Julia Starritt: "The Shinny Game" (1957)

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[1]	pa'arara'avanséextiivha	uum	yítha	pakuméextiivha	úthvuuyti	imtháatva
	the.Indian.men's.games	3.SG	one	game	it.was.called	shinny

One game, of the Indian men's games, was called 'the stick game' (i.e., shinny).

[2]	víriva	uum	tishrámniik	pakuníxtiivhitih
	so	3.SG	a.level.place	where.they.played.it

They played it on a level place.

[3]

papanamnihimthatváram

uum

vaa

káan

ukyâasipreehiti

paGeorgia

mutasa'îikukam

xás

yúruk

paxánthiip

u'iihyírak

u'ípanhitih

The.Orleans.stick-game.field

3.SG

so

there

it.began

Georgia

outside.her.fence

then

downriver

where.the.black.oak

it.stands

it.ended

The Orleans stick-game field began there just outside Georgia's (Mrs. Georgia Henry's) fence, and it ended downriver where the black oak stands.

[4]	xás	kunsáanvuti	áhup	úthvuuyti	imtháatvar	káru	tákasar
	then	they.carried.it	wood	it.was.called	shinny.stick	also	shinny.tossel

And they carried sticks, they were called shinny sticks and a 'tossel' (i.e., a double ball).

[5]	xás	patákasar	uum	ahuptunvêechas	unhítunvahitih
	then	the.tossel	3.SG	little.sticks	they.were.tied.together

And the tossel was little sticks, they were tied together.

[6]	xákarari	áxak	pa'ávansas	káru	áachip	áxak
	on.both.sides	two	the.men	also	middle	two

There were two men at each end and two in the middle.

[7]	yítha	uum	pa'ávansa	poo'avíkvuti	patákasar
	one	3.SG	the.man	that.carried.it	the.tossel

One man carried the tossel.

[8]	apmáan	mûuk	upáratih
	mouth	with.(by.means.of)	he.bit.it

He bit it with his mouth (i.e., held it between his teeth).

[9]	púyava	xás	kári	tá	kunikyâasip
	you.see	then	then	PERF	they.began

Then they began.

[10]	xás	âapun	patákasar	tóo	kyívish
	then	on.the.ground	the.tossel	it.had	fall.down

The tossel fell on the ground.

[11]	púyava	xákaan	vúra	patá	kunxús	kíri	nutâatsip
	you.see	with.(one.person)	Intensive	that	they.thought	I.wish	we.should.toss.it

Both (men) thought, "Let's toss it!"

[12]	púyava	yítha	uum	tóo	tâatsip
	you.see	one	3.SG	he.had	tossed.it

And one tossed it.

[13]	yúruk	tóo	tâatrupuk
	downriver	he.had	tossed.it.outdoors

He tossed it downriver.

[14]	púyava	xás	puráan	tá	kun'ífukiraa	xás	tá	kunvúunva
	you.see	then	each.other	PERF	they.grabbed	then	PERF	they.wrested

Then they grabbed each other, and they wrestled.

[15]	púyava	xás	hâari	xákaan	vúra	tá	kunithyívish
	you.see	then	sometime	with.(one.person)	Intensive	PERF	they.fell.down

Sometimes both of them fell down.

[16]	púyava	xás	uumkun	yu'kúkamkam	pa'ávansas	tá	kunithvíripraa
	you.see	then	they	on.the.downriver.end	the.men	PERF	they.ran.up.from.downriver

Then the men on the downriver end ran up.

[17]	púyava	payítha	peeshnaaníchhaak	uum	píshiip	tu'úum	patákasar	uphírivirak
	you.see	the.one	if.he.was.swift	3.SG	first	he.arrived	where.the.tossel	where.it.lay

If one was swift, he arrived first where the tossel lay.

[18]	púyava	xás	uum	píshiip	tóo	tâatsip
	you.see	then	3.SG	first	he	tossed.it

So he tossed it first.

[19]	káruk	tóo	ptâatroov
	upriver	he	tossed.it.back.upriver

He tossed it back upriver.

[20]	xás	uumkun	káru	ka'kúkam	tá	kunithvíripvarak
	then	they	also	little.upriver	PERF	they.ran.down.from.upriver

Then the ones on the upriver end ran down.

[21]	púyava	patákasar	tóo	kyívishrihaak	púyava	tóo	tâatsip
	you.see	when.the.tossel	it.had	fallen	you.see	he	tossed.it

When the tossel fell, (one of them) tossed it.

[22]	káruk	tóo	tâatroov
	upriver	he	tossed.it.upriver

He tossed it upriver.

[23]	xás	payu'kúkam	uumkun	káruk	tá	kunithvíriproov
	then	the.downriver.end	they	upriver	PERF	they.ran.up.from.downriver

Then the ones on the downriver end ran up.

[24]	púyava	hâari	vúra	pu'ikyívivrathtihara
	you.see	sometime	Intensive	it.didn't.fall.over.the.goal.line

Sometimes (the tossel) didn't fall over (the goal line).

[25]	púyava	hâari	uum	payu'kúkam	pa'ávansas	píshiip	tu'úum	patákasar	uphírivirak
	you.see	sometime	3.SG	the.downriver.end	the.men	first	they.arrived	where.the.tossel	it.lay

Sometimes the men on the downriver end arrived first where the tossel lay.

[26]	púyava	yúruk	tóo	tâatrupuk
	you.see	downriver	he.had	tossed.it.outdoors

So (one of them) tossed it downriver

[27]	púyava	payu'kúkam	tá	kuntâativrukahaak	púyava	kári	tá	kunkôokha	payúruk	va'áras
	you.see	if.the.downriver.end	PERF	they.toss.it.over.the.goal.line	you.see	then	PERF	they.won	the.downriver	people

If the ones on the downriver end toss it over (the goal line), then the downriver people won.

[28]	káru	uumkun	paka'kúkam	vúra	kunkupheesh
	also	they	the.upriver.side	Intensive	they.will.do.it

Those on the upriver side would do it also.

[29]	vaa	uum	papaaxkívtihan	uum	peekpihan'íshiip	káru	peeshnanich'íshiip
	so	3.SG	who.win	3.SG	the.strongest	also	the.swiftest

The winners were the strongest and the swiftest.

(Bright: "Regarding this game, see Goddard, pp.60-61, and plate 19, figures 3 and 4. Evidently each of the three pairs of players described in the present text consisted of one man from each team. After the middle pair had put the tossel in play, the other pairs would also wrestle, each man trying to keep his opponent from reaching the tossel. In sentences 27 and 28, the terms payu'kúkam 'the downriver side' and paka'kúkam 'the upriver side' evidently do not refer to the pairs of opponents at downriver and upriver ends of the field, but to the downriver and upriver teams, respectively. The course of play is not necessarily, of course, the exact one described in the present text.")