Nettie Ruben: "The Creation of Eels" (1957)

Note: Bright: "This is the only story about Across-the-Water-Widower which I was able to record; one other Karok story about him appears in Harrington, 1032a, pp.67-72. A character with a similar name is much more prominent in the mythology of the Yurok and the Hupa; cf. Kroeber, 1925, pp.73 and 134."

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[1]	ithyarukpíhriiv u'árihroov, uxus, " tîi káruk kanvâarami."
	Across-the-Water Widower went upriver, he thought, "Let me go upriver!"

[2]	xás kári chavúra yíiv káruk tu'árihroov.
	And finally he went a long ways upriver.

[3]	xás kuníhyiivti hôoyva.
	And there was a shout somewhere.

[4]	vúra vaa u'áhootih.
	He was traveling like that.

[5]	chavúra yíiv kúkuma tóo hyiv.
	Finally, a long ways on, there was a shout again.

[6]	xás upítih, " nakûushi."
	And (the person) said, "Copulate with me!"

(Bright: "nakûushi is a distortion of nakûuthi." Cf. the footnote to sentence 61 of "Coyote's Homecoming" (WB_KL-02).)

[7]	ithyarukpíhriiv kunihyûunishtih, upêentih, " nakûushi."
	Across-the-Water Widower was shouted at, (the person) said to him, "Copulate with me!"

[8]	xás kári uxútih, " yee! fâat yáxa.
	And he thought, "Well, look! What is it?

[9]	fâat kumá'ii paneehyûunishtih."
	Why is she shouting at me?"

[10]	xás kúuk úkfuukiraa.
	And he grabbed in that direction.

[11]	kári xás ukuth.
	And he copulated with her.

[12]	kári xás hínupa chantírih.
	And there it was Tick.

[13]	vaa káan sú' vúra upíkrii.
	She stayed there inside (his penis).

[14]	xás u'árihroov ithyarukpíhriiv.
	Then Across-the-Water Widower went upriver.

[15]	xás uxus, " yée naa, íf tá nakúha."
	And he thought, "Say, it really hurts me!"

[16]	kári xás " hûut áta tá ná'iin."
	And (he thought), "I wonder what's wrong with me?"

[17]	kári xás chavúra puxích tóo kúha.
	And finally it hurt him very much.

[18]	kári xás úkpaaksur pamúsiish.
	So he cut off (part of) his penis.

[19]	xás úuth upáathkar.
	And he threw it out into the river.

[20]	xás u'árihroov.
	And he went upriver.

[21]	chavúra tá yíiv káruk u'árihroov.
	Finally, he went a long ways upriver.

[22]	xás uxútih, " íf kúkuum tá nakúha."
	And he thought, "It really hurts me again!"

[23]	xás kári kúkuum úkpaaksur pamúsiish.
	And he again cut off (part of) his penis.

[24]	xás kúkuum úuth upáathkar.
	And again he threw it out into the river.

[25]	púyava payêem paakráa vaa pa'úuth uxyakâanvutih.
	So now the eels are that which he threw out into the river.

[26]	ithyarukpíhriiv pamúsiish uvupaksúroonik.
	Across-the-Water Widower cut off his penis.

[27]	hínupa chantirih'îin sú' patá kunvôonkurih, vaa kúth pookpaksúrooti pamúsiish.
	There it was Tick that crawled into him, that's why he cut off his penis.

(Bright: "Another informant offered additional information: Before Across-the-Water-Widower's meeting with Tick, men (or rather, male ikxaréeyavs) had penises long enough to wrap several times around their necks, and could copulate with a woman on the other side of the river.")