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

Mamie Offield: "Blue Jay As Doctor" (1957)

Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-28
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 222-225, Text 28


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


[1] kachakâach    u'eemhîichva   
bluejay    she.pretends.to.be.a.doctor   
Blue Jay pretended to be a 'doctor.'

[2] tu'ápur    paachvivtunvêechas   
she.bewitches    the.little.birds   
She bewitched the little birds.

[3] xás    tupatúmkoo   
then    she.sucks.out.disease   
Then she sucked them (as treatment for their illnesses).

[4] tumásnaahva   
she.does.a.doctor's.dance   
She did a doctor's dance.

[5] vúra    kumakâarim    payíkihar   
Intensive    worse    the.sick   
The sick person just got worse.

[6] kúkuum        kunpíshavsip    xúrish    athithxuntápan    úus    koovúra    kuma'ávaha   
again    PERF    they.pay.a.doctor's.fee    shelled.acorn    hazelnut    pine.nut    all    kinds.of.food   
They would pay her fee repeatedly with shelled acorns, hazel nuts, pine nuts, all kinds of food.

[7] hínupa    vúra    uum    u'apunkôonaatih    kachakâach    uum    u'apunkôonaatih   
surprise    Intensive    3.SG    she.bewitches    bluejay    3.SG    she.bewitches   
There she was bewitching them, Blue Jay herself was bewitching them.

[8] púyava    patóo    xus    miník    kóo ník    patá    kana'íshavsip    púyava    kári    xás    tu'aráriihkanha   
you.see    when.she    think    of.course    enough    when    they.pay.me    you.see    then    then    he.recovers   
Then when she thought they had paid her enough in fees, then (the patient) would get well.


[9] koovúra        kunmásmaahvunaa    paachvivtunvêechas   
all    PERF    they.do.a.doctor's.dance    the.little.birds   
All the little birds were doing doctor's dances.

[10] pakunxútih    kíri    nu'áapunma    hûut    kumá’ii    pakunyíkihiti    púyava    kári    xás    kunpíkav    xánkiit   
when.they.think    I.wish    1pl(>3)    how    because.of    when.they.get.sick    you.see    then    then    they.get    bullhead   
When they thought, "Let's find out why they are sick," then they summoned Bullhead.

[11] xás    upiip    áchpuus    kanapíshavsiiprini   
then    she.says    part.of.salmon    you.pay.me   
And she said, "Pay my fee with 'áchpuus."
(áchpuus is translated by Harrington, 1932b, pp.29-31, as 'gut strings.' My informants, however, identify it as 'white stuff under the throat of a salmon.'")

[12] xás    vúra    pu'aapúnmara    xánkiit   
then    Intensive    she.doesn't.find.out    bullhead   
But Bullhead didn't find out.


[13] kári    xás    mahnûuvanach    kúna    kunpíkav   
then    then    chipmunk    in.addition    they.get   
Then in turn they summoned Chipmunk.

[14] kári    xás    umásmaahva    mahnûuvanach   
then    then    she.did.a.doctor's.dance    chipmunk   
And Chipmunk did a doctor's dance.

[15] kári    xás    kachakâach    káan    ukrîish   
then    then    bluejay    there    she.sits.down   
And Blue Jay sat down there.

[16] paráamvar    u'êethtih   
maul    she.carries   
She was holding a maul (for driving wedges).

[17] chími    úkxaavkuriheesh   
soon    she.will.crush   
She was going to smash (Chipmunk) with it.


[18] xás    mahnûuvanach    upiip    akáray    yakún    muvéeniichva   
then    chipmunk    she.says    who    you.see    her.mischief   
Then Chipmunk said, "You see, it's someone's mischief.

[19] mán    kachakâach    muvéeniichva   
why...    bluejay    her.mischief   
Why, it's Blue Jay's mischief."


[20] hínupa    uum    kachakáach    u'apunkôonaatih   
surprise    3.SG    bluejay    she.bewitches   
There Blue Jay herself was bewitching them.

[21] mahnûuvanach    xás    uum    u'aapúnma   
chipmunk    then    3.SG    she.finds.out   
Chipmunk found it out.

[22] kachakâach    mu'ápuroon    kumáheesh    hôoyva    ípahak    utákararihva    sú'    vákay    úkrii   
bluejay    her.devil.machine    you.will.see    somewhere    on.a.tree    it.is.hanging    inside    worm    it.lives   
You can see Blue Jay's 'devil machine' somewhere, it is hanging on a tree, there's a worm inside.
(Bright: "An ápuroon or 'devil machine' is the object used by a sorcerer ('Indian devil') to impose his spells. The kachakach'ápuroon 'bluejay's devil machine' is a type of cocoon.)