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." |