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

Nettie Ruben: "The White Man's Gifts" (1957)

Primary participants: Nettie Ruben (speaker), William Bright (researcher)
Date: 1957
Project identifier: WB_KL-65
Publication details: William Bright, The Karok Language (1957), pp. 278-279, Text 65
Additional contributor: Erik Maier (annotator)


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


[1]

kári pa'apxantínihich tá kunkôoha pakunváthiinaa kári xás pa'áraar afyíiv tá kínmah. tá kunyíchaachha. káruma kári pa'áraaras kári pa'áraaras kári kun'áathvunaatih. kinípeenti " kêemish pa'apxantínihichas."

When the white men finished fighting, then they were friendly to the Indians. They got together with them. (But) the fact was, the Indians were still afraid. They were told that the white men were devils.

[2]

kári peeshpúk tá kin'éeh. kunxúti " as." púyava sáruk astíip tá kunivyíhish. kári xás tá kuntiishtîishha.

Then (the whites) gave them money (i.e., coins). (The Indians) thought they were rocks. So they went down to the river bank. And they skipped them on the water.

[3]

kunikvêeshri pa'apxantínihich. kári xás kinipêer " káan ík kúvyiihmeesh." kári xás kunívyiihma. xás peempúr kin'ákih. puvishtunvêechas xás kunpávyiihship pa'áraar xás pakunpávyiihma xás kunpiyvêeshrihva peempúr. kári xás pamakáyvaas vaa kích tápas kuníkyav. vaa arará'uup tá kuníkyav.

The white men were camped. And they told (the Indians) to come there. So they came. And (the whites) gave them flour. It was (in) little sacks. Then the Indians went back home. And when they got home, then they poured out the flour. And they kept only the cloth. They made Indian treasure of it.

[4]

kári xás vaa kúna tá kin'ákih ipchimákananach. kári xás víriva tá kunkuupha pa'írahiv tah, tá kunpifkutíshiiprin. kári xás vaa vúra uum tá kunxúusunish " yaas'ára." peepchimákananach tá kuniptákvar. peepchimákananach aaxkúnish. peempurávaas patuvuhvúhinaa púyava patakuníkviipvarayva púyava tá kunsíchakvutva, vaa tá kunipyáfus.

Then in addition they gave them handkerchiefs. Then (the Indians) made the world-renewal ceremony, they put (the handkerchiefs) on. Then people thought they were rich. They put on the handkerchiefs across their chests. The handkerchiefs were red. And when they did the deerskin dance, when they carried the obsidian blades, they wore the flour bags around their waist, they put them on that way, as dresses.