Jessie Exline
"The Grey Sea Gull" (1983)
Writing system: no hyphens | hyphens
Display style: sentence | look-up
Text identifier: CICD2
Speaker: Jessie Exline
Edition: , "Downriver Indians' Legends" (pages 17-38), Center for Community Development,
Humboldt State University
Note: Some corrections have been made to the published text (due to presumed typos) and
translation.
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Kue chey-ke-nee me-wah kue nee-'eeh 'ue-kue-chos nue-mee te-wo-mehl mee kee-tee nue
'yerh-hlkery-tehl cheee-gery nes-kwee Koh-pey.
The little boy who lived with his grandmother was very grateful because they were going to go gather huckleberries near Crescent City. -
Kue me-wah key-chek 'we-nerh-per-yerk', he-gok'w 'we-neee'-nek' cheee-shep' 'e-see
'werrp'.
The boy was tired of gathering berries, he went to look for flowers and butterflies. -
Kue kue-chos hem', Ko-we-cho' he-goom' nes-kwee kue won hehl-kew
The grandmother told him, "Do not go near the other mountain." -
Koh-chee mos neee'-now' kue serrhl kue me-wah 'o he-gok'w.
Once, not looking at what he was doing, the boy did go. -
K'ee 'we-ter-ge-rew won wen-chokws kem nerh-pery.
(He went because) he conversed with a woman, and also to pick berries. -
Kue wen-chokws hekw-se'-wey'.
The woman smiled. -
'O lem', Kee poy-kook' k'e-te-wey, k'e-pah-tuen, 'e-see k'e-seen.
She said, "I will tattoo your face, your neck, and your arms. -
Kee soo hey-yo-mok's cheee-kol' k'e-serrhl.
You will be lucky in everything you do." -
Kue me-wah hem' che-la' kue wen-chokws 'o tke-koh 'ue'-wers-kuen mehl 'werhl-kerr', 'em-see
me'-lo-nem' mehl nerh-pery 'we-che-wo-lew.
The boy said that she pricked his skin with bone, and then rubbed it with berry juice. -
Nue-mee chmey 'o wey-kom' kue me-wah ke-mey'.
She finished very late, the boy went home. -
Kue 'ue-kue-chos ne-wom' 'o nue-mee te-to's, 'em-see nue-mee keem' soo re-pee-chom', 'e-see
soo ho-'oh-kohl so myoot' lekw-see.
His grandmother saw him and was very angry, and she beat him very badly, and when it was dark she pushed him outside. -
'O mey-kwe-le'-wey', noohl 'o ge's, Tyoh-pey-yok 'ne-kue-chos.
And he cried, then he thought, "I hate my grandmother." -
Ho pe-noh-pey' nee-ko'l hee-kon.
She was always kind before. -
Kue rookws 'o swerrk'ws nue-mee keem soo.
The wind blew very badly. -
Kue me-wah 'o rue-row', Rookws, rookws, ko suue-we-pem', we-nos so nek wo-nue
we'-not mehl moyk.
The boy sang, "Wind, wind, blow your breath, come to me on wings of death." -
Kue rookws me-geer' 'wech-ween-kor.
The wind heeded his words. -
Kue kue-chos lekw-see soo-tok'w nue 'wehuem-chor.
The grandmother went outside to give her greeting. -
Keech ke-go's-neg, 'we-re'-noh ko-lo lo-'o-gey, 'e-see ne-wee' mehl kue muen-chey
ke-go's-neg.
He is a grey seagull, his feathers are dark, and he is seen with white seagulls. -
Wee-'eeet soo keem-kee' mehl 'ue-kee-mo-le-pek' so 'ue-pe-noh-pey kue-chos.
In this way he is punished for being unkind to his kind grandmother.