Nettie Ruben: "Medicine to Get a Husband" (1957)
Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-50
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 250-253, Text 50
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] |
panamníhmaam koovúra tá kunimfipíshriihva,
peekxariya'ifápiitshas.
|
All the spirit girls gathered back of Orleans. |
[2] |
kunthítiimti "
vaa káan kun'ûupvunaatih,
tayiith."
|
They heard that (people) were digging brodiaea roots there. |
[3] |
víri kôokinay kahyúras tá kun'aramsípriin,
peekxariya'ifápiitshas.
|
They came from Klamath Lakes and everywhere, the spirit girls. |
[4] |
tá kunimfipíshriihva panamníhmaam.
|
They gathered back of Orleans. |
[5] |
kári xás yítha uum káan u'ífanik.
|
And one (girl) had grown up there (at Orleans). |
[6] |
uum vúra kâanimich.
|
She was poor. |
[7] |
vaa vúra ukupa'iifshípreenik,
pakâanimich u'iifshípreenik.
|
She had grown up that way, since she had grown up poor. |
[8] |
kári xás uxus, "
ii!
tîi naa káru kan'ûupvan."
|
And she thought, "Oh, let me go dig roots too!" |
[9] |
kári xás ta'ítam u'uumáheen panamníhmaam.
|
And so she arrived back of Orleans. |
[10] |
víri pootúraayva,
púra fátaak vúra yâahitihara,
pakun'ûupvunaatih peekxariya'ifápiitsha.
|
When she looked around, she couldn't fit in anyplace where the spirit girls were digging roots. |
[11] |
víri pooksahárahitih,
kuntákaamtih,
pa'asiktávaan,
pakâanimich,
poo'ûupvutih.
|
So they laughed, they ridiculed her, the woman, the poor one, as she dug roots. |
[12] |
pamuyáfus á' tóo stakúraan.
|
Her dress was ripped up. |
[13] |
víriva yiimúsich vúra poo'ûupvutih.
|
She dug roots a little ways away. |
[14] |
víri peekxariya'ifápiitsha tá kunpiip, "
íf uxútih '
nitâatrupraveesh.'"
|
The spirit girls said, "She really thinks she's going to dig up something!" |
[15] |
víri chavúra tapipshítaani kári xás kunpiip,
peekxariya'ifápiitshas, "
yáxa,
hûut upítih."
|
Finally after a while the spirit girls said, "Look, what is she saying?" |
[16] |
yánava upakurîihvutih,
pakâanimich.
|
They saw the poor one was singing. |
[17] |
yánava upítih, "
yôotva,
nini'ávan tá nitâatruprav."
|
They saw her say, "Hurray, I've dug up my husband!" |
[18] |
kári xás pamúvaas xás vaa uyxôorariv.
|
And she covered him with her blanket. |
[19] |
kári xás vaa kunkúupha,
peekxariya'ifápiitsha.
|
Then the spirit girls did this. |
[20] |
pootúraayva,
yánava koovúra tá púfaat,
peekxariya'ifápiitsha.
|
When (the poor one) looked around, she saw they were all gone, the spirit girls. |
[21] |
tá kunipkeevíshriihva.
|
They were transformed. |
[22] |
kári xás uxus, "
payaas'ára u'iiníshrihaak,
víri uum káru vúra vaa ukupheesh,
xáat kâanimich.
|
And she thought, "When Mankind comes into existence, (a woman) will do this way also, (though) she may be poor. |
[23] |
víriva vúra ávan uthiinátiheesh.
|
She will have a husband. |
[24] |
paninipákuri u'aapúnmahaak,
víriva vúra ávan uthiinátiheesh,
xáat asiktavankéem."
|
If she knows my song, she will have a husband, (though) she may be a homely woman." |
[25] |
víri kári xás yíthuk u'uum.
|
Then she went elsewhere (i.e., was transformed). |