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

Mamie Offield: "Duck Hawk and His Wife" (1957)

Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-27
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), p. 223, Text 27


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


[1] á'iknêechhan muhrôoha pirishkâarim.
Duck Hawk's wife was Grizzly Bear.

[2] xás mutípa síit.
And his brother was Mouse.

[3] kári xás uum vúra hárivaheesh, á'iknêechhan hôoyva tuvâaram, sinmôovishar.
So it would be sometimes, Duck Hawk went off somewhere, he was gone a long time.

[4] púyava xás kúkuum tu'ípak.
Then he would come back again.


[5] kári xás itháan uvâaram kúkuum.
So once he went away again.

[6] kári xás siit upakurîihvutih.
Then Mouse was singing.

[7] kári xás upíip " aaníhich uum chími u'ípakeesh.
And he said, "Big brother is going to come back.

[8] yakún sôomvaan chími u'ípasukeesh."
He's going to bring home a new wife."
(Bright: "Literally, 'he will bring a marriage-applicant,' i.e., a woman who comes to a man's house to offer herself in marriage; see Harrington, 1932a, pp.4-5.")


[9] kári xás upíip pirishkâarim, " hûut tée piip."
And Grizzly Bear said, "How did you say?"


[10] xás upíip siit " púra fâat."
And Mouse said, "Nothing."


[11] "vúra kúnish hûut tée piip."
"You sort of said something."


[12] "pûu, púra fâat vúra neepítihara."
"No, I didn't say anything."


[13] xás upíip pirishkâarim, " á' nutákarariheesh, súrukam aah nikyâavish papupasupíichvahaak."
Then Grizzly Bear said, "I'll hang you up, I'll make a fire under you if you don't tell."


[14] ta'ítam siit á' utákarariheen.
So she hung Mouse up.

[15] kári xás siit upiip, " aaníhich chími u'ípakeesh, sôomvaan u'ípasukeesh."
Then Mouse said, "Big brother is going to come back, he's going to bring home a new wife."


[16] kári xás pirishkâarim, pa'îin ta'ítam u'akxáraprupaheen.
Then Grizzly Bear scratched the falls (away) downriverward.

[17] yukún yíiv á' utásunihtihanik pa'íin.
You see, the falls were (like) a barrier (reaching) a long ways up.

[18] púyava póopvaavruk á'iknêechhan tishravará'iivreen uxus, " hûut áta u'íinati panani'íin.
So when Duck Hawk looked down over Etna Mountain, he thought, "I wonder what's wrong with my falls?

[19] ôok íp nithítiimtihat póoxaaktih.
Formerly I heard them sounding from here.

[20] vúra punathítiimtihara."
I can't hear them."

[21] púyava poo'ípak yánava " panani'îin tóo pvuunup."
So when he got back, he saw it, "My falls have flowed downriver."

[22] kári xás upiip, " akâay tutáayvaar panani'íin."
And he said, "Who spoiled my falls?"


[23] kári xás siit upiip, " naa íp nipasúpiichvat pasôomvaan ti'ípasuk.
Then Mouse said, "I revealed that you were bringing home a new wife.

[24] víri tá mihrôoha pirishkâarim tutáayvaar pami'íin."
Your wife, Grizzly Bear, spoiled your falls."


[25] ta'ítam upiykáraheen pamuhrôoha.
So (Duck Hawk) killed his wife.

[26] kári xás upiip, " akâay kích vúra ipshansîipreevishan pamu'ípih."
And he said, "Who is going to carry away her bones?"


[27] kári xás upiip kachakâach " naa ník nipshansîipreevish."
Then Blue Jay said, "I'll carry them away."

[28] púya upatishîip.
So she loaded up a burden-basket.

[29] xás viitkírak kúuk upatímoo.
And she carried them to the Bald Hills.

[30] kári xás vaa káan xás itháhaas úkyav.
And she scattered them there

[31] víriva kumá'ii vaa káan kích kun'áraarahitihanik pirishkâarim.
For that reason grizzly bears lived only there.

[32] ôok uum púfaat-hanik papirishkâarim.
There were no grizzly bears here.