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

Nettie Ruben: "Mockingbird and Swamp Robin" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-43
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), p. 244-245, Text 43
Additional contributor: Matthew Faytak (annotator)


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


[1] túus    tóo    pvâaram   
mockingbird    PERF    go.back   
Mockingbird went home.

[2] pamu'urútvaap    poo'iithvúti    á'    vúra   
his.dipnet.frame    he.was.carrying.on.his.back    above    Intensive   
He was carrying his dip-net frame up (in the air).

[3] ee    yánava    áchkuun   
oh!    visible    swamp.robin   
Well, he saw Swamp Robin.

[4] xás    á'    iktít    vaa    poo'átivutih   
then    above    drying-rack    so    he.was.carrying.them.on.his.back   
And he was carrying acorn-drying racks in a burden basket, (piled) up (in the air).

[5] púyava    xás    upiip    ee    chími    núpuunvi   
you.see    then    he.said    oh!    soon    let.us.rest   
And he said, "Well, let's rest!"

[6] xás    kunípuunva   
then    they.rested   
So they rested.

[7] xás    áchkuun    kunipéer    túus    upiip    pamipakuhíram    tu'ífikaraha    paxuntápan   
then    swamp.robin    they.told.him    mockingbird    he.said    your.acorn.gathering.grounds    many.are.picking    the.acorns   
And Swamp Robin was told, Mockingbird said, "They're picking the acorns at your acorn-picking grounds."


[8] kári    xás    upiip    hûum   
then    then    he.said    is.that.so?   
And (Swamp Robin) said, "Is that so?"


[9] xás    kári    ta'ítam    ôok    tu'ípak    áchkuun   
then    then    so    here    he.returned    swamp.robin   
Then Swamp Robin returned here.

[10] púyava    pimnaanihîish    áchkuun    tóo    pvâaram   
you.see    it.became.spring    swamp.robin    PERF    go.back   
Then in the spring, Swamp Robin went back home.

[11] túus    máruk    xás    tóo    mah    káan    tóo    kmárihivrik   
mockingbird    uphill    then    PERF    see    there    PERF    meet   
He saw Mockingbird uphill, he went to meet him there.

[12] xás    kári    áchkuun    upiip    úma    pamímvir    ikriróov    tóo    páx    pa'áama   
then    then    swamp.robin    he.said    emphatic(?)    your.fishing.platform    fishing.spot.name    PERF    catch.(fish)    the.salmon   
And Swamp Robin said, "They've caught the salmon at your fishery, Ikrirôov."


[13] púyava    ta'ítam    ôok    u'ípakaheen    túus   
you.see    so    here    he.returned    mockingbird   
So Mockingbird returned here.

[14] púyava    uum    túus    payêem    vúra    u'ípakvutih    tupímnaaniharuk   
you.see    3.SG    mockingbird    now    Intensive    he.returns    he.comes.here.to.spend.the.summer   
So now Mockingbird always returns, he comes to spend the summer.

[15] ikrirôov    múmvir   
fishing.spot.name    his.fishing.platform   
Ikrirôov is his fishery.

[16] túus    ukúphaanik   
mockingbird    he.did.it   
Mockingbird did it.
(Bright: "This story, if it can actually be called that, is based on the observation that the mockingbird arrives on the Klamath in the summer, at the beginning of salmon season, and leaves in the fall. The swamp robin arrives in the fall, at the beginning of acorn season, and leaves again in the spring.")