Mary Marshall

Coyote and Crane (1927)

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Text identifier: MM3
Speaker: Mary Marshall
Primary documentation: Edward Sapir
Edition: , Howard Berman, "Yurok Texts", Collected Works of Edward Sapir, volume 14, Northwest California Linguistics, ed. by Victor K. Golla and Sean O'Neill, pp. 1017-1022
Manuscript source: Edward Sapir, Yurok field notebook, American Philosophical Society

  1. Se-gep ma kwe-get koh-chee Merkw-teeks.
    One time Coyote went visiting Crane.
  2. 'Em ne-wo'm skuye'n soo 'o'l na-'a'n 'wah-pew.
    He went and saw how well Crane lived with his two wives.
  3. 'O koh-che-mo-'o'l.
    He stayed all night.
  4. Koy-poh 'o le'm, Chue 'o'-lep kee ko'l lue nep-'oh.
    In the morning he said,Let's go into the house and eat.
  5. Keech 'o wey ko'l 'we-ne-pek'.
    He finished eating.
  6. 'O le'm kee ke-meyk'.
    Coyote said, I'll go home.
  7. Keech 'o ke-me'y.
    He went home.
  8. 'O le's,Kues kee so-no-wok' kee hlook' k'ee 'ue-ma-'a'?
    He thought,What shall I do to take away that spear of his?
  9. Ko 'o men-so'm mehl kue 'wah-pew.
    Then he'll buy it back with his wives.
  10. Wee-'eeet kue so-no-wok', kee nue-mee pe-leen ne-puy, wee' kee nek w'eet kee chpee soo hlook' k'ee 'ue-ma-'a'.
    That's what I'll do, I'll make myself into a very big salmon, that's the only way I can catch his spear.
  11. Kwe-see' pa-'aahl 'o soo-tok'.
    Then I'll go into the water.
  12. Keech 'o ne-puy wee'.
    Then he turned into a salmon.
  13. Kwe-see' Merkw-teeks wee 'o we-nok'w, 'ap ne-wo'm ne-puy pe-leen.
    Then Crane was coming, and he saw a big salmon.
  14. Kwe-see' 'o ma-'ahs-ke'm
    He speared it.
  15. Kwe-see' Se-gep wee' kue ne-puy.
    That salmon was Coyote.
  16. 'O le's Merkw-teeks, Kue ma-'ahs-kek'.
    Crane thought, I'll go spearing (for fish).
  17. Kwe-see' 'o ne-wo'm pe-leen ne-puy, kwe-see' 'o ma-'ahs-ke'm.
    He saw a big salmon, and he caught it with his spear.
  18. Kwe-see' 'o sle-ko'n kue 'ue-ma-'a'.
    Then his spear was pulled out.
  19. Kue ne-puy wee' keech ne-ge'm.
    That salmon took it.
  20. Kwe-see' 'o ke-me'y.
    Then Crane went home.
  21. Keech mo-'ok'w kue 'ue-ma-'a'.
    He had lost his spear.
  22. 'Er'gerrch 'ee kap soot'.
    He went right into the sweathouse.
  23. Hle-nue-tue' chme'y noohl 'oohl-ke's 'o 'er'-gerrch.
    He lay in the sweathouse until finally it was evening.
  24. 'Em le-gee',Ko'n nue' nep's.
    Then he was told,Come in and eat.
  25. 'O le'm, Paas!
    Crane said, No!
  26. Nee-mee chee-wey-yek'.
    I do not feel hungry.
  27. Kee-mo'l keech so-no-wok'.
    I did badly.
  28. Keech hoo'yk-'e-tek' kue ko'l mehl ho ne-pe'-moh.
    I lost what we used to eat with.
  29. Kwe-see' 'o ne-wee' Se-gep keet nes.
    Then they saw Coyote coming.
  30. 'O le'm, Kues so-no-wo-le'm? ha'm Se-gep.
    Coyote said, What is the matter with you?
  31. 'O le'm Merkw-teeks, Kee-mo'l keech so-no-wok' keech hoo'yk-'e-tek' 'ne-ma-'a'.
    Crane said, I did badly, I lost my spear.
  32. Tee'n kye kwen kee ko'l mehl ne-pe'-moh?
    How are we going to get our food?
  33. Ne-puy wee' ne-ge'm.
    A salmon took it away.
  34. 'O le'm Se-gep,Tee'n kee nah-cha' mo-cho' kee yekw-sek'?
    Coyote said,What will you give me if I find it?
  35. Kwe-see' 'o le'm, Kee nah-che-chek' 'ne-cheeek mo-cho' kee yekw-se'm k'ee 'ne-ma-'a'.
    Then Crane said, I'll give you money if you find that spear of mine.
  36. Kwe-see' 'o le'm, Tee'-nee'-shoo kee nah-cha'?
    Coyote said, What are you going to give me?
  37. 'O le'm, Mo' tee'-nee'-shoo ske-wok-se-me'm?
    Crane said, What is that you want?
  38. 'O le'm, Kue k'ah-pews.
    Coyote said, Your wives.
  39. 'O le'm, Ko-reen has k'ee 'nah-pew?
    Crane said, One of my wives?
  40. 'O le'm, Paa'!
    Coyote said, No!
  41. 'O le'm, Kee-kee na-'a'n!
    He said, Both of them!
  42. 'O le'm, Chuue'!
    He (Crane) said, All right!
  43. Hahl tue' kue neee'-no-wos-'o'.
    Let me go and tell them.
  44. Kwe-see' Se-gep 'er'-gerrch nee 'ok'w
    Coyote stayed in the sweathouse.
  45. Kwe-see' Merkw-teeks 'o 'nes-kwe-chok'w.
    Then Crane came back (from talking to his wives).
  46. 'O le'm, Chuue'!
    He said, All right!
  47. To' keech 'ee k'ah-pe-wehl.
    Now they've become your wives.
  48. Noohl 'o nach' kue 'ue-ma-'a'.
    Then Coyote gave him his spear.
  49. 'O'l kas 'ee so sloy-chok'w reeek-'ew, 'o laa'y so puel.
    He went just down the river a little ways, he went downstream along the edge of the river.
  50. Kwe-see' 'o na-'a-mo'yhl noohl 'er'-gerrch nee 'ok'w Se-gep.
    Then Coyote stayed in the sweathouse for two days.
  51. Kwe-see' kue 'wah-pe-wehl 'em won-ke-wehl 'o kas keech tem le-gee' Se-gep, Ko'n nue' nep's.
    His wives were soaking acorns down the river after trying to tell Coyote to go and eat.
  52. 'O le'm, Ne-ga-'a-mo'yhl 'em-see ko'l ne-pek'.
    He said, I always eat every two days.
  53. Keech 'o nue-mee tyoh-pey-yok-se-mehl.
    Then they hated him worse.
  54. Kwe-see' 'er'-gerrch lakws 'ee chyuuek'-wee'n 'o ne-wo'm kue 'wah-pe-wehl 'ee won-ke-wehl hoo-re-che-wehl.
    Then he just sat down outside the sweathouse and he saw his wives just then soaking acorns and making baskets.
  55. Kwe-see' 'o ne-wee' keech lech-ke-nek'w kue hoo-loh.
    Then he saw the baskets floating down the river.
  56. Kwe-see' 'o le-goo's.
    Then he shouted.
  57. 'O le'm, K'oo-loh keech lech-ke-nek'w!
    He said, Your baskets are floating away!
  58. Kues keech le'-mo'w?
    Where have you gone to?
  59. Wee' nee ko-'o' kue 'ue-won-ke-wehl.
    They had left their acorn-soaking.
  60. Kwe-see' wo'-geek 'ee rek-'eeen 'woo-lohl, woop nee-kee laaych-ke-nek'w so pue-lekw.
    They were sitting inside their baskets, they were floating along downstream in the middle of the river.
  61. Kwe-see' Se-gep reeek-'ew 'o raa-yo'-rep'
    Coyote ran along the shore.
  62. Hlon-tue rek'-woy ho pkwo'-rep'.
    Finally he came out at the mouth of the river.
  63. Kwe-see' 'o ne-wo'm Merkw-teeks keech noh-so'l.
    Then he saw Crane flying.
  64. 'Onue-mee wee-'eet nek-'o'l kue hoo-loh we-no-'o-mech.
    Right there he lit on those baskets which were floating along.
  65. Kwe-see' wo'-geek 'ee rek-'eeen kue hoo-lohl.
    They were sitting in those baskets.
  66. Keech me-ge-lok'w Merkw-teeks 'o kue 'wah-pe-wehl.
    Crane went with his wives.
  67. Se-gep 'o te-to-loo'hl 'o reeek-'ew.
    Coyote cried by the river bank.
  68. Keech mo 'wah-pew.
    He had no more wives.
  69. Merkw-teeks keech kwo-mo-nep' 'wah-pew.
    Crane had taken back his wives.
  70. 'O peesh-kaahl keech le'm.
    They went on the ocean.
  71. Ne-ge-nert'
    They were ducks.
  72. Wee't ho wer-yer-mer-kwerhl.
    The story has ended.