Ararahih'urípih
A Dictionary and Text Corpus of the Karuk Language

Nettie Ruben: "The Creation of Eels" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-41
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 242-243, Text 41
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)

Note: Bright: "This is the only story about Across-the-Water-Widower which I was able to record; one other Karok story about him appears in Harrington, 1032a, pp.67-72. A character with a similar name is much more prominent in the mythology of the Yurok and the Hupa; cf. Kroeber, 1925, pp.73 and 134."

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[1]

ithyarukpíhriiv u'árihroov, uxus, " tîi káruk kanvâarami." xás kári chavúra yíiv káruk tu'árihroov. xás kuníhyiivti hôoyva. vúra vaa u'áhootih. chavúra yíiv kúkuma tóo hyiv. xás upítih, " nakûushi." ithyarukpíhriiv kunihyûunishtih, upêentih, " nakûushi."

Across-the-Water Widower went upriver, he thought, "Let me go upriver!" And finally he went a long ways upriver. And there was a shout somewhere. He was traveling like that. Finally, a long ways on, there was a shout again. And (the person) said, "Copulate with me!" Across-the-Water Widower was shouted at, (the person) said to him, "Copulate with me!"

[2]

xás kári uxútih, " yee! fâat yáxa. fâat kumá'ii paneehyûunishtih." xás kúuk úkfuukiraa. kári xás ukuth. kári xás hínupa chantírih. vaa káan sú' vúra upíkrii.

And he thought, "Well, look! What is it? Why is she shouting at me?" And he grabbed in that direction. And he copulated with her. And there it was Tick. She stayed there inside (his penis).

[3]

xás u'árihroov ithyarukpíhriiv. xás uxus, " yée naa, íf tá nakúha." kári xás " hûut áta tá ná'iin." kári xás chavúra puxích tóo kúha. kári xás úkpaaksur pamúsiish. xás úuth upáathkar. xás u'árihroov.

Then Across-the-Water Widower went upriver. And he thought, "Say, it really hurts me!" And (he thought), "I wonder what's wrong with me?" And finally it hurt him very much. So he cut off (part of) his penis. And he threw it out into the river. And he went upriver.

[4]

chavúra tá yíiv káruk u'árihroov. xás uxútih, " íf kúkuum tá nakúha." xás kári kúkuum úkpaaksur pamúsiish. xás kúkuum úuth upáathkar.

Finally, he went a long ways upriver. And he thought, "It really hurts me again!" And he again cut off (part of) his penis. And again he threw it out into the river.

[5]

púyava payêem paakráa vaa pa'úuth uxyakâanvutih. ithyarukpíhriiv pamúsiish uvupaksúroonik. hínupa chantirih'îin sú' patá kunvôonkurih, vaa kúth pookpaksúrooti pamúsiish.

So now the eels are that which he threw out into the river. Across-the-Water Widower cut off his penis. There it was Tick that crawled into him, that's why he cut off his penis.