Nettie Ruben: "Lizard and Grizzly Bear" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-34
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 234-237, Text 34
Additional contributor: Clare Sandy (annotator)

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

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[1]	itáharavan	kun'ífanik	tipahêeras
	ten.(animate)	they.once.grew.up	brothers

Ten brothers grew up.

[2]	xás	kári	axmáy	káruk	ára	u'árihvarak
	then	then	suddenly	upriver	person	she.came.down.from.upriver

And suddenly a person came down from upriver.

[3]	xás	kári	kunímuustih
	then	then	they.watched.her

And they looked at her.

[4]	xás	axmáy	vúra	yítha	úkfuukiraa	u'ax
	then	suddenly	Intensive	one	she.grabbed.him	she.killed.him

And suddenly she grabbed one, she killed him.

[5]	xás	kun'írurav
	then	they.fled

Then they fled.

[6]	xás	kuntúraayva
	then	they.looked.around

Then they looked around.

[7]	yánava	tá	púra fátaak
	visible	PERF	nowhere

They saw she was not there.

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[8]	kúkuum	vúra	imáan	káruk	tá	kunítroovutih
	again	Intensive	tomorrow	upriver	PERF	they.were.looking.upriver

Again the next day they looked upriver.

[9]	vaa	vúra	kúkuum	tu'árihvarak
	so	Intensive	again	she.came.down.from.upriver

She came down from upriver like that again.

[10]	xás	kári	kúkuum	yítha	u'ax
	then	then	again	one	she.killed.him

And again she killed one.

[11]	asasúruk	kúuk	tá	kunihmárava
	under.a.rock	to	PERF	they.all.ran.there

They ran underneath a rock.

[12]	púyava	tutúraayva	yítha	yanéekva	tá	púra fátaak
	you.see	he.looked.around	one	visible	PERF	nowhere

Then one looked around, he saw that she was not there.

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[13]	púyava	kári	tá	kun'áraarahiti	vúra	vaa	kaan
	you.see	then	PERF	they.were.living	Intensive	so	there

So they kept living there like that.

[14]	xás	kári	chavúra	tá	pâanpay	koovúra	tá	kín'ax
	then	then	finally	PERF	after.while	all	PERF	they.killed.them

And finally after a while all of them were killed.

[15]	hínupa	papirishkâarim	poo'arihvárakvutih
	surprise	the.grizzly.bear	that.was.coming.down.from.upriver

There it was Grizzly Bear that was coming down from upriver.

[16]	víri	vaa	îin	pakín'aaxtih
	so	that	TOPIC	that.was.killing.them

It was that one that was killing them.

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[17]	yícheech	tóo	saam	paniinamichtâapas	yuuxmachmahánach
	alone	PERF	remain	the.smallest	lizard.sp.

Just one was left, the littlest one, (the type of lizard called) yuuxmachmahánach.

[18]	ii!	xás	uxnánatihach
	oh!	then	he.was.crying.piteously

Oh! then he cried piteously.

[19]	xás	uxus	hûut	áta	pánikupheesh
	then	he.thought	how	maybe	that.I.will.do

And he thought, "How ever shall I do?"

[20]	xás	kári	uxus	tîi	máruk	kanvâarami
	then	then	he.thought	let...	uphill	let.me.go

And he thought, "Let me go uphill."

[21]	kári	xás	máruk	ukyâar	payiipáhvuuf
	then	then	uphill	he.went.to.gather	the.rotten.fir.roots

So he went uphill to get rotten fir roots.

[22]	kári	xás	úkyav
	then	then	he.got.them

And he got them.

[23]	kári	xás	vúra	uum	yâamach	úkyav	vúra	úkyav
	then	then	Intensive	3.SG	pretty	he.fixed.them	Intensive	he.fixed.them

And he fixed them pretty, he fixed them.

[24]	kári	xás	imyá	úkyav
	then	then	breath	he.made.it

And he made a heart.

[25]	kári	xás	uxus	hûut	áta	paninísheesh
	then	then	he.thought	how	maybe	that.I.will.do.with.it

And he thought, "How shall I do with it, I wonder?"

[26]	kári	xás	tupikyaanáyaachha
	then	then	he.had.finished.it.good

And he finished it good.

[27]	xás	uxus	chími	kanipvâarami
	then	he.thought	soon	let.me.go.back.home

And he thought, "Let me go back home."

[28]	xás	u'íipma	pamukrívraam
	then	he.returned	his.house

And he returned home.

[29]	yee!	xás	uxútih	hûut	áta	pánikupheesh
	well	then	he.was.thinking	how	maybe	that.I.will.do

Well, then he thought, "How ever shall I do?"

[30]	kári	xás	inhírip	úkyav	peemyah
	then	then	lace	he.fixed.it	the.heart

Then he put the heart on a string.

[31]	xás	kári	iv'ávahkam	uvôoruraa	tóo	piikívshipriv	péemyah
	then	then	roof	he.crawled.up	he.had	put.necklaces.up.on	the.heart

And he crawled up on the roof, he wore the heart as a necklace.

(Bright: "This type of lizard has a mark on its chest, resembing a necklace with a pendant.")

[32]	kári	xás	káan	u'íihtih	u'íihtih
	then	then	there	he.was.dancing	he.was.dancing

And there he danced and danced.

---

[33]	xás	káruk	útroovutih	axmay	u'árihvarak
	then	upriver	he.was.looking.upriver	suddenly	she.came.downriver

Then he looked upriver, suddenly (Grizzly) came down.

[34]	kári	xás	chavúra	ûumukich	tu'uum
	then	then	finally	near	she.had.gotten

And finally she came close.

[35]	xás	kunímuusti	iv'ávahkam	a'	poo'íihtih
	then	they.were.looking.at.him	roof	above	as.he.was.dancing

And (Lizard) was looked at as he danced, up on the roof.

[36]	kári	xás	uxús	papirishkâarim	púya	íf	yâamach	poo'iikívtih
	then	then	she.thought	the.grizzly.bear	and.so	truly	pretty	what.he's.wearing.as.a.necklace

And Grizzly thought, "My, he's really wearing a pretty necklace!

[37]	tîi	kanimúsan
	let...	let.me.go.see.it

Let me go look at it!"

---

[38]	xás	iv'ávahkam	uvôoruraa	papirishkâarim
	then	roof	she.crawled.up	the.grizzly.bear

So Grizzly crawled up on the roof.

[39]	yuuxmachmahánach	vúra	vaa	u'íihtih
	lizard.sp.	Intensive	so	he.was.dancing

Lizard was dancing like that.

[40]	xás	upíip	papirishkâarim	íf	yâamach	pee'iikívtih
	then	she.said	the.grizzly.bear	truly	pretty	what.you're.wearing.as.a.necklace

And Grizzly said, "You're really wearing a pretty necklace!"

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[41]	xás	yuuxmachmahánach	upiip	hãã
	then	lizard.sp.	he.said	yes

And Lizard said, "Yes!"

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[42]	kári	xás	kunipéer	hôoy	imáhanik
	then	then	they.said.to.him	where	you.found.it

And he was asked, "Where did you find it?

[43]	púya	íf	tá	nitápkuup
	and.so	truly	PERF	I.like.it

My, I really like it!"

---

[44]	kári	xás	yuuxmachmahánach	upiip	man	vúra	naa	ninímya	pani'iikívtih
	then	then	lizard.sp.	he.said	why...	Intensive	1sg.	my.heart	that.I.wear.as.a.necklace

And Lizard said, "Why, I wear my heart as a necklace."

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[45]	kári	xás	upiip	víri	hûut	ikupítih	pirishkâarim	íf	tá	nitápkuup
	then	then	she.said	so	how	you.are.doing.it	grizzly	truly	PERF	I.like.it

And Grizzly said, "How do you do it? I really like it!"

[46]	xás	upiip	víri	hûut	ikupa'eethríshukvahiti	pamímyah
	then	she.said	so	how	how.you.are.taking.it.out	your.heart

And she said, "How do you take out your heart?"

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[47]	kári	xás	upíip	yuuxmachmahánach	naa	pay'ôok	sinkanánaamich	tá	ni'aakúrih
	then	then	he.said	lizard.sp.	1sg.	right.here	base.of.throat	PERF	I.reach.into.it

And Lizard said, "I reach in here at the base of my throat.

[48]	xás	tá	nishkúruhrishuk	paninímya
	then	PERF	I.pull.it.out	my.heart

Then I take out my heart."

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[49]	kári	xás	pirishkâarim	upiip	tîi	kanikyaavárihvi
	then	then	grizzly	she.said	let...	let.me.try

Then Grizzly said, "Let me try!"

[50]	xás	kári	chími	neekshúpi
	then	then	soon	you.show.me

And (she said), "Show me!"

[51]	kári	xás	ta'ítam	u'aakúriheen	kári	xás	uskúruhruprav	pamúmya	pirishkâarim
	then	then	so	he.reached.into.it	then	then	he.pulled.it.out	her.heart	grizzly

And so (Lizard) reached in, and he took out Grizzly's heart.

[52]	kári	xás	ukyívish	âapun
	then	then	she.fell.down	on.the.ground

And (Grizzly) fell to the ground.

[53]	yuuxmachmahánach	úkfuukiraa	papirishkâarim	upsáravrik	patóo	skúruhruprav
	lizard.sp.	he.grabbed.her	the.grizzly.bear	he.helped.her	that.she.did	pull.up.out

Lizard grabbed Grizzly, he helped her pull it out.

[54]	papirishkâarim	ukyívish	pamúmya	too	thyúrurishuk
	the.grizzly.bear	she.fell.down	when.her.heart	he.had	pull.out

Grizzly fell down, when (Lizard) pulled out her heart.

[55]	ta'ítam	ukyívishriheen
	so	she.fell.down

So she fell down.

[56]	tóo	krivrúhuni	sáruk	papirishkâarim
	she.did	roll.downhill.from.here	downhill	the.grizzly.bear

Grizzly rolled downhill.

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[57]	xás	kári	yuuxmachmahánach	upiip	yôotva	ninívaasan	tá	níykar
	then	then	lizard.sp.	he.said	hurray!	my.enemy	PERF	I.killed.her

And Lizard said, "Hurray! I've killed my enemy!"

---

[58]	papirishkâarim	tá	kuníkfuukiraa	yuuxmachmahánach	uxus	kíri	ni'ax
	the.grizzly.bear	PERF	they.grabbed.at.him	lizard.sp.	she.thought	I.wish	I.kill.him

Grizzly (in her death throes) grabbed at Lizard, she thought, "Let me kill him!"

[59]	xás	káan	ás	utháaniv	kéech
	then	there	rock	it.lay	big

And a rock lay there, a big one.

[60]	xás	u'árihkaa	asapatxáxak
	then	he.jumped.inside	crack.in.a.rock

And (Lizard) jumped into a crack in the rock.

[61]	xás	kári	papirishkâarim	úkfuukiraa	pa'as
	then	then	the.grizzly.bear	she.grabbed.it	the.rock

And Grizzly grabbed the rock.

[62]	hûut	chími	unísheesh	pa'as	sú'	úkrii	payuuxmachmahánach
	how	soon	she.will.do.with.it	the.rock	inside	he.was	the.lizard

What was she to do with the rock? Lizard was inside.

[63]	kári	xás	tá	pu'axhára	ásak	sú'	úkrii	asapatxáxak
	then	then	PERF	she.couldn't.kill.him	in.the.rock	inside	he.was	crack.in.a.rock

So she couldn't kill him, he was inside the rock, the crack in the rock.

---

[64]	xás	ukrívruuhsur
	then	she.rolled.away

Then she rolled away.

[65]	poopárihrishuk	víri	vaa	yuuxmachmahánach	iv'ávahkam	poo'íihtih	uthívtaaptih
	when.he.jumped.back.out	so	so	lizard.sp.	roof	he.was.dancing	he.was.doing.a.war.dance

When (Lizard) came out, Lizard danced on the roof, he did a war dance.

[66]	víri	vaa	kích	upíti	poo'íihtih	shakatíiyu'inaa	híyoo
	so	so	only	he.was.saying	as.he.was.dancing	shakatíiyu'inaa	híyoo

He said only this as he danced, "shakatíiyu'inaa híyoo.

(Bright: "These words are meaningless.")

[67]	yôotva	nanívaasan	níykar
	hurray!	my.enemy	I.killed.her

Hurray, I killed my enemy."

[68]	púyava	yuuxmachmahánach	ukúphaanik	kupánakanakana
	you.see	lizard.sp.	he.did.it.once	the.end

So Lizard did it. kupánakanakana.

[69]	úykar	pirishkâarim
	he.killed	grizzly

He killed Grizzly Bear.

[70]	káruma	u'iikívtih	yiipahvuf'ímyah
	in.fact	he.was.wearing.as.a.necklace	rotten.fir.root.heart

The fact was, he was wearing a necklace of wood, a heart of rotten fir roots.

[71]	papirishkâarim	múmya	tóo	thyúruripaa	tufúhish	payuuxmachmahánnach	upíkshaayvutih	uum	áhup	u'iikívtih	yiipahvuf'ímyah
	the.grizzly.bear	her.heart	he.had	pull.out	she.had.believed.him	when.the.lizard	he.was.lying	3.SG	wood	he.was.wearing.as.a.necklace	rotten.fir.root.heart

He pulled out Grizzly's heart, (Grizzly) believed it when Lizard lied, (Lizard) was wearing a necklace of wood, a heart of rotten fir roots.

[72]	púyava	vaa	ukupeeykárahanik	papirishkâarim
	you.see	so	how.he.killed.her.once	the.grizzly.bear

So he killed Grizzly that way.

[73]	púyava	vúra	kóomahich
	you.see	Intensive	little.bit

That's all.