Daisy Jones: "The Perils of Weasel" (1957)

Primary participants: Daisy Jones (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-20
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 210-213, Text 20
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)

Note: Bright: "This version of the Weasel story could not be obtained entirely in Karok, since the informant kept switching into English in spite of herself. The lacunae in the Karok text are indicated by dots (. . .); a condensation of the English material which the informant supplied at these points is given, set off by parentheses, in the translation."

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

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[1]	âanaxus	uthítiimti	táay	tá	kiníykar	áraaras
	weasel	he.was.hearing	much	PERF	they.are.killing.them	people

Weasel heard that they were killing a lot of people.

[2]	xás	upiip	kîit	chími	naa	tá	nivâaram
	then	he.said	maternal.grand-relative.through.woman	soon	1sg.	PERF	I.go

And he said, "Grandmother, I'm going.

[3]	xâatik	naa	káruk	nivâaram
	it's.better	1sg.	upriver	I.go

Let me go upriver!"

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[4]	xás	kîit	upiip	xáyfaat
	then	maternal.grand-relative.through.woman	he.said	don't!

And (his) grandmother said, "Don't.

[5]	xáy	iykárap
	let.not	they.kill.you

Don't let them kill you."

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[6]	xás	upiip	xâatik	vúra	nivâaram
	then	he.said	it's.better	Intensive	I.go

And he said, "Let me go!"

[7]	xás	úkyav	páyuux	úkyav	úkyav
	then	he.prepared.it	the.sand	he.prepared.it	he.prepared.it

And he fixed sand, he fixed it and fixed it.

[8]	xás	vaa	káan	pamupíkvas	uhyákurih
	then	so	there	his.headdress-feather	he.stuck.it.in

And he stuck his headdress-feather in there.

[9]	xás	upêer	pamukîit	peemáhaak	nanipíkvas	tóo	kyívunih	tá	ni'iv
	then	he.told.her	his.grandmother	if.you.see	my.headdress-feather	it.has	fall.downward	PERF	I.died

And he told his grandmother, "When you see my headdress-feather fall down, I'm dead."

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[10]	vúra	uum	hitíhaan	kumasúpaa	póomuusti	pápikvas
	Intensive	3.SG	always	its.day	that.she.looked.at.it	the.headdress-feather

She looked at the headdress-feather every day (while he was gone).

[11]	axmáy	ík	vúra	yav
	suddenly	must	Intensive	good

At one moment it would be good.

[12]	xás	vúra	ii	xáas	vúra	ukyívuni	pamupíkvas	tóo	xus	ii	tu'iv
	then	Intensive	oh!	almost	Intensive	it.fell.downward	the.headdress-feather	she.had	think	oh!	he.had.died

Then alas! his headdress-feather would almost fall, she would think, "Alas, he's dead!"

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[13]	papihnîich	upiip	yôotva	nini'íkam
	the.old.man	he.said	hurray!	my.son-in-law

(He went upriver and met an old man living with his family.) The old man said, "Hurray, my son-in-law.

[14]	táay	pa'áama
	much	the.salmon

There are lots of salmon.

[15]	vúra	yítha	kéech
	Intensive	one	big

There's one real big one.

[16]	vaa	kíri	ni'av	pakéech
	that	I.wish	I.eat.it	the.big.one

Let me eat that one, the big one!"

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[17]	xás	upiip	chémi	imáan	ník	niykáreesh
	then	he.said	all.right	tomorrow	a.little	I.will.catch.it

And (Weasel) said, "All right, I'll kill it tomorrow."

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[18]	pa'asiktavan'îin	kunipêer	xáyfaat	xáyfaat	ivâaram
	the.women	they.told.him	don't!	don't!	you.go

The women told him, "Don't, don't go."

[19]	uumkun	kun'áapunmuti	púxay	áamahara
	they	they.knew.it	not.yet	not.salmon

They knew it was not a salmon.

(Bright: "The 'salmon' was really a long-snake, as in" WB_KL-18.)

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[20]	xás	vúra	uvâaram
	then	Intensive	he.went

Then he went.

[21]	xás	úykar	pa'áama
	then	he.killed.it	the.salmon

And he killed the salmon.

[22]	xás	upiip	chémi	tá	níykar	pa'áama
	then	he.said	all.right	PERF	I.killed.it	the.salmon

And he said, "All right, I've killed the salmon."

[23]	xás	úxrar	papihnîich	hínupa	mú'aramah
	then	he.cried	the.old.man	surprise	his.child

And the old man cried, it was his child.

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[24]	xás	u'árihroov
	then	he.went.upriver

Then (Weasel) went upriver.

[25]	xás	kúkuum	káan	uum	kun'áraarahiti	áraar
	then	again	there	3.SG	they.were.living	human

And again people were living there.

[26]	oo	yôotva	nini'íkam	yôotva
	oh!	hurray!	my.son-in-law	hurray!

(The old man said), "Oh, hurray, my son-in-law, hurray!

[27]	vaa	máruk	páykuuk	kinínaasich	úkrii
	so	uphill	over.there	pet	it.lives

(My) pet is uphill there.

[28]	víri	vaa	nixútih	kíri	ni'axaychákish
	so	so	I.am.thinking	I.wish	I.catch.him

I am thinking, 'Let me catch him!'"

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[29]	xás	upiip	chôora
	then	he.said	let's.go

And (Weasel) said, "Let's go."

[30]	xás	mâa	páykuuk	pakinínaasich	iinâak	utnúpukva
	then	look!	over.there	the.pet	indoors	it.looked.outdoors

And behold, there the pet peeked out from inside (a nest).

[31]	xás	axmáy	ukréemyah	ukréemyah
	then	suddenly	it.blew	it.blew

And suddenly the wind blew and blew.

[32]	xás	pookréemya	pa'áptiik	koovúra	uvrárasur
	then	when.it.blew	the.branches	all	they.fell.off

And when it blew, the branches all fell off.

[33]	uum	vúra	vaa	âanaxus	úkriivkuti	pa'ípaha
	3.SG	Intensive	so	weasel	he.held.on.to.it	the.tree

Weasel held on to the tree.

(Weasel was climbing a tree to get the old man's pet bird, as he did to get the wind-eggs in" WB_KL-18 "and the long-snakes in" WB_KL-19.)

[34]	tóo	ykar	páachviiv
	he.had	beat	the.bird

He killed the bird.

[35]	papihnîich	mú'arama	tá	kuníykar
	the.old.man	his.child	PERF	they.killed.it

He killed the old man's child.

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[36]	sáruk	u'íipma
	downhill	he.returned

He arrived back downhill.

[37]	xás	upiip	chémi	tá	nivâaram
	then	he.said	all.right	PERF	I.go

And he said, "All right, I'm going."

[38]	káruk	u'árihroov
	upriver	he.went.upriver

He went upriver.

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[39]	xás	vaa	káan	pihnîich	úkrii	áxak	pa'avansáxiitichas	kunkunaaskúnas-hitih
	then	so	there	old.man	he.lived	two	two.little.boys	they.were.playing.on.a.teeter-totter

And an old man was there, (and) two little boys were playing on a teeter-totter.

[40]	úpêer	papihníich	chími	nukunaaskúnas-hitih
	he.told.them	the.old.man	soon	we.are.playing.on.a.teeter-totter

The old man said to them, "Let's (you and I) play on the teeter-totter."

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[41]	xás	âanaxus	upiip	pûuhara
	then	weasel	he.said	no

And Weasel said, "No."

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[42]	xás	pihnîich	kunipêer	ôok	naa
	then	old.man	they.told.him	here	come

And the old man said, "Come here!"

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[43]	xás	âanaxus	upiip	chími	nuu	ka'íru
	then	weasel	he.said	soon	we	also

And Weasel said, "Let me and you (do it) too."

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[44]	chémi
	all.right

"All right."

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[45]	xás	papihnîich	úskaaksur
	then	the.old.man	he.jumped.off

Then the old man jumped off (the teeter-totter).

[46]	xás	upiip	yôotva	u'iv	yôotva	u'iv	yôotva	u'iv
	then	he.said	hurray!	he.died	hurray!	he.died	hurray!	he.died

And he said, "Hurray, he's dead, hurray, he's dead, hurray, he's dead!"

(Bright: "The Indian teeter-totter seems to have been a flexible board, anchored at one end. One person would bounce up and down on the free end, while another would sit in front of him and ride. If the former person jumped off the board at the end of its downward motion, the rider would be propelled upward with some force.")

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[47]	xás	âanaxus	upiip	hûut	ipítih
	then	weasel	he.said	how	you.are.saying

And Weasel said, "What are you saying?"

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[48]	nipíti	kêemachkoo	nini'íkam
	I.am.saying	poor.(pitiable)	my.son-in-law

"I'm saying, 'My poor son-in-law!'"

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[49]	xás	âanaxus	upiip	chími	ôok	naa	chími	nukunaaskúnas-hitih
	then	weasel	he.said	soon	here	come	soon	we.are.playing.on.the.teeter-totter

Then Weasel said, "Come here, let's play on the teeter-totter."

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[50]	pihnîich	upiip	pûuhara
	old.man	he.said	no

The old man said, "No."

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[51]	xás	âanaxus	úskaaksur	pihnîich	á'	ukyívuraa
	then	weasel	he.jumped.off	old.man	above	he.was.propelled.up.into.the.air

(But Weasel forced the old man to get on.) Then Weasel jumped off, (and) the old man flew up into the air.

[52]	xás	pihnîich	upiip	yôotva	íf	yáv	tá	néekyav
	then	old.man	he.said	hurray!	truly	good	PERF	it.does.it.to.me

And the old man said, "Hurray, I'm really doing well.

[53]	naa	vúra	ôok	nikrêevish
	1sg.	Intensive	here	I.will.stay

I'm going to stay here."

(Bright: "The old man became the sun.")

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[54]	xás	âanaxus	tóo	naa	pa'áraar	kuniykáranaati	âanaxus
	then	weasel	he.had	go.uphill	the.people	they.were.killing.him	weasel

Then Weasel went upriver, the people were killing (i.e., trying to kill) Weasel.

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[55]	áxruu	áhup	mûuk	kuníktiinvuti
	gray.squirrel	wood	with.(by.means.of)	they.hit.them.by.throwing.them

(Weasel met two boys who were trying to hunt gray squirrels, but had no bows.) They were throwing sticks at the gray squirrels.

[56]	xás	âanaxus	uxus	kêemachkoos
	then	weasel	he.thought	pitiable.ones

And Weasel thought, "Poor fellows!"

[57]	xás	uxus	chími	kanikyav	xuskáamhar
	then	he.thought	soon	let.me.make.it!	bow

And he thought, "Let me make a bow."

[58]	xás	úkyav
	then	he.made.it

So he made it.

[59]	xás	upiip	chími	kúniihki	pa'áxruuh
	then	he.said	soon	shoot.at.them!	the.gray.squirrels

And he said, "Shoot the gray squirrels."

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[60]	xás	ukúniihka	ukyívunih
	then	he.shot.at.them	it.fell.down

Then they shot (a squirrel), (and) it fell down.

[61]	oo	xás	yôotva	yôotva
	oh!	then	hurray!	hurray!

Oh, then (they said), "Hurray, hurray!

[62]	pavúra	ixusáhaak	kúnish	chí	kaneeykáreesh	vúra	ikpêehveesh	ík
	when	you.think	sort.of	soon	they.are.going.to.kill.me	Intensive	you.will.shout	must

Whenever you think they are sort of about to kill you, you must shout.

[63]	ník	vaa	káan	nu'úumeesh
	a.little	so	there	we.will.arrive

We will go there (to help you)."

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[64]	xás	uxus	chími	ni'íveesh
	then	he.thought	soon	I.am.going.to.die

(Weasel was again sent by an old man to fight a monster. The monster was getting the better of Weasel.) And he thought, "I'm going to die."

[65]	víri	pakéevniikich	úmuusti	pamupíkvas
	so	the.old.woman	she.was.looking.at.it	his.headdress-feather

The old woman (his grandmother) was looking at his headdress-feather.

[66]	kári	xás	ukpêehva
	then	then	he.shouted

Then he shouted.

[67]	axmáy	kun'áhoo	pa'avansáxiich
	suddenly	they.came	the.boys

Suddenly the boys came.

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[68]	xás	kunipêer	vaa	káan	kúniihki	mufithíhkaam	mupîimich	vaa	káan	pamúthvaay	utháaniv
	then	they.told.him	so	there	shoot.at.him!	his.big.toe	next.to.it	so	there	his.heart	it.lies

And they told him, "Shoot him there by his big toe, his heart lies there."

[69]	xás	vaa	káan	ukúniihka	xás	ukyívishriheen
	then	so	there	he.shot.at.him	then	it.fell.down

So he shot him there, and (the monster) fall down.

[70]	xás	papihnîich	úxrar	mú'arama	tá	kuníykar
	then	the.old.man	he.cried	his.child	PERF	they.killed.him

And the old man cried, his child had been killed.