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

Daisy Jones: "The Snake People" (1957)

Primary participants: Daisy Jones (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-60
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 270-273, Text 60
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)


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


[1] ansáfriik ávansa uphikirîihvutih.
A man was sweating himself at Weitchpec.

[2] xás poovôonupuk káan u'áasish.
And when he came out (of the sweathouse), he lay down there.

[3] axmáy kúnish pay'ôok fâat upmahóonkoon.
Suddenly he sort of felt something right here (on his body).

[4] xás vúra púxay kêenara.
And he didn't stir.

[5] yánava ápsuun, úmuustih, úmuustih.
He saw it was a snake, he watched it and watched it.


[6] chavúra púxay xárahara, axmáy yeenipaxvúhich káan u'uum.
Finally it wasn't a long time after, (when) suddenly a little girl arrived there.

[7] xás upiip, " nini'ákah."
And she said, "My father!"

[8] úmuustih pa'ávansa.
She looked at the man.

[9] xás upiip, " tá neepítap um."
And she said, "Do you know me?"


[10] xás upiip, " pûuhara."
And he said, "No."


[11] xás upiip, " ninítaat ôok imúsarukapat.
And she said, "My mother came to visit you here.
(Bright: "That is, the girl was the offspring from the contact between the man and the snake. Another informant offered the information that the king snake was the species involved.")

[12] tée má húm peekrívraam máruk."
Do you see the sweathouse uphill?"


[13] xás upiip, " pûuhara."
And he said, "No."


[14] " yáxa chími pamíyuup."
"Look, let me (fix) your eyes."

[15] xás ufúmpuh.
And she blew (on them).

[16] xás upiip, " tée má húm peekrívraam."
And she said, "Do you see the sweathouse (now)?"


[17] xás upiip, " hãã."
And he said, "Yes."


[18] xás upéer, " chôora máruk."
And she told him, "Let's go uphill!"


[19] " chémi."
"All right."


[20] kunxákaanha máruk.
They went uphill together.

[21] xás yánava vúra taay peekrívraam káru vúra taay pa'áraaras.
And he saw there were a lot of houses and a lot of people.

[22] xás upéer, " chími ôok vúra íkrii," tá kuntápkuup pa'arara'íin.
And she told him, "Live here!"; the people liked him.


[23] xás upiip, " puyávhara páykuuk.
And she said, "That (woman) over there is no good.

[24] xáyfaat ímuustih."
Don't look at her!"
(Bright: "The woman indicated is tapas'ápsuun, the rattlesnake.)

[25] upiip, " athithxuntápan númkaanvutih.
She said, "We're gathering hazelnuts.

[26] áraar tóo hvaníchviichva páykuuk, puyávhara.
That one teases (euphemistic for "bites") people, she's no good.

[27] víri naa tá ná'aathva.
I'm afraid.

[28] máruk hôoyva ni'ípahoo, tá ná'aathva."
I'm going uphill somewhere; I'm afraid."


[29] pamukrívraam u'íipma.
He went back to his house.

[30] xás upiip, " naa vúra máruk nikrêevish.
And he said, "I'm going to live uphill.

[31] naa ôok tá koo.
I'm all through here.

[32] xáyfaat ík kúykar pa'ápsuun pa'ôok kumáhaak."
You mustn't kill the snakes when you see them here."