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

Yaas: "How Grizzly Bear Got his Ears Burnt Off" (1930)

Primary participants: Yaas (speaker), John P. Harrington (researcher)
Date: 1930
Project identifier: JPH_KT-01a
PDF of published text: http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~karuk/text-pdfs/JPH_KT-01a.pdf
Additional contributors: Line Mikkelsen (editor), Neil Lawrence (annotator), Michelle Park (annotator), Shi Shu (annotator)

Note: This text has been retranscribed in current spelling and some translations have been changed to better reflect Karuk sentence structure.


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[1] uknîi   
once.upon.a.time   
Uknîi.

[2] ataháriva    kun'áraarahitihanik   
always    they.were.living   
They were living (there).


[3] xás    uumkun    váa    vúra    kích    kunkupítihanik    pakunpakurîihvanaatihanik    pa'ávansas    pakunpakurîihvanaatihanik    ikriripan'ikmaháchraam   
then    they    so    Intensive    only    they.were.doing    they.sang    the.men    they.sang    Amekyaram.sweathouse   
All they did was sing songs, the men, they used to sing in Amekyaram sweathouse.
(Harrington's note on "ikriripan'ikmaháchraam": "The rancheria on the NW. side of Klamath river at Yutimin Falls." Harrington's translation of this sentence is "And they used to sing, the menfolks, used to sing in Amekyaram sweathouse." It has been changed here to better reflect the Karuk sentence structure.)

[4] xás    vúra    uumkun    hitíhaan    pakaan    kunivyíihmutihanik    peekxaréeyav    váa    kumá'ii    pakun'úuhyanatihanik    hûut    áta    pakunkupítiheesh    yaas'ára   
then    Intensive    they    always    there    they.went.    the.First.People    so    because.of    they.were.talking.    how    maybe    they.will.do    rich.person   
The First People went in there all the time, since they were talking over what humans were going to do.
(Harrington's note on "peekxaréeyav": "The First People, the people of mythic times."Harrington's translation of this sentence is "... what Human was going to do." It has been changed here to better reflect the Karuk sentence structure.)


[5] chavúra    pâanpay    pirishkâarim    káan    uthivkêevanik    pakun'úuhyanatihirak    xás    vúra    uum    kunvîiha    pakaan    u'uum   
finally    after.while    grizzly    there    he.went.with.them    where.they.were.talking    then    Intensive    3.SG    they.disliked    when.there    he.arrived   
Then later on Grizzly Bear went in there with them, where they were talking (it) over, and they did not like it when he arrived.
(Harrington's translation is "Then later on Grizzly Bear went in there with them, when they were talking (it) over, and they did not like it when he arrived." It has been changed here to better reflect the Karuk sentence structure.)


[6] xás    kunipêer    nuu    chími    nuvyîihshipreevish    chími    nu'ákunvanveesh   
then    they.told.him    we    soon    we.will.go.out    soon    we.will.go.hunting   
Then they told him: "We are going out, we are going hunting."

[7] xás    pirishkâarim    upíip    náa    punavâarameeshara    náa    nipshaaneesh   
then    grizzly    he.said    1sg.    I.will.not.go    1sg.    I.will.keep.the.house   
Then Grizzly Bear said: "I am not going, I will keep the house."

[8] xás    kunpíip    chôora   
then    they.said    let's.go   
They they said: "All right."

[9] mâaka    kích    uvôonipaati    ma'tîimich   
in.other.room    only    he.crawled.toward.the.back    back.corner.of.sweathouse   
He (Grizzly Bear) only moved back against the wall in the back part of the sweathouse.
(Harrington's note on "ma'tîimich": "The section of the floor of the sweathouse opposite the roof hatchway.")

[10] xás    kunipêer    chími    man   
then    they.told.him    soon    why...   
Then they told him: "Do your own way."

[11] xás    mâamvanihich        kun'írunaa   
then    a.little.uphill.    PERF    they.traveled   
Then they traveled up slope a little ways.

[12] xás    káan    xás    kunchúuphinaa    váa    káan    âapun    kunivyíhishrihanik    pakunchúuphinaatihanik   
then    there    then    they.talked    so    there    on.the.ground    they.went.    they.were.talking   
And there they talked, and there they all sat down on the ground talking. They said: "What did we leave him there for in the sweathouse?"

[13] kunpíip    fâat    kumá'ii    peekmaháchraam        nupsáamkir   
they.said    what    because.of    the.sweathouse    PERF    we.left.him   
They said: "What did we leave him there for in the sweathouse?"


[14] chavúra        xánahich    koovúra    kunparatánmaahpanaa   
finally    PERF    after.while    all    they.turned.back   
Then after a while they all turned back.

[15] kári    xás    kunpíip    fâat    kumá'ii    pavaa    kaan    su'    úkrii   
then    then    they.said    what    because.of    thus    there    inside    he.is   
They said: "What is he in there for?"

[16] vúra        kun'ay   
Intensive    PERF    they.feared.him   
It was that they feared him.


[17] táma    vúra    kunpavyíhuk    koovúra    xás    ikmaháchraam    kunpavyíhivrath   
then    Intensive    they.came.back    all    then    sweathouse    they.went.back.into.the.sweathouse   
Then all got back down, and went back into the sweathouse.

[18] kári    xás    ikmaháchraam    kunpavyíhish   
then    then    sweathouse    they.gathered.again   
Then all sat down in the sweathouse.

[19] xás    pirishkâarim    upíip    hûut        kukúupha   
then    grizzly    he.said    how    PERF    you.all.did.it   
Then Grizzly Bear said: "What is the trouble?"

[20] xás    yítha    îin    kunipêer        nuparatánmaahpa   
then    one    TOPIC    they.told.him    PERF    we.turned.back   
Then one of them told him: "We have turned back."

[21] xás    yítha    u'árihish   
then    one    he.started.to.sing   
Then one started to sing.

[22] xás    koovúra    kunpakúriihvanaa    kunipêer    ôok    ichvánihich        núfchuy   
then    all    they.sang    they.told.him    here    little.bit    PERF    we.are.crowded   
Then all sang. They told him: "Come a little this way, we are crowded."

[23] mâaka    kích    uvafnúuchripaati    pirishkâarim   
in.other.room    only    he.shrugged    grizzly   
Grizzly Bear only shrugged back.

[24] xás    kunipêer    íim    úm    vúra    pu'ipvôonupukeeshara   
then    they.told.him    2sg.    or    Intensive    you.will.not.go.out   
Then they told him: "Aren't you going to go out?"

[25] pûuhara    náa    vúra    ôok    nikrêevish   
no    1sg.    Intensive    here    I.will.stay   
"No, I'm going to stay here."


[26] xás    yíth    upíip    áthiik    tuvîish    chími    nuptaamáaxi   
then    other    he.said    cold    it.is    soon    let's.stir.up.the.fire   
Then one said: "It is getting cold, let's scrape up the coals."

[27] xás    áhup    kuníyuunkir    ikmahachram'áhup   
then    wood    they.put.it.in.the.fire    sweathouse.wood   
They they put wood on the fire, sweathouse-wood.

[28] chavúra    pâanpay    imfir    tuvîish   
finally    after.while    hot    it.got   
Then after a while it got hot.

[29] su'    kun'íxuprimva   
inside    they.prostrated.themselves   
They all got down face on the floor.

[30] uum    vúra    kích    a'    úkrii    ma'tîimich    pirishkâarim    púxay    vúra    kêenatihara   
3.SG    Intensive    only    above    he.sat    back.corner.of.sweathouse    grizzly    not.yet    Intensive    he.was.not.moving   
Grizzly Bear alone was sitting up in the back part of the sweathouse, he never moved.

[31] chavúra    koovúra    kunpakúriihvanaa    kúkuum   
finally    all    they.sang    again   
Then they were all singing again.

[32] vúra    uum    puxich    imfir    tuvîish   
Intensive    3.SG    very.much    hot    it.got   
Then it got awfully hot.

[33] váa    vúra    kunímuusti    pirishkâarim   
so    Intensive    they.were.looking.at.him    grizzly   
They kept looking at Grizzly Bear.

[34] chavúra        pâanpay    pamutiiv    kúnish    tatûupichas    too    mxurukúvraan    pamutiiv    tóo    mtaránkoo   
finally    PERF    after.while    the.his.ear    sort.of    little.ones    it    become.melted.down    the.his.ear    he    swelter   
Then after a while his ears seemed to be small, his ears melted down, he was sweltering.

[35] chavúra        xánahishich    chími    axmáy    u'áasish    patáprihak    vúra    tóo    mchax        pukunish    kêenatihara   
finally    PERF    little.while    soon    suddenly    he.lay.down    on.the.pavement    Intensive    he    get.hot    PERF    not.sort.of.    he.was.not.moving   
Then after a while all at once he lay down on the pavement, he was hot, it was like he couldn't move.
("he was hot" has been added to Harrington's translation to better reflect the Karuk sentence structure.)

[36] úma    vúra    vaa    kunpakúriihvanaati    imfirayâak   
emphatic(?)    Intensive    so    they.were.singing    in.the.hot.place   
Just the same they kept on singing in the heat.

[37] vúra    pukúnish    xutihap    hûut        kun'áapunma    tóo    mkuhiruv   
Intensive    not.sort.of    do.not.think    how    PERF    they.knew    he    get.sweltered   
They paid no attention to him, they knew that he was getting sweltered.

[38]     pu'imtaranáamhitihara    pamutiiv    poopvôonsip   
PERF    they.were.not.visible    the.his.ear    when.he.got.up.again   
His ears were invisible when he got up again.

[39] vúra    tatûupichas    pamutiiv    too    mxurukúvraan    peemfíramuuk   
Intensive    little.ones    the.his.ear    it    become.melted.down    with.the.heat   
They were little, his ears, they were melted with the heat.

[40] kári    xás    úkvuunupukanik   
then    then    he.staggered.out   
Then he staggered out.

[41] kári    xás    úpaanik    poopítithunanik    xáyfaat    ík    vúra    váa    náa    nithítiimti    pamikunpákurih    náa    púvaa    nanívaahara    pamikunpákurih   
then    then    he.said    when.he.looked.back    don't!    must    Intensive    so    1sg.    I.hear    the.your.song    1sg.    not.thus    not.for.me    the.your.song   
Then he said looking back: "I must never hear your song any more; your song will not do for me."
(Harrington: "The words are medicine, and are said while one pounds on a dry tree when surprised by a grizzly bear, to drive him away.")

[42] pirishkâarim    váa    úpaanik    xáyfaat    ík    vúra    váa    náa    nithítiimti    pamikunpákurih   
grizzly    so    he.said    don't!    must    Intensive    so    1sg.    I.hear    the.your.song   
Grizzly Bear said it: "I must never hear your song any more.

[43] náa        ni'ahoo   
1sg.    PERF    I.am.traveling   
I am going to travel."

[44] xás    úkfuukraanik    ikurâak   
then    he.climbed.up.from.downhill    on.the.ridge.   
Then he climbed up slope.

[45] uum    vúra    kunxúseentihanik    kíri    hûuk    u'uum    vúra    kunvîihanik   
3.SG    Intensive    they.had.been.thinking    I.wish    to.where    he.go.    Intensive    they.disliked.him   
They had been wishing for him to go off, for they disliked him.


[46] xás    uum    vúra    váa    póokfuukraanik    pirishkâarim    upárihishrihanik   
then    3.SG    Intensive    so    when.he.climbed.up.from.downhill    grizzly    he.was.transformed.into   
And when he climbed up slope he was metamorphosed into the grizzly bear.

[47] víri    payváheem    vúra    kárivarih    uvîihiti    ikriripanpákurih   
so    nowadays    Intensive    still    he.dislikes    Amekyaram.sweathouse.song   
He still dislikes those songs now.

[48] pa'áraar    tupakurîihvahaak    ikriripanpákurih    márukninay    váa    xás    vúra    ukvíiptih    payváheem    váa    ukupítih   
the.person    when.he.or.she.sings    Amekyaram.sweathouse.song    uphill.anywhere    so    then    Intensive    he.runs    nowadays    so    he.does.it   
Whenever a person sings Amekyaram sweathouse songs in mountain places anywhere, he runs away, he does so now.

[49] kárivarih    vúra    váa    u'áayti    papákurih   
still    Intensive    so    he.fears    the.song   
He still fears those songs.

[50] váa    vúra    payváheem    úthvuuyti    pirishkaarim'áhasurar    peekriripanpákurih   
so    Intensive    nowadays    it.is.called    grizzly.bear.driver-away    the.Amekyaram.sweathouse.song   
It is still called grizzly-bear drive-away-medicine, those Amekyaram sweathouse songs.
(Harrington: "Meaning: songs of Ikríripan, name of the Amakyaram sweathouse.")