Julia Starritt: "The Shinny Game" (1957)
Primary participants: Julia Starritt (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-78
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 290-293, Text 78
Additional contributors: Anna Currey (annotator), Erik Maier (annotator)
Text display mode: paragraph | sentence | word | word components
[1] |
pa'arara'avanséextiivha uum yítha pakuméextiivha úthvuuyti imtháatva.
|
One game, of the Indian men's games, was called 'the stick game' (i.e., shinny). |
[2] |
víriva uum tishrámniik pakuníxtiivhitih.
|
They played it on a level place. |
[3] |
papanamnihimthatváram uum vaa káan ukyâasipreehiti paGeorgia mutasa'îikukam,
xás yúruk paxánthiip u'iihyírak u'ípanhitih.
|
The Orleans stick-game field began there just outside Georgia's (Mrs. Georgia Henry's) fence, and it ended downriver where the black oak stands. |
[4] |
xás kunsáanvuti áhup,
úthvuuyti imtháatvar káru tákasar.
|
And they carried sticks, they were called shinny sticks and a 'tossel' (i.e., a double ball). |
[5] |
xás patákasar uum ahuptunvêechas,
unhítunvahitih.
|
And the tossel was little sticks, they were tied together. |
[6] |
xákarari áxak pa'ávansas káru áachip áxak.
|
There were two men at each end and two in the middle. |
[7] |
yítha uum pa'ávansa poo'avíkvuti patákasar.
|
One man carried the tossel. |
[8] |
apmáan mûuk upáratih.
|
He bit it with his mouth (i.e., held it between his teeth). |
[9] |
púyava xás kári tá kunikyâasip.
|
Then they began. |
[10] |
xás âapun patákasar tóo kyívish.
|
The tossel fell on the ground. |
[11] |
púyava xákaan vúra patá kunxús "
kíri nutâatsip."
|
Both (men) thought, "Let's toss it!" |
[12] |
púyava yítha uum tóo tâatsip.
|
And one tossed it. |
[13] |
yúruk tóo tâatrupuk.
|
He tossed it downriver. |
[14] |
púyava xás puráan tá kun'ífukiraa,
xás tá kunvúunva.
|
Then they grabbed each other, and they wrestled. |
[15] |
púyava xás hâari xákaan vúra tá kunithyívish.
|
Sometimes both of them fell down. |
[16] |
púyava xás uumkun yu'kúkamkam pa'ávansas tá kunithvíripraa.
|
Then the men on the downriver end ran up. |
[17] |
púyava payítha peeshnaaníchhaak uum píshiip tu'úum patákasar uphírivirak.
|
If one was swift, he arrived first where the tossel lay. |
[18] |
púyava xás uum píshiip tóo tâatsip.
|
So he tossed it first. |
[19] |
káruk tóo ptâatroov.
|
He tossed it back upriver. |
[20] |
xás uumkun káru ka'kúkam tá kunithvíripvarak.
|
Then the ones on the upriver end ran down. |
[21] |
púyava patákasar tóo kyívishrihaak púyava tóo tâatsip.
|
When the tossel fell, (one of them) tossed it. |
[22] |
káruk tóo tâatroov.
|
He tossed it upriver. |
[23] |
xás payu'kúkam uumkun káruk tá kunithvíriproov.
|
Then the ones on the downriver end ran up. |
[24] |
púyava hâari vúra pu'ikyívivrathtihara.
|
Sometimes (the tossel) didn't fall over (the goal line). |
[25] |
púyava hâari uum payu'kúkam pa'ávansas píshiip tu'úum,
patákasar uphírivirak.
|
Sometimes the men on the downriver end arrived first where the tossel lay. |
[26] |
púyava yúruk tóo tâatrupuk.
|
So (one of them) tossed it downriver |
[27] |
púyava payu'kúkam tá kuntâativrukahaak púyava kári tá kunkôokha payúruk va'áras.
|
If the ones on the downriver end toss it over (the goal line), then the downriver people won. |
[28] |
káru uumkun paka'kúkam vúra kunkupheesh.
|
Those on the upriver side would do it also. |
[29] |
vaa uum papaaxkívtihan uum peekpihan'íshiip káru peeshnanich'íshiip.
|
The winners were the strongest and the swiftest. |
|
(Bright: "Regarding this game, see Goddard, pp.60-61, and plate 19, figures 3 and 4. Evidently each of the three pairs of players described in the present text consisted of one man from each team. After the middle pair had put the tossel in play, the other pairs would also wrestle, each man trying to keep his opponent from reaching the tossel. In sentences 27 and 28, the terms payu'kúkam 'the downriver side' and paka'kúkam 'the upriver side' evidently do not refer to the pairs of opponents at downriver and upriver ends of the field, but to the downriver and upriver teams, respectively. The course of play is not necessarily, of course, the exact one described in the present text.") |