Coyote Recovers Kangaroo-rat's Remains <a name="ret1"><a href="#fn1"><sup>1</sup></a>

	Coyote Recovers Kangaroo-rat's Remains ¹
	Cahto Language
	from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

Cahto ²		English Translation ³

---- Naalht'on'tc k'aa' tc'iistciin yaa'nii.		---- Kangaroo-rat made arrows, they say.
	-------na;.to#n^Etc---k'a^E---tc'is.tc"Ün---ya^E.n"Ü
	---- Kangaroo-rat / arrow / he made / they say.
Lhaan tc'ghilhtciil yaa'nii.		He was making many of them, they say.
	;an)---tc'.gu^;.tc"Ül---ya^E.n"Ü
	Many / he kept making / they say.
K'aa'-s'iltiing' ⁴ tc'iistciin yaa'nii.		He made a bow, they say.
	k'a^E.s'u^l.tin)^E---tc'is.tc"Ün---ya^E.n"Ü
	Arrow-bow / he made / they say.
Tee'its yaa'nii.		He shot about, they say.
	te.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	He shot along / they say.
Nee' nintc'ilhk'ai yaa'nii.		He shot at the ground, they say.
	ne^E---nu^n.tc'i;.k'ai---ya^E.n"Ü
	Ground / he shot / they say.
Hootaah lhbaa'ang k'ee'its yaa'nii.		Then he shot on both sides (of the stream), they say.
	ho#.ta---;.ba^E.u^n)---k'e7.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / both sides / he shot / they say.
Diidee' k'tee'its yaa'nii.		He shot along to the north, they say.
	d"Ü.de^E---k'.te.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	North / he shot alon / they say.
K'eenin'its yaa'nii.		He came there shooting, they say.
	k'e.nu^n.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	He came there shooting / they say.
Seenchaahding kwdjii'ghiltik yaa'nii.		He was killed at Blue Rock, they say.
	se.n.tca^c.du^n)---kw.dj"Ü.gu^l.tu^k---ya^E.n"Ü
	Blue-rock / he was killed / they say.
Dankee teelhaah yaa'nii.		"He shot at everything, they say."
	---------------da7n.ke---te.;a---ya^E.n"Ü
	Everything / he shot with / they say.
Nee' nintc'ilhk'ai yaa'nii.		"He shot at the ground, they say."
	ne^E---nu^n.tc'i;.k'ai---ya^E.n"Ü
	Ground / he shot / they say.
Shiishbii' kowaa'aa' yaa'nii.		They brought it (corpse) to Red Mountain, they say.
	c"Üc.b"Ü^E---ku#.wa.^Ea^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	Red mountain / they brought it / they say.
Sghaa'-bilh Nidaash bii'naayaa'ai' yaa'nii.		They took it inside for a Scalp Dance, they say.
	sga^E---bu^;---nu^t.dac---b"Ü^E.na.ya.^Eai^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	Hair / with / dance / they took in / they say.
Bilh yaa'nindash yaa'nii.		They danced with it, they say.
	bu^;---ya^E.nu^n.da7c---ya^E.n"Ü
	With / they danced / they say.
Hootaa bii'tc'eewaa'ang yaa'nii.		Then they took it off, they say.
	ho#.ta---b"Ü^E.tc'e.wa.^Ea7n)---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / they took off / they say.
Kwsii' bii'tc'ee'ang yaa'nii.		They took his head off, they say.
	kw.s"Ü^E---b"Ü^E.tc'e.^Ea7n)---ya^E.n"Ü
	His head / they took off / they say.
Tc'kwidjiits yaa'nii.		They pulled him in two, they say.
	tc'.kwu^t.dj"Üts---ya^E.n"Ü
	They pulled him in two / they say.
Ch'siitcing uunaaslaalh kwint yaa'nii.		Coyote dreamed about his cousin, they say.
	---------------tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)---u#.nas.la;---kwu^nt---ya^E.n"Ü
	Coyote / dreamed about / his cousing / they say.
"Naasiilaal-ee, waashyiish-ee, shindiibaashii, shindiibaashii, shindiibaashii."		"I dreamed, I dreamed about him, my nephew, my nephew, my nephew."
	na.s"Ü.la.le---wac.y"Ü.ce---cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü---cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü---cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü
	"I dreamed / I dreamed, / my nephew, / my nephew, / my nephew."
---- Tc'teelhkee' kwee' yaa'nii.		---- He started to follow his tracks, they say.
	-------tc'.te;.ke^E---kwe^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	---- He started to track / his tracks / they say.
Tc'ghilhkee' yaa'nii.		He went along tracking, they say.
	tc'.gu^;.ke^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	He tracked along / they say.
Diidee' yaa'nii.		To the north, they say.
	d"Ü.de^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	North / they say.
Tceeh-ghilaalh yaa'nii.		He cried along, they say.
	tce^c.gu^l.la;---ya^E.n"Ü
	He cried along / they say.
Tceeghee-ghilalh yaa'nii.		He cried along, they say.
	tce.ge.gu^l.la7;---ya^E.n"Ü
	He cried along / they say.
Tc'ninyaa yaa'nii, yiichow-ding Shiishbii'.		He came, they say, to the of the Red Mountain dance-house place.
	tc'.nu^n.ya---ya^E.n"Ü---y"Ü.tco#.du^n)---c"Üc.b"Ü^E
	He came there, / they say, / dance-house place / Red mountain.
Ts'ing naaghilash yaa'nii.		He picked up the bones, they say.
	ts'u^n)---na.gu^l.la7c---ya^E.n"Ü
	Bones / he picked up / they say.
Diidee' tc'gaalh-dinghaa' yoo' bilh naaslii' yaa'nii.		He tied them up with beads at the place he walked to in the north, they say.
	d"Ü.de^E---tc'.qa;.du^n).ha^E---yo#^E---bu^;---nas.l"Ü^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	North / he walked place / beads / with / he tied up / they say.
Yooyiidee' tc'teesyai yaa'nii.		He went way up north, they say.
	yo#.y"Ü.de^E---tc't.tes.yai---ya^E.n"Ü
	Way north / he went / they say.
Diidaa'ang siis kwsii' bilh ts'islii' yaa'nii.		He tied otter-fur around his head, (returning) from the north ⁵, they say.
	d"Ü.da^E.u^n)---s"Üs---kw.s"Ü^E---bu^;---ts'u^s.l"Ü^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	North from / otter / his head / with / he tied / they say.
Yiichow tc'ninyaa yaa'nii.		He came to the dance-house, they say.
	y"Ü.tco#---tc'n.nu^n.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	Dance-house / he came / they say.
Ghilhgheel-it tc'aang taastcii yaa'nii.		When it was evening they cooked food, they say.
	---------------gu^;.ge.lit---tc'an)---tas.tc"Ü---ya^E.n"Ü
	Evening when / food / they cooked / they say.
Yeetc'ghinyaa yaa'nii, yiichow-bii'.		He went into the dance-house, they say.
	ye.tc'.gu^n.ya---ya^E.n"Ü---y"Ü.tco#.b"Ü^E
	He went in, / they say, / dance-house in.
"Nohdaash kwaataah."		"You can dance anyway."
	no#^c.dac---kwa.ta
	"Dance, / any way."
"Kwaash'alh'iin'-ee naahneesh uusii' naash'aa-hit."		"I always do that when I get a person's head."
	kwac.a;."Ü.ne---na.ne#c---u#.s"Ü^E---nac.^Ea.hu^t
	"I used to do that, / person / his head / I get when."
Nidaash yaa'nii.		It was a dance, they say.
	nu^t.dac---ya^E.n"Ü
	Dance was / they say.
Bii'naaskat' yaa'nii.		Two danced in the middle, they say.
	b"Ü.nas.ku^t'---ya^E.n"Ü
	Two in the middle danced / they say.
Tc'ghindash yaa'nii.		They danced, they say.
	tc'.gu^n.da7s---ya^E.n"Ü
	They danced / they say.
"Sghaa' bilh shii nishdaash."		"Let me dance with the scalp."
	---------------sga^E---bu^;---c"Ü---nu^c.dac
	"Scalp / with / I / I will dance."
Bilh tc'eenaa'nlhaah yaa'nii.		He ran out with it, they say.
	bu^;---tc'e.na^En.;a---ya^E.n"Ü
	With it / he ran out / they say.
---- Naaheelh'its yaa'nii.		---- He ran back, they say.
	-------na.he;.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	---- He ran back / they say.
Kwintghiiyoot yaa'nii.		They chased him, they say.
	kwu^n.t.g"Ü.yo#t---ya^E.n"Ü
	They pursued him / they say.
Bilh naaghildalh yaa'nii.		He ran along with it, they say.
	bu^;---na.gu^l.da7;---ya^E.n"Ü
	With it / he ran along / they say.
Ts'ing wanaalt'its yaa'nii.		He ran back to the bones, they say.
	ts'u^n)---wa7n.nal.t.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	Bones / he ran back to / they say.
Yoo' bii'noonaatc'ing'aan yaa'nii.		He had put them in the beads, they say.
	yo#^E---b"Ü^E.no#.na.tc'n).an---ya^E.n"Ü
	Beads / he had placed in / they say.
Naaheestyaa yaa'nii.		He came back, they say.
	na.hes.t.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	He came back / they say.
Yoo'oong ts'ing wanaantyaa yaa'nii.		He came back to the bones way over there, they say.
	yo#.o#n)---ts'u^n)---wa7n.nan.t.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	Way over / bones / he came back to / they say.
Naanaaghinghiing yaa'nii.		He took them down, they say.
	na.na.gu^n).gin)---ya^E.n"Ü
	He took them down / they say.
Daanaang'dinghiing yaa'nii.		He carried them back, they say.
	da.nan).du^n).g"Ün)---ya^E.n"Ü
	He carried them back / they say.
Bii'noonaatc'ing'aan yaa'nii.		He carried them back in it, they say.
	b"Ü^E.no#.na.tc'n.an---ya^E.n"Ü
	He carried them in it / they say.
Yoo' bilh bii'nootc'ing'aan yaa'nii.		He carried them in it with the beads ⁶, they say.
	yo#^E---bu^;---b"Ü^E.no#.tc'n.an---ya^E.n"Ü
	Beads / with / he carried them in / they say.
"Hai kwaashilii-hiit kaanaashleeh-kwang.		"When they do that to me I come back to life.
	hai---kwac.cu^l.l"Ü.h"Üt---ka.nac.le.kwa7n)
	"When / they do that to me / I come alive again.
Kaa', noonaaghaashildaash-kwang, shint, shaahnaa' ⁷."		Ok, I jumped across the creek, my cousin."
	ka^E---no#.na.ga.cu^l.dac.kwa7n)---cu^nt---ca^c.na^E
	Come, / I jump across, / my cousin, / creek."
Naanaaghildaash yaa'nii.		He jumped down, they say.
	na.na.gu^l.dac---ya^E.n"Ü
	He jumped down / they say.
Diidaa'ang naaghitgheelh yaa'nii.		He carried him along from here in the north, they say.
	---------------d"Ü.da^E.u^n)---na.gu^t.ge;---ya^E.n"Ü
	Here from the north / he carried along / they say.
Noonaal'its yaa'nii kwint bilh yaa'nii.		He ran back with his cousin, they say.
	no#.nal.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü---kwu^nt---bu^;---ya^E.n"Ü
	He ran back (?), / they say. / His cousin / with / they say.
Tc'ghintceeh yaa'nii.		They cried, they say.
	tc'.gu^n.tce^c---ya^E.n"Ü
	They cried / they say.
Wanaatc'gheeghilaal naasliin'-it yaa'nii.		He cried along about him because he was tied up ⁸, they say.
	wa7n.natc'.ge.gu^l.lal---nas.l"Ü^E.nu^t---ya^E.n"Ü
	About him he cried along / he was tied because / they say.
"Shindiibaashii, shindiibaashii, shindiibaashii."		"My nephew, my nephew, my nephew."
	cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü---cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü---cu^n.d"Ü.ba.c"Ü
	"My nephew, / my nephew, / my nephew."
Naantghiing yaa'nii, kowanding.		He brought him back to his home, they say.
	nan.t.g"Ün)---ya^E.n"Ü---ko#.wu^n.du^n)
	He brought back, / they say, / his home.
---- Kwanlhang.		---- That is all.
	-------kwu^n.;a7n)
	---- All.

₁. Goddard footnote 230: "It was explained that the shooting at the ground was done with straws, in part at least, and was for the purpose of making all kinds of plants grow. Both the indignities practiced upon the body and the concern for its recovery seem usual in this region, but the specific motives are not avowed. Possibly none are thought necessary."
₂. Click on highlighted words to search for them in the Dictionary/Lexical database. The top line is in the practical orthography. The middle line is in Goddard's transcription except that "underhook"/"Polish hook" is represented by "subscript left half-ring" ("underhook" is not present in the SIL IPA fonts). The bottom line is Goddard's word-by-word translation, with [occasional additions or emendations by me in square brackets].
₃. Line-by-line translation by me, largely informed by Goddard's translation, but attempting to translate every sentence, and to do so more literally (within the limits of English readability).
₄. gfn 187: "The compound has become necessary since s'uL.tiN' is used of modern firearms."
₅. gfn 231: "This was done, of course, that he might be supposed to be a stranger from the north instead of the south." People north of the Cahto (Sinkyone) wore otter-fur head-bands; the Cahto did not.
₆. The beads were used as a carrying strap.
₇. gfn 190: "These words Coyote uses are said to be in the dialect formerly spoken north of the Kato." This is actually probably Kangaroo Rat speaking???
₈. Which had a left a scar: the white markings on Kangaroo-rat.

Goddard's Translation

Kangaroo-rat made many arrows. He kept making them. He made also a bow. He shot about. He shot at the ground. He shot along on both sides of the stream toward the north until he came to Blue Rock, where he was killed.
"This fellow, they say, shoots at everything. He shoots at the ground," said those who killed him. They carried him to Red Mountain that they might dance with his scalp. They took the corpse into the dance-house and danced with it. Then they cut the head off and pulled him in two.
Coyote dreamed about his cousin. "I dreamed, I dreamed, my nephew, my nephew, my nephew," he sang. He started out following the tracks. As he tracked him along toward the north he cried. He came to the dance-house at Red Mountain. He gathered up the bones and walked away with them toward the north. He tied them up with strings of beads. He walked way on toward the north and then returned with a piece of otter skin tied in his hair."' He came to the dance-house.
When it was evening they cooked a meal. Coyote went in. "You dance in the dance-house anyway," said the chief. "I always do that when I take a person's head," said Coyote. They danced with two dancing in the middle.
" Let me dance with the scalp, " said Coyote. He ran out with it. He ran back with it and the others chased him. He came to the place where he had left the bones tied up with the beads. He took them down and started home with them. He carried them using the beads for a carrying-strap."'
'"When they do that to me I come alive again. Come, I jump across the creeks, my cousin." Kangaroo-rat jumped down.
They came back from the north. He ran along with his cousin. He cried about him as he went along, because he was tied (leaving a scar). "My nephew, my nephew, my nephew," he lamented. He brought him home.
That is all.

8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.030000