuhpihnîich upkêevish asánaamkarak.
|
Old Man Turtle was transformed there at asánaamkarak. |
[26] |
uum pa'asiktávaan vúra vaa kun'íihruputih.
|
The women kept dancing downriver that way. |
[27] |
kun'áaphuti asaxvuhpihnîich mútraax.
|
They were carrying Old Man Turtle's arms. |
[28] |
xás payúrasak kun'íkakurih,
kári vaa vúra kun'áaphuti pamútraax.
|
And when they jumped into the ocean, they were still carrying his arms. |