Text identifier: LA16-4 Speaker: Robert Spott Primary documentation: R. H. Robins Edition: R. H. Robins, The Yurok Language (1958), pp. 162-163
Yurok audio:
English translation:
Yurok audio (2002 re-recording by Glenn Moore):
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Tekwe's kohchee weet so'n kue '-uueksoh keech tegahtok. Once the owl acted in such a way that his children were starving.
Kwesee kohchee 'we-neskwechook' 'ap ko'mo'y, 'ue-worue wonuekuek neenee ko'mo'y
kue 'w-ahpeleen kue huueksoh 'w-omtah. Then once as he came home he heard, around and overhead he heard the happy
children playing.
Kwesee 'ap hegoomue'm kue 'w-ahpew, Kues sonehl k'ee huueksoh? So he said to his wife, What are the children doing?
'O le'm, Kwelekw keech hekwsue' k'ee k'e-ke'mow k'ee k'e-s'eyoh 'we-heemar. She said, Well, they found your food under your pounding stone.
Kwesee 'o legoyhl kue huueksoh, Cho' nue pewahchkeye'mo'w 'o raak. The children had been told, Go and wash your faces in the stream.
Kwesee temaloh pewahchkeye'mehl. And for a long time they washed them.
Kue nepuy 'ue-'wers ho merner'skwery 'ue-koosee pemey kue 'we-luehl. Where they had pulled off the salmon skin their mouths were all grease.
Kwesee noohl pontet 'o hlee', noohl weet 'we-luelohl 'enee muelonee'
wee'eeet. Then they took ashes, and they rubbed them on their mouths there.
Noohl keech 'emee newee' kue 'ue-pemeyomonee kue 'we-rewoh. Then no longer did the greasy part of their lips show.
Tue' weet 'ee mehl 'w-ew we'y kue Tege'muer tue' weeshtue' nee shoo
nohsuenowohl. And that is why their name is Snowbird, and so they grow like that.
Noohl 'o gegoomue'm kue 'we-nos hegee' kue tekwe's: Then the owl's wife spoke to her husband and told the owl:
Ke'l kwelekw k'ee soo no'omuenowonee k'ee 'wes'onah tue' k'ee nee tegetko'hl kee
chpee nee 'e'goloyew. As long as the heavens endure you will just be hooting in the
canyons.
Tue' neekeechyue son hoore'mos kue ch'ue'ch'eesh tue' kee ruerowoo'm. All the animals and the birds will be singing.
Tue' ke'l 'o so ko'r neemee kee ruerowo'm keet chpee k'e-wegaaneyoochek' k'ee
nee tegetko'hl kee shoo heweche'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.
Nek kwelekw k'ee nee pegarkohl 'we-heemech kee ko nee chyeguuek'wenek'. As for me, I shall sit in front of where people live.
Tue' wee' too' 'we-tekwe's wee' 'er'gerp. And thus ends the story of the owl.