Mamie Offield: "A Trip to the Land of the Dead" (1957)

Primary participants: Mamie Offield (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-58
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 266-269, Text 58
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)

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

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[1]	asiktávaan	mukeechíkyav	xákaan	vúra	puxích	puráan	tá	kuntápkuuputih
	woman	her.sweetheart	both	Intensive	very.much	each.other	PERF	they.liked.them

A woman and her sweetheart loved each other very much.

[2]	kári	xás	pa'asiktávaan	pamutipáhiivshas	kunvîihirimkutih
	then	then	the.woman	her.brothers	they.disliked.him

But the woman's brothers disliked (the man).

[3]	chavúra	kuníykar	pa'ávansa
	finally	they.killed.him	the.man

Finally they killed the man.

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[4]	yukún	vúra	uum	xára	tá	kun'íchunva	áasiv
	you.see	Intensive	3.SG	long.time	PERF	they.hid.themselves	cave

You see, (the couple) had hid for a long time in a cave.

[5]	púyava	xás	patá	kun'íshunva	kári	xás	pa'asiktávaan	kúuk	u'uum
	you.see	then	when	they.buried.him	then	then	the.woman	to.there	she.went

So when they buried him (there), then the woman went there.

[6]	kári	xás	ávahkam	úthxuuptakiish	papuyâahara
	then	then	over	she.laid.down.on.top.of.it	the.corpse

And she lay on top of the corpse.

[7]	chavúra	tóo	kúha	tóo	mpux	papuyâahara
	finally	she.had	be.sick	it.had	swell	the.corpse

Finally she got sick, the corpse was swelling.

[8]	kári	xás	uxus	tá	nakúha	xâatik	vúra	nipváruprav
	then	then	she.thought	PERF	I.am.sick	it's.better	Intensive	I.come.out.again

And she said, "I'm sick, let me go out!"

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[9]	kári	xás	vaa	póokviit-ha	xás	ukvit-hûunish
	then	then	so	when.she.slept	then	she.dreamed.about.him

Then when she slept, she dreamed about him.

[10]	kári	xás	upiip	ifuyâach	húm	patanakoohímachva
	then	then	he.said	that's.right	or	that.you.feel.sorry.for.me

And he said, "Is it true that you grieve for me?"

[11]	kári	xás	upiip	pa'ífhaak	víri	chími	nupêen	péekupheesh
	then	then	he.said	if.true	so	soon	let.me.tell.you	how.you.will.do

And he said, "If it is true, let me tell you what to do.

[12]	vaa	ík	káan	i'uumêesh	pámita	nu'ínoohvootihirak	pa'aasívak
	so	must	there	you.will.go	where.(in.the.near.past)	where.we.were.staying.all.the.time	in.the.cave

You must go there where we used to stay, in the cave.

[13]	víri	vaa	imáheesh	axvithínih
	so	so	you.will.see.it	grave

You will see a grave there.

[14]	káru	imáheesh	áxak	yuup	úthyiimvarayveesh
	also	you.will.see.them	two	eye	it.will.be.floating.around

And you will see two eyes float around.

[15]	xáyfaat	ík	ná'ay
	don't!	must	you.fear.me

You mustn't be afraid of me.

[16]	xáyfaat	ík	íkvip
	don't!	must	you.run

You mustn't run.

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[17]	ta'ítam	vaa	kúuk	u'uumáheen
	so	that	to	she.went

So she went there.

[18]	kári	xás	vaa	vúra	umah
	then	then	that	Intensive	she.saw.it

And she saw that.

[19]	kári	xás	axmáy	uchúupha
	then	then	suddenly	it.spoke

And suddenly (a voice) spoke.

[20]	kári	xás	upiip	ivíkeesh	ík	átimnam
	then	then	it.said	you.will.weave.it	must	pack-basket

And it said, "You must weave a burden basket.

[21]	káru	taay	ík	vúra	yáfus	ikyâavish
	also	much	must	Intensive	dress	you.will.make.it

And you must make many dresses.

[22]	víri	vaa	peepíkyaarahaak	víri	vaa	imáheesh	vaa	káan	asa'ípan	úkrii	atipimáamvaan
	so	so	when.you.finish.it	so	so	you.will.see.it	so	there	top.of.a.rock	it.sits	buzzard

When you finish, you will see a buzzard sit there on top of a rock.

[23]	víri	vaa	ík	i'áharameesh
	so	so	must	you.will.follow.it

You must follow it.

[24]	yakún	vaa	yumaaráachviiv
	you.see	that	dead.person.bird

You see, that is the bird of the dead."

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[25]	púyava	kári	xás	ta'ítam	uvíkaheen
	you.see	then	I.wish	so	she.wove

And so then she wove.

[26]	kári	xás	asiktâan	upéer	nuxákaanhi
	then	then	woman	she.told.her	let's.go.together!

And she said to a woman, "Let's go together!"

[27]	vúra	uum	múfyiiv
	Intensive	3.SG	her.friend

She was her friend.

[28]	ta'ítam	uum	káru	uvíkaheen	káru	úkyav	payáfus
	so	3.SG	also	she.wove	also	she.made.them	the.dresses

So she too wove and made the dresses.

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[29]	púyava	tá	kunpíkyaar
	you.see	PERF	they.finished

Then they finished.

[30]	kári	xás	kuniyâaram
	then	then	they.left

So they left.

[31]	kári	xás	kunmah	pa'atipimáamvaan
	then	then	they.saw.it	the.buzzard

And they saw the buzzard.

[32]	ta'ítam	kun'áharamaheen
	so	they.followed.it

So they followed it.

[33]	kári	xás	kun'áhoo	vúra	uum	taay	súpaa	pakun'áhoo
	then	then	they.traveled	Intensive	3.SG	much	day	that.they.traveled

And they traveled, it was many days that they traveled.

[34]	vúra	vaa	kun'áharamuti	pa'atipimáamvaan
	Intensive	so	they.were.following.it	the.buzzard

They were following the buzzard that way.

[35]	kári	xás	hâari	vúra	piríshriik	patá	kun'áhoo	pamukunyáfus	tutatitítit
	then	then	sometime	Intensive	brushy.place	where	they.traveled	their.dresses	it.had.become.tattered

And sometimes it was a brushy place where they traveled, their dresses got torn.

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[36]	chavúra	kun'uum	vúra	uum	yâamach	peethívthaaneen	kípa	thúkin
	finally	they.arrived	Intensive	3.SG	pretty	the.country	like	bile

Finally they arrived, the country was beautiful and green.

[37]	kári	xás	ta'ítam	kinvítivrikaheen	ithyárukirum	kinvítish
	then	then	so	they.rowed.to.meet.them	opposite.shore	they.landed.them

And someone rowed to meet them and landed them on the other shore.

[38]	kári	xás	yánava	áxak	kaan	kéevniikichas
	then	then	visible	two	there	old.women

And they saw two old women there.

[39]	kári	xás	kunipéer	mâa	kâam	vuhvúha	ukyáati	pakúth	ivúrayvutih
	then	then	they.told.her	look!	little.upriver	deerskin.dance	he.is.making.it	the.one.for.whose.sake	you.are.wandering.around

And (the old woman) said, "Look, the one you are wandering around for is making a deerskin dance uphill.

[40]	fâat	kumá'ii	pa'ôok	ti'áhoo
	what	because.of	that.here	you.have.traveled

Why is it that you have come here?

[41]	ôok	uum	pu'áhootihara	pa'ípihitihan
	here	3.SG	he.doesn't.travel	the.one.who.has.bones

People with bones (i.e., live people) don't come here.

[42]	víri	chôora	chími	nu'íshunvi
	so	let's.go	soon	let.us.hide.you!

Come on, let's hide you!

[43]	xáy	kíikmahap
	let.not	they.see.you.guys

Let them not see you!

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[44]	ta'ítam	kin'íshunvaheen
	so	they.hid.them

So they hid them.

[45]	púyava	vúra	xánahishich	káan	tá	kun'iin
	you.see	Intensive	little.while	there	PERF	they.stayed

So they stayed there for a little while.

[46]	kári	xás	kinipéer	chími	kiikpiyâarami
	then	then	they.told.them	soon	you.guys.go.back!

Then they were told, "Go back home!"

[47]	kári	xás	kin'ákih	amveeváxrah
	then	then	they.gave.it.to.them	dried.salmon

And they were given dried salmon.

[48]	hínupa	achvuun
	surprise	hookbill.salmon

There it was dog salmon.

[49]	yukún	vaa	kunípeenti	yumaará'aama	achvuun
	you.see	so	they.call.it	hookbill.salmon	hookbill.salmon

You see, they call dog salmon "dead-man's salmon."

[50]	kári	xás	kinipéer	pa'áraar	tu'ívahaak	vaa	ík	apmántiim	kuyvúruktiheesh
	then	then	they.told.them	when.a.person	he.has.died	that	must	lip	you.guys.will.be.rubbing.it.on.them

And they were told, "When a person dies, you must rub this on his lips.

[51]	yakún	upimtáveesh
	you.see	he.will.come.back.to.life

You see, he will come back to life."

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[52]	ta'ítam	kunpiyâaramaheen
	so	they.went.back

So (the girls) went back home.

[53]	kúkuum	vúra	vaa	kun'ípahoo
	again	Intensive	so	they.traveled.back

They traveled back again that way.

[54]	vaa	vúra	pa'atipimaamvan'îin	kinpôonvuuk
	so	Intensive	the.buzzard	it.brought.them.back

The buzzard brought them back.

[55]	púyava	pakun'ípak	ôok	kumeethívthaaneen	vaa	uum	pakúphaanhanik	póokupiti	áraar	utâanaxihitihirak
	you.see	when.they.returned	here	its.world	that	3.SG	the.ones.who.did.it	as.one.is.doing.it	human	where.one.is.dead

So when they returned to this world, they are the ones who did as it is done in the land of the dead.

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[56]	víri	chavúra	pu'áraar	iimtihara	chavúra	peethívthaaneen	upáxyar	pa'áraar
	so	finally	no.person	he.was.not.dying	finally	the.world	they.filled.it	the.people

Finally no person died, finally the people filled up the earth.

[57]	vaa	kári	xás	vúra	kun'íimti	poofíipha	pa'áama
	so	then	then	Intensive	they.were.dying	when.it.was.all.gone	the.salmon

Then when the salmon was all gone, they died.