[bintcbil uut'aa' = Red-shafted Flicker's feather] Gopher's Revenge
Cahto Language

from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)


California Athabaskan Languages & Cultures homepage Index of Stories Goddard's translation

Cahto 1English Translation 2

---- Sdaitc naatcil uuyaashtc, daaschaang uuyaashtc hai lhaa' daaschaang uuyaashtc naatcil. Cottontail rabbit was a little orphan child; Gopher was also a small child, too; Gopher was a little orphan child.
-------s.daitc---na.tcu^l---u#.yactc---das.tcan)---u#.yactc---hai---;aE---das.tcan)---u#.yactc---na.tcu^l
---- Cottontail rabbit / orphan / small, / gopher / small / that / too / gopher / small / orphan.
Uunan ndoo'-ii, uutaa' lhaa' ndoo'-ii. Their mother was gone; their father was also gone.
u#.na7n---n.do#.---u#.taE---;aE---n.do#.
Its mother / was not / its father / too / was not.
Hootaa uuyaashtc kowanyaan-iit, "Taahjii shtaa', shtcootcin?" yaa'nii. Then, when they had grown up a little they said, "Where is my father, my grandmother?", they say.
ho#.ta---u#.yacts---ku#.wu^n.ya.nit---ta.k"Ü---s.taE---s.tco#---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
Then / little / they had grown when, / "Where / my father, / my grandmother?" / he said / they say.
"Dook'ang-haa' ntaa' uudjiiyiistik-ee. "Your father was killed long ago.
do#.k'u^n).haE---n.taE---u#.dj"Ü.yis.tu^k.ke
"Long ago / your father / was killed.
Nan lhaa' dook'ang-haa' uudjiiyiistik-ee nakaa'-haa'." Your mother was also killed a long time ago, both of them."
na7n---;aE---do#.k'u^n).haE---u#.dj"Ü.yis.tu^k.ke---na7k.kaE.haE
Your mother / too / long ago / was killed / both."
Diijii uudjiiyiistik?" "What killed them?"
d"Ü.dj"Ü---u#.dj"Ü.yis.tu^k
"What / killed them?"
Tc'yaantc toonai nchaagh uusoosee 3 bilh yiilht'oogh-it uudjiiyiistik-ee. "A big old woman fish killed him when she stung him with her stinger.
tc'.yantc---to#.nai---n.tcaG---o#.so#.se---bu^;---y"Ü;.t'o#.gu^t---u#.dj"Ü.yis.tu^k.e
"Old woman / fish / large / her sting / with / stuck him when / she killed him.
Nan lhaa' yiilht'oogh-it uudjiiyiistuk-ee." She killed your mother, too, when she stung her."
na7n---;aE---y"Ü;.t'o#.gu^t---u#.dj"Ü.yis.tu^k.e
Your mother / too / she stuck when / she killed."
Daaschaang tc'teesyaa-kwang yaa'nii, nee'-bii'. Gopher had gone into the ground, they say.
das.tcan)---tc't.tes.ya.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü---neE.b"ÜE
Gopher / had gone, / they say, / into the ground.
Tc'neelh'iin'-kwang yaa'nii. He had looked around, they say.
tc'n.ne;."ÜnE.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
He had looked / they say.
Nee'-bii', hootaa, kwinyeetc'ghinyaa-kwang yaa'nii. Then he had gone into the ground, they say.
neE.b"ÜE---ho#.ta---kwu^n.ye.tc'.gu^n.ya.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
Ground in, / then, / he had gone in / they say.
Naaheestyaa-kwan yaa'nii. He had started back, they say.
na.hes.t.ya.kwa7n---yaE.n"Ü
He had started back / they say.
Hootaa naantyaa yaa'nii. Then he came back, they say.
ho#.ta---nan.t.ya---yaE.n"Ü
Then / he came back / they say.
Hootaa, "K'aa' ch'iisht'aa-teelee, shtcoo," tc'in yaa'nii. Then he said, "I'm going to make arrow, my grandmother,", they say.
ho#.ta---k'aE---tc'ic.t'a.te#.le---s.tco#---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
Then, / "Arrows / I will make, / grandmother," / he said / they say.
Kwtcoo kaanoodeel'iing' yaa'nii. His grandmother showed him (how to make them), they say.
kw.tco#---ka.no#.del."Ün)E---yaE.n"Ü
His grandmother / showed him / they say.
K'aa' shoo'-tc'iilaah yaa'nii. He fixed the arrows, they say.
k'aE---co#E.tc'il.la---yaE.n"Ü
Arrow / good he made / they say.
Tc'ist'ook' yaa'nii. He flaked (arrowheads), they say.
tc'u^s.t'o#k'---yaE.n"Ü
He flaked / they say.
Dindai' k'aa' kw'itnoolaah-kwang yaa'nii, k'aa'. He put the arrowheads on the arrows, they say.
du^n.daiE---k'aE---k'wu^n.no#.la.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü---k'aE
Flint / arrow / he placed on / they say., / arrow.
---- Kwtcoo uunaataagh-haa' kwinyeetc'ghinyaa-kwang yaa'nii. He went underground without his grandmother's knowledge, they say.
-------kw.tco#---u#.na.taG.haE---kwu^n.ye.tc'.gu^n.ya.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
---- His grandmother / not knowing / he went under ground / they say.
Yoo Taanchow kaasyaa-kwang yaa'nii. He had come up far away at Eel River, they say.
yo#---tan.tco#---kas.ya.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
Way / river large / he had come up / they say.
Hootaa toonai uutc'intc' kaasyaa-kwang yaa'nii. Then he came up close to the fish, they say.
ho#.ta---to#.nai---u#.tc'u^n)ts---kas.ya.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
Then / fish / close by / he came up / they say.
Toonai tc'neelh'iing' yaa'nii. He looked the fish over, they say.
to#.nai---tc'n.ne;.in)E---yaE.n"Ü
Fish / he looked at / they say.
Uuyaashtc nee' waach'aan-mii' tc'neelh'iing' yaa'nii. He looked (through) a small hole in the ground, they say.
o#.yacts---neE---wa.tc'a.m"ÜE---tc'n.ne;."Ün)E---yaE.n"Ü
Small / ground / hole in / he looked / they say.
K'aa' bii'noo'iintan yaa'nii. He nocked an arrow, they say.
k'aE---b"Ü.no#.in.ta7n---yaE.n"Ü
Arrow / he put on the bow / they say.
Tc'iistc'ang yaa'nii. He shot, they say.
tc'is.tc'a7n)---yaE.n"Ü
He shot / they say.
Chooyii-haa' s'istc'an yaa'nii. He shot again, they say.
tco#.y"Ü.haE---s'u^s.tc'a7n---yaE.n"Ü
Again / he shot / they say.
Lhaang nineelhk'ai yaa'nii. He made many (arrows) stick in, they say.
;an)---nu^n.ne;.k'ai---yaE.n"Ü
Many / he made stick in / they say.
Kwtis shan naatc'eelht'ooh yaa'nii. She only stung over him (missing him), they say.
kw.tu^s---ca7n---na.tc'e;.t'o#---yaE.n"Ü
Over him / only / she stung / they say.
See ch'ighaatc yaang'ai' yaa'nii, ninyiilht'oogh-it. When she stung them the stones made a rattling sound as the stood, they say.
se---tce.gats---yan).EaiE---yaE.n"Ü---nu^n.y"Ü;.t'o#.gu^t
Stones / rattling sound / stood, / they say, / she stung them when.
Uudjiitc'istik yaa'nii. He killed her, they say.
o#.tc"Ü.tc'u^s.tu^k---yaE.n"Ü
He killed her / they say.
Beeding yaa'nii. She died, they say.
be.du^n)---yaE.n"Ü
She died / they say.
Tghing'naslaat yaa'nii. He turned her over, they say.
t.gu^n).na7s.lat---yaE.n"Ü
He turned her over / they say.
Tc'neeghilh'iin' yaa'nii. He looked at her, they say.
tc'n.ne.gu^;.inE---yaE.n"Ü
He looked at her / they say.
Naaheestyaa yaa'nii. He went back home, they say.
na.hes.t.ya---yaE.n"Ü
He started back / they say.
Hai naahneesh shaahnaa' deeming-kwang tc'neelh'iing-kwan yaa'nii. He had seen the creek full of people (she had killed), they say.
hai---na.nec---cac.naE---de#.mu^n).kwa7n)---tc'n.ne;."Ün)E.kwa7n---yaE.n"Ü
That / persons / creek / was full / he had seen / they say.
Naaheestyaa yaa'nii. He went back home, they say.
na.hes.t.ya---yaE.n"Ü
He started back / they say.
---- "Taahjii ninyaa-kwang?" kwilh'iing yaa'nii. ---- "Where have you come from? she asked, they say.
-------ta.tc"Ü---nu^n.ya.kwa7n)---kwu^;.in)---yaE.n"Ü
---- "Where / you come from?" / she asked / they say.
"Shtcoo, tanchow naashaa-yee; toonai uudjiisiilhtik-ee," tc'in yaa'nii. "My grandmother, I went to Eel River and killed the fish," he said, they say.
---------------s.tco#---ta7n.tco#---na.ca.ye---to#.nai---o#.dj"Ü.s"Ü;.tu^k.e---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
"My grandmother / Eel river / I have been. / Fish / I killed," / he said / they say.
"Hai naahneesh tc'eenghaan-ii hai toonai. "That is the fish that killed people.
hai---na.nec---tc'en).a.n"Ü---hai---to#.nai
"That / people / killed / that / fish.
Naahneesh ndoo-yee diitaah," tc'in yaa'nii. There are no people in this place," he said, they say.
na.nec---n.do#.ye---d"Ü.tac---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
People / are not / this place," / he said / they say.
Yook' nee'kw'it-taah naahneesh nilkat'-it lhaang lhtaahkii kowaa'ang yaa'nii, toonai uudjiitc'istik-it. When people came from distant lands they gave him many different kinds of things because he killed the fish, they say.
---------------yo#k'---neE.k'wu^t.tac---na.nec---nu^l.ku^t.u^t---;an)---;.tac.k"Ü---ku#.wa.Ea7n)---yaE.n"Ü---to#.nai---o#.dj"Ü.tc'u^s.tu^k.u^t
Far / countries / people / came when / many / different kinds / gave him, / they say, / fish / he killed because.
St'oo' hai kwant'ee st'oo' sliing' yaa'nii. That kind (of fish) nearly came to be, they say.
s.t'o#E---hai---kwa7n.t'e#---s.t'o#E---sl"Ün)E---yaE.n"Ü
Nearly / that / kind / nearly / became / they say.
Toonai hang uudjiitc'istik-it toonai hai kwant'ee toonai ndoo' yaa'nii. That kind of fish doesn't exist because he killed the fish, they say.
to#.nai---hu^n)---o#.dj"Ü.tc'u^s.tu^k.u^t---to#.nai---hai---kwa7n.t'e#---to#.nai---n.do#E---yaE.n"Ü
Fish / that fellow / he killed because / fish / that / kind / fish / is not / they say.
---- Kwanlhang. ---- That is all.
-------kwu^n.;a7n)
---- All.


1. 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].
2. 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).
3. gfn 200: "soos is used for the name of a pointed dagger made of bone or horn. Cf. note 144, p.108 above."

Goddard's Translation

Cottontail rabbit, a small child, was an orphan. Gopher was also small and an orphan. They had neither father nor mother. When they were grown one of them asked, "Where is my father, grandmother?" . " Your father was killed a long time ago. Your mother, also, was killed," replied the old woman.
"Who killed them I" asked the boy.
"The great fish old woman stung them with her sting and killed them," she replied.
Gopher went under ground in a tunnel to look. He saw the old fish woman and came back.
"I am going to make arrows, my grandmother," he said.
His grandmother showed him how they are made. He flaked the flints and put them on the shafts. He went without the knowledge of his grandmother through a tunnel and came up out of the ground by the great river.
He came up close to the fish. He looked at her through a small hole. He put an arrow in place on the bowstring. He shot. He shot again. He hit her many times. She struck over him when she tried to sting him. The stones rattled when her sting hit them. Finally she died. He turned her over and looked at her. He saw the stream was full of the people she had killed. He went home.
"Where have you been?" she asked him.
"Grandmother, I have been to Eel river and killed the fish. It is she who has killed the people who have disappeared from this place, " he replied.
Many people came from distant countries and gave him various presents because he had killed the fish. It nearly happened that fish of that sort were in the world. It is because he killed her that they are not.
That is all.


8/30/99
Sally Anderson using perl version 5.030000