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

Nettie Ruben: "The Story of Tan Oak Acorn" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-31
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 226-227, Text 31


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


[1] yaas'ára u'iiníshriheesh.
Mankind was about to come into existence.

[2] koovúra kunvíikvunaa, yíthuk chí kunívyiihmeesh.
They were all weaving, they were about to go to a different place.

[3] kári xás kunpíip" chími chêemyaach nutákukvunaa."
And they said, "Let’s clean out our baskets quickly."

[4] kári xás kunpíip" chémi, chúvaarap."
And they said, "All right, let’s go!"

[5] kári xás kunpithxunásiipreen pamukun'ápxaan.
And they put on their basket-caps.

[6] koovúra yâamachas pamukun'ápxaan.
All their caps were pretty.

[7] kári xás uum paxuntápan uum vúra pupikyáarara pamúpxaan.
But Tan Oak Acorn didn’t finish her cap.

[8] kári xás upkifínmit.
So she turned it inside out.

[9] kári xás upíthxuunasip.
And she put it on.
(Bright: "The verb tákuk, translated 'to clean out' in sentence 3, refers to the process of cutting off the projecting sticks on the inside of a basket, after the actual weaving is finished. The heroine, not having time to do this, put her cap on inside out; as a result, the cups of tan oak acorns are prickly, rather than smooth.")

[10] kári xás upíip" payaas'ára u'iiníshrihaak víri naa pa'avanihichtâapasheesh.
And she said "When Mankind comes into existence, I will be the most important (lit. the highest).

[11] pahûutva kóo yaas'ára u'íinahaak víri naa vúra kích kaná'aamtiheesh, káruma apxankêemich paninípxaan."
However long Mankind exists, he will eat only me, (though) the fact is that my cap is a poor cap."

[12] víri xuntápan vaa úpaanik.
Tan Oak Acorn said that.