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

Mamie Offield: "The Devil Who Died Laughing" (1957)

Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-63
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 274-275, Text 63
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)


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


[1] táay vúra kunpâakuhinaati má' pâakuhiv.
A lot of people were picking acorns in the mountains, in acorn season.

[2] kári xás tá kunpavyíihship uum koovúra.
Then they all went home.

[3] yícheech vúra kích kári muhrôoha xákaan.
Only one man and his wife were still (there).

[4] kári xás upiip, " tîi kanítkaanvan."
And he said, "Let me go spear fish!"

[5] kári xás chámuxich úykar.
And he caught a sucker.


[6] kári xás pa'asiktávaan upiip, " chími kanthimnûupi."
And the woman said, "Let me roast it!"

[7] kári xás uthímnup pachámuxich.
So she roasted the sucker.

[8] kári xás páfaan uyhúkurishuk.
And she took out the guts.

[9] kári xás pamukun'ikrívraam usúruruprinahiti yíthakan.
And there was a hole through (the wall of) their house at one place.

[10] kári xás vaa káan u'ákithrupri páfaan.
And she threw the guts there.

[11] hínupa vaa káan utnûuprihti yítha pa'apurúvaan.
There was a certain devil peeking through there.

[12] hínupa yúpyaach tu'ákithtir.
There she threw it smack in his eye.


[13] yítha pa'apurúvaan úksah.
And a certain devil (accompanying the first one) laughed.

[14] kári xás vúra iksháh u'ahvákir.
And he died laughing.

[15] imáan umáh, utháaniv, vúra kári úksaahtih, káruma tu'ívaheen.
The next day (the first devil) saw him, he was lying (there), he was still laughing; the fact was, he had died.

[16] púyava yítha xás uum upasúpiichva.
So (that) one told the story.