Nettie Ruben: "Work Contests" (1957)

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

[1]	pa'ifápiitsha	sárip	tá	kunishtúkanva
	the.young.women	hazel.twigs	PERF	they.went.to.pick.them

The young women went gathering hazel sticks.

[2]	xás	tá	kunpavyíhuk
	then	PERF	they.came.back

Then they came home.

[3]	tá	kunturíshriihva	pasárip
	PERF	they.carried.it.in.pack.baskets	the.hazel.sticks

They carried home the hazel sticks in burden baskets.

[4]	kári	xás	vúra	uum	táay	yáan'iiftihan	pa'afíshnihanichas	tá	kunthárufvunaa
	then	then	Intensive	3.SG	much	young.person	the.young.men	PERF	they.peeled.sticks

And lots of young unmarried men peeled the sticks.

[5]	xás	tá	kunpíip	chími	nuvûuksahinaa
	then	PERF	they.said	soon	let.us.have.a.work.contest!

They would say, "Let's have a contest!"

(Bright: "The winner was the first to peel ten sticks.")

[6]	káruma	tá	kun'ífikvunaa	paxuntápan
	in.fact	PERF	they.picked.them.up	the.acorns

(Or) the case would be that they were gathering acorns.

[7]	xás	kári	tá	kunpavyíhuk	pa'ifápiitsha
	then	then	PERF	they.came.back	the.young.women

And the young women would come home.

[8]	axyaráva	tá	kun'ífik	átimnam
	all.full	PERF	they.picked.it.up	pack-basket

They picked the burden baskets full.

[9]	púyava	tá	kunpavyíhuk	kári	xás	chími	nuvûuksahinaa
	you.see	PERF	they.came.back	then	then	soon	let.us.have.a.work.contest!

So they came home and then (they said), "Let's have a contest!"

[10]	apmáan	mûuk	kunchátnaktih
			they.cracked.them

They cracked them with their mouths (i.e., with their teeth).