Julia Starritt: "Tattoos" (1957)

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

[1]	pa'arara'asiktávaan	uum	ishváak	uthúkinhahitih
	the.Indian.woman	3.SG	chin	it.was.tattooed

The Indian women were tattooed on the chin.

[2]	kuyráak	usasipúniihva	yítha	achipyâach	xás	xákararih
	three	it.runs.down.in.lines	one	very.center	then	on.both.sides

There were three stripes running down, one right in the middle and (two) on each side.

[3]	hâari	tírihshas	káru	hâari	vúra	tûupichas	kuynákmahich	poosasipúniihva
	sometime	wide.ones	also	sometime	Intensive	small.ones	three.at.a.time	it.runs.down.in.lines

Sometimes they were wide and sometimes they were narrow, and sometimes they were each (composed of) three little ones running down.

[4]	xás	asayátha	mûuk	pakunikxúriktih
	then	sharp.stone	with.(by.means.of)	they.marked.it

And they made the design with a sharp stone.

[5]	xás	amyiv	káru	athkúrit	ta	kuníyshar	xás	vaa	tá	kuniyvúruk	pathúkinhak
	then	soot	also	fat	PERF	they.mixed	then	so	PERF	they.rubbed.it	on.the.tattoo

Then they mixed soot and grease, and they rubbed it on the tattoo.

[6]	xás	patu'aráriihkanhaak	xás	pu'ikxáramkunishhara	kúnish	ámkuufkunish
	then	when.it.healed	then	not.black	sort.of	blue

And when it healed, it was not black, it was sort of blue.

[7]	xás	pa'ôok	va'áraaras	pamukún'aav	puthúkinhitihara
	then	here	its.people	their.face	they.didn't.tattoo

And the Indians here didn't tattoo their faces (above the chin).

[8]	vúra	páy nanuxákarari	kích	uum	vaa	kunkupítih
	Intensive	country.outside	only	3.SG	so	they.did

Only ones outside of our country did that.

(Bright: "The informant later corrected herself, saying that the Karok sometimes made small marks just above each corner of the mouth.")