Nettie Ruben: "Why Lightning Strikes Trees" (1957)

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[1]	chími	kunímthaatvunaavish
	soon	they.were.going.to.play.shinny

They were going to play shinny.

[2]	xás	kunipéer	púya	íf	yâamach	peepâanvutih
	then	they.told.him	and.so	truly	pretty	you.were.painting.your.face

And they said to (Horsefly), "My, your face is painted pretty!

[3]	fâat	kôok	peepâanvuti	iim
	what	kind	you.were.painting.your.face.with	2sg.

What did you paint it with?"

[4]

kári

xás

tóo

piip

mán

vúra

naa

vaa

kári

xás

tá

nixus

chími

kan'ápivan

panipâanveesh

then

then

he.had

say

why...

Intensive

1sg.

so

then

then

PERF

I.thought

soon

let.me.go.look.for.it

what.I.will.paint.my.face.with

And he said, "Why, I thought I would go look for something to paint my face with.

[5]	púyava	ípaha	tá	nishxáxaar
	you.see	tree	PERF	I.tore.it.open

So I ripped open a tree.

[6]	víri	vaa	káan	tá	nimáh	panipâanvutih
	so	so	there	PERF	I.found.it	what.I.am.painting.my.face.with

There I found what I am painting it with."

[7]	kári	xás	ífuth	pakunpímthaatvunaa
	then	then	afterward	they.played.shinny.again

And afterward they played shinny again.

[8]	kári	xás	kúkuum	vúra	vaa	chí	kunímthaatvunaavish
	then	then	again	Intensive	so	soon	they.were.going.to.play.shinny

Again they were going to play shinny.

[9]	púyava	kunípeentih	hôoy	iim	imáahtih	peepâanvutih
	you.see	they.were.saying.to.him	where	2sg.	you.were.finding.it	what.you.are.painting.your.face.with

So they said to him, "How do you find what you paint your face with?"

[10]	xás	kunxús	nuu	káru	vaa	tîi	núkuuphi
	then	they.thought	we	also	so	let...	let.us.do.it

And they thought, "Let us do that too!"

[11]	pa'ípaha	kuníkfuukiraa
	the.trees	they.grabbed.at.them

They grabbed the trees.

[12]	púfaat	vúra	pá'aax
	nothing	Intensive	the.blood

There was no blood (in them).

[13]	káruma	uum	pa'áraar	tóo	par	xás	pamú'aax	tóo	pûuxsur
	in.fact	3.SG	the.humans	he.had	bite	then	their.blood	he.had	taken.it.off.into.his.mouth

The fact was, (Horsefly) had bit human beings, and taken out a mouthful of their blood.

[14]	víri	vaa	poopâanvuti	pa'arará'aax
	so	that	what.he.was.painting.his.face.with	the.human.blood

Human blood is what he painted his face with.

[15]

xás

araramvanyupsítanach

uxus

xáyfaat

vaa

nipiip

tóo

piip

ípahak

kích

panimáahti

pá'aax

then

horsefly

he.thought

don't!

so

I.say.it

he.had

say

in.trees

only

I.am.finding.it

the.blood

and Horsefly thought, "Let me not say it"; he said, "I find the blood only in trees."

[16]	púyava	payêem	patóo	snur	pa'ípaha	tóo	kfuukiraa	tóo	sxáxaar
	you.see	now	when.it.has	thunder	the.trees	he.has	grab	he.has	tear.open

So now when it thunders, (Lightning) grabs the trees, he rips them open.