Glenn Moore

Retelling of Robert Spott's "The Owl" (November 19, 2004)

Writing system: no hyphens | hyphens
Display style: paragraph | sentence | look-up

Text identifier: GM1
Speaker: Glenn Moore
Primary documentation: Andrew Garrett
Project transcription: Alysoun Quinby
Audio source: AG-03-1
Note: Glenn Moore read Spott's story as printed by R. H. Robins, "The Yurok Language", making a few changes to the text.

Yurok audio (Part 1):  
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Yurok audio (Part 2):  
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  1. Te-kwe's koh-chee weet so'n kue 'uuek-soh keech te-gah-tok.
    Once the owl acted in such a way that his children were starving.
  2. Kwe-see koh-chee 'we-nes-kwe-chook' 'ap ko'-mo'y, 'ue-wo-rue wo-nue-kuek nee-nee ko'-mo'y kue 'wah-pe-leen kue huuek-soh 'wom-tah.
    Then once as he came home he heard, around and overhead he heard the happy children playing.
  3. Kwe-see 'ap he-goo-mue'm kue 'wah-pew, Kues so-nehl kue huuek-soh?
    So he said to his wife, What are the children doing?
  4. 'O ge'm, Kwe-lekw keech hekw-sue' kue k'e-ke'-mow kue k'es-'o-yoh 'uehee-mar.
    She said, Well, they found your food under your pounding stone.
  5. Kwe-see 'o ge-goyhl kue huuek-soh, Cho' nue pe-wahch-key-ye'-mo'w 'o raak.
    The children had been told, Go and wash your faces in the stream.
  6. Kwe-see te-ma-loh pe-wahch-key-ye'-mehl.
    And for a long time they washed them.
  7. Kue ne-puy 'ue'-wers hr mer-ner's-kwery 'ue-koo-see pe-mey kue 'we-luehl.
    Where they had pulled off the salmon skin their mouths were all grease.
  8. Kwe-see noohl pon-tet 'o hlee', noohl weet 'we-luelh nee-nee mue-lo-nee weet.
    Then they took ashes, and they rubbed them on their mouths there.
  9. Noohl keech 'e-ma ne-wee' kue 'ue-pe-mey-yo-mo-nee kue 'we-re-woh.
    Then no longer did the greasy part of their lips show.
  10. Tue' weet 'ee mehl 'wew kue Te-ge'-muer tue' weesh-tue' nee shoo noh-sue-no-wohl.
    And that is why their name is Snowbird, and so they grow like that.

  11. Tue' weet mehl 'wew we'y kue Te-ge'-muer tue' weesh-tue' nee shoo noh-sue-no-wohl.
    And that is why their name is Snowbird, and so they grow like that.
  12. Noohl 'o ge-goo-mue'm kue 'we-nos he-gee' kue te-kwe's:
    Then the owl's wife spoke to her husband and told the owl:
  13. Ke'l kwe-lekw k'ee soo no-'o-mue-no-wo-nee k'ee 'wes-'o-new tue' k'ee nee te-get-ko'hl kee chpee 'e'-go-lo-yew.
    As long as the heavens endure you will just be hooting in the canyons.
  14. Tue' nee-keech-yue son hoo-re'-mos kue ch'ue'ch-'eesh tue' kee rue-ro-woo'm.
    All the animals and the birds will be singing.
  15. Tue' ke'l 'o so ko'r nee-mee kee rue-ro-wo'm kee-tee chpee k'e-we-gaa-ney-yoo-chek' k'ee nee te-get-ko'hl kee shoo he-we-che'm.
    But you alone will not be able to sing so that you will just make noise foretelling evil in the canyons (and) so you will live.
  16. Nek kwe-lekw k'ee nee pe-gar-kohl 'wehee-mech kee nee chye-guuek'-we-nek'.
    As for me, I shall sit in front of where people live.
  17. Tue' weet too' 'we-te-kwe's 'we-'er'-gerp.
    And thus ends the story of the owl.