[bintcbil uut'aa' = Red-shafted Flicker's feather] Coyotes Seen Fishing 1
Cahto Language

from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

California Athabaskan Languages & Cultures homepage Index of Stories Goddard's translation
Cahto 2English Translation 3

---- Toonai yaa'ch'teegoot kai-hiit' yaa'nii. ---- They were spearing fish in winter, they say.
-------to#.nai---yaE.tc'.te.qo#t---kai.h"Üt'---yaE.n"Ü
---- Fish / they were spearing / winter time / they say.
Beelkaats yaa'heelhtciin yaa'nii. They made spear shafts, they say.
bel.kats---yaE.he;.tc"Ün---yaE.n"Ü
Spear shaft / they made / they say.
Beeniish shoo'yaa'ghilaah yaa'nii. They fixed the prongs 4, they say.
be.nic---co#.yaE.gu^l.lac---yaE.n"Ü
Prongs / they fixed / they say.
Beelgeet, djeeh kw'eeyaa'heelht'aang yaa'nii. They stuck the spear-points on with pitch, they say.
bel.get---djec---k'we.yaE.he;.t'an)---yaE.n"Ü
Spear-point / pitch / they stuck on / they say.
Yaa'sk'ang. The had a fire.
yaE.s.k'a7n)
They had a fire.
Kwong' see deetghaa'ang yaa'nii. They put stones in the fire (for heating the pitch), they say.
kwo#n)E---se---de.t.ga.Ea7n)---yaE.n"Ü
Fire / stones / they put in / they say.
Kaa' tidityaa. "Ok, let's go."
---------------kaE---tu^t.du^t.ya
"Come, / let us go."
"Heeuu'," tc'in yaa'nii. "Yes," he said, they say.
---------------he.u#E---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
"Yes," / he said / they say.
Naanilkat Taanchow, tc'ning'iil' yaa'nii. They crossed the Eel River and sat down, they say.
---------------na.nu^l.ku^t---tan.tco#---tc'.nu^n)."Ül---yaE.n"Ü
They crossed / river / They sat down, / they say,
Chin-uuyeeh naahneesh ghilsan yaa'nii. A person was seen under a tree, they say.
tcu^n.u#.ye---na.nec---gu^l.sa7n---yaE.n"Ü
tree under. / Person / was seen / they say.
Lhaa'haa', "Daanshaa'ang?" tc'in yaa'nii. One said, "Who is it?" they say.
---------------;aE.haE---dan.ca.u^n)---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
One, / "Who is it?" / he said / they say.
"Iidaakw kwosh." "Probably a Yuki."
---------------"Ü.dakw---kwu^c
"Yuki / probably."
"Doo Iidaakw 'angii. "He is not Yuki.
---------------do#---"Ü.dakw---u^n).g"Ü
"Not / Yuki / it is.
Yaa'lhghai-'angii, beelkaats. They (Yuki) have white spear-shafts.
yaE.;.gai.u^n).g"Ü---bel.kats
They are white. / Shaft
Shoonk' ghitlhit-'angii. It (the stranger's spear-shaft) is well blackened 5.
co#n)k'---gu^t.;u^t.u^n).g"Ü
Well / is blackened.
Kwnoolh'iing'," tc'in yaa'nii. Look at it," he said, they say.
kw.no#;."Ün)E---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
Look at him," / he said / they say.
Chooyii-haa' lhaa'haa' ts'ii'-bii' tc'ee'nyaa yaa'nii. Another one came out from the brush, they say.
---------------tco#.y"Ü.haE---;aE.haE---ts'"ÜE.b"ÜE---tc'eEn.ya---yaE.n"Ü
Again / one / brush in / came out / they say.
"Daanshaang?" tc'in yaa'nii. "Who is it?" he said, they say.
---------------dan.can)---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
"Who is it? / he said / they say.
"Doo naahneesh 'angii-kwolish. "It seems like it's not a person!
---------------do#---na.nec---u^n).g"Ü.kwu^l.lu^c
"Not / a person / is I think.
Nool'iing' nshoonk'." Look (at him) well!"
no#l."Ün)E---n.co#n)k'
Look, / well."
Chooyii-haa' tc'ee'nyaa yaa'nii. Again one came out, they say.
---------------tco#.y"Ü.haE---tc'eEn.ya---yaE.n"Ü
Again / came out / they say.
Beelkaats tc'ee'ntan yaa'nii. He brought out a spear-shaft, they say.
bel.kats---tc'eEn.ta7n---yaE.n"Ü
Spear-shaft / he took out / they say.
"Baahaang kwolish-'angii," tc'in yaa'nii. "It seems to be a war(-party)," he said, they say.
---------------ba.han)---kwu^l.lu^c.u^n).g"Ü---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
"War / I think it is," / he said / they say.
Lhaang toonai yaa'sgoot-kwang yaa'nii. They had speared many fish, they say.
---------------;an)---to#.nai---yaEs.qo#t.kwa7n)---yaE.n"Ü
Many / fish / they had speared / they say.
Kashghilsan yaa'nii. They were found, they say.
ku^c.gu^l.sa7n---yaE.n"Ü
They were found / they say.
Toonai naabinyoolh yaa'nii. They drove the fish back, they say.
to#.nai---na.bu^n.yo#;---yaE.n"Ü
Fish / they drove / they say.
S'isgooh yaa'nii. He speared it, they say.
s'u^s.qo#---yaE.n"Ü
He speared it / they say.
Nineelhghaal' yaa'nii. He beat it, they say.
nu^n.ne;.gal'---yaE.n"Ü
He beat it / they say.
Uudjiitc'istik yaa'nii. He killed it, they say.
o#.dj"Ü.tc'is.tu^k---yaE.n"Ü
He killed it / they say.
Beelgeet tc'eenan'an yaa'nii. He took the spear point back out (from the fish), they say.
bel.get---tc'e.na7n.Ea7n---yaE.n"Ü
Spear-point / he took back out / they say.
"Doo-naahneesh 'angii, Ch'siitcing kwolish-'angii." "It is not a person!, it seems to be Coyote!"
---------------do#.na.nec---u^n).g"Ü---tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)---kwu^l.lu^c.u^n).g"Ü
"Not person / it is!, / Coyote / it appears to be!"
Chooyii-haa' nakaa' tc'ee'nyaa yaa'nii. Again (number 6) two came out, they say.
---------------tco#.y"Ü.haE---na7k.kaE---tc'eEn.ya---yaE.n"Ü
Again / two / came out / they say.
Chooyii-haa' taak' tc'ee'nyaa yaa'nii. Again (number) three came out, they say.
tco#.y"Ü.haE---tak'---tc'eEn.ya---yaE.n"Ü
Again / three / came out / they say.
Tsinteelhdeel' yaa'nii. They ran away, they say.
tsu^n.te;.del'---yaE.n"Ü
They ran away / they say.
"Kash'ohtgee'!" "Look at them!
---------------ku^c.o#c.t.geE
"Look at them."
Ch'siitcing kwaang-'angii. They are coyotes!"
tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)---kwan).u^n).g"Ü
Coyotes / they are!.
---- "Noowaanooyiitaagh-'angii; naahneesh noonishsing-it," yaa'n yaa'nii. ---- "I mistook you when I thought you were people," they said, they say.
-------no#.wan.no#.y"Ü.taG.u^n).g"Ü---na.nec---no#.nu^c.su^n).u^t---yaEn---yaE.n"Ü
---- "I mistook you. / People / when I thought you," / they said / they say.
Ch'siitcin-yeekwanang. They were coyotes.
tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n.ye.kwa7n.na7n)
"Coyotes are."
"Uutcoonditcang." "We will leave them."
---------------o#.tco#n.du^t.tca7n)
"We will leave them."
"Kishnaa-jaa', shtcinkaanai, nishsaang-hiit'," tc'in yaa'nii. "May I live, my uncle, even though I found you," he said, they say.
---------------ku^c.na.djaE---s.tcu^n.ka.nai---nu^s.san).h"Üt'---tc'in---yaE.n"Ü
"I want to live, / my uncle, / I found you notwithstanding," / he said / they say.
"Shii, lhaa', kwasht'iin-ee. "I do that, too.
---------------c"Ü---;aE---kwa7c.t'"Ü.ne
"I, / too, / I do that.
Chin-taah naadiishtcaan-ee. I eat in the forest.
tcu^n.tac---na.d"Üc.tca.ne
Trees among / I eat.
Hai kwnishsin-ee, uudai' naaghiiyai tl'ee'-eet. I know that, I walk outside at night.
hai---kw.nu^c.su^n.ne---o#.daiE---na.g"Ü.yai---;eE.et
That / I know, / outside / I walk / night at.
Doohaa'-wankwdilnik-kwosh. We (probably?) will not tell about it.
do#.haE.wa7n.kw.du^l.nu^k.kwu^c
We will not tell it (probably?).
Doohaa'-ntcee'n-manjaa', noodilsaang-hiit'." Let there not be anything bad due to our seeing you."
do#.haE.n.tceE.mu^n.djaE---no#.du^l.san).h"Üt'
Let it not be bad, / we saw you because."
Doo-dant'ee-teelee. "Nothing is going to happen.
---------------do#.du^n.te#.te#.le
It is going to be nothing.
Toonai ch'ookee-banjaa'taah doohaa'-dii'antc'ing' doohaa'-kaandiitee-kwosh. We (probably?) will not look towards the places where one may spear fish.
to#.nai---tc'o#.ke.bu^n.djaE.tac---do#.haE.d"Ü.u^n.tc'u^n)E---do#.haE.kan.d"Ü.te#.kwu^c
Fish / may spear places / not this toward / we will not look (probably?).
Tc'ooyaan-mang, ch'inoo'. Hide it for him to eat it. 7
tc'o#.ya.mu^n)---tcin.no#E
He may eat it. / Hide it.
Doo-daanshoo' nhilhsis. Let nobody see you.
do#.dan.co#E---n.hu^;.su^s
Nobody / see you.
"Haaghii naashaa'-jaa'. "May I walk around (live) a long time.
---------------ha.G"Ü---na.caE.djaE
"Long time / may I walk.
Doohaa'-kaakwoshleeh-jaa' ndilsaang-hiit'. Let me not be sick in spite of our seeing you.
do#.haE.ka.kwu^c.le.djaE---n.du^l.san).h"Üt'
Let me not be sick / because we saw you.
Nshoon-manjaa' shiiyee' tc'eek. Let my wife be well.
n.co#.mu^n.djaE---c"Ü.yeE---tc'ek
Let be well / my wife
Doohaa'-kaakooleeh-jaa' yeeh-bii' naaniityaa-dee'. Let her not be sick in the house when I come back.
do#.haE.ka.ko#.le.djaE---ye.b"ÜE---na.n"Ü.t.ya.deE
Do not let her be sick, / house in / I come back if.
K'at-dee' diishoo' kanding uuyaashtc oolhsaan-ee. Soon you will find something a little bit close by.
k'a7t.deE---d"Ü.sho#E---ku^n.du^n)---o#.yacts---o#;.san.ne
Soon / something / close by / little / you will find (?).
Tc'aang taatcat, tc'aang nooch'tilhbilh." We will put some food, cooked food, on the ground."
tc'an)---ta.tcu^t---tc'an)---no#.k'.tu^;.bu^;
Food / cooked, / food / we will put on the ground."
"Doo-kaakwdileeh-bang doohaa' yeeh-bii'taah wankwoolhnik-bang. "For us to not get sick you must not tell about it in the village.
---------------do#.kakw.du^l.le#.bu^n)---do#.haE---ye.b"ÜE.tac---wa7n.kwo#;.nu^k.bu^n)
"We will not get sick. / Not / houses among [village] / you must tell.
Doohaa' chooyii-haa' hai kwot doohaa' toonai oonoohlaan-mang. You must not go after fish in that stream ever again.
do#.haE---tco#.y"Ü.haE---hai---kwu^t---do#.haE---to#.nai---o#.no#c.la.mu^n)
Not / again / that / stream / not / fish / you must go after.
Haayii hai kwot yaa'ch'oogeeh-bangjaa' Let those ones spear in that stream.
ha.y"Ü---hai---kwu^t---yaE.tc'o#.ge.bu^n).djaE
Those / that / stream / they may spear.
Kwtning diitaah toonai lhaan-ee uutcoonootciish-bang hai kwot, Diltciikninsingkwot." Next time you must leave many fish on this side of this stream, Yellow Pine Hillside Stream."
kw.t.nu^n)---d"Ü.tac---to#.nai---;a.ne---o#.tco#.no#.tcic.bu^n)---hai---kwu^t---du^l.tc"Ük.nu^n.su^n).kwu^t
Next time / this side / fish / many. / You must leave / this / stream, / Yellow-pine hill stream."
Tc'aang nootc'aaghaabiil' yaa'nii. They left food, they say.
---------------tc'an)---no#.tca.ga.b"Ül'---yaE.n"Ü
Food / they left / they say.
"Dii tc'aang noondaa'aang, shtcinkaanai dilsaan-iit. "We put down this food, my uncle, because we found you.
---------------d"Ü---tc'an)---no#n.da.Ean)---s.tcu^n).ka.nai---du^l.sa.nit
"This / food / we put down, / my uncle / we found because.
Tc'aan wandaa'aan-ee. We are giving him food.
tc'an---wa7n.da.Ea.ne
Food / we give him.
Saahdin-kw'aa naadiltcaang-kwaang." He eats it alone."
sac.du^n.k'wa---na.du^l.tcan).kwan)
Alone / he will eat it."
---- Kwanlhang. ---- That is all.
-------kwu^n.;a7n)
---- All.

1. Goddard footnote 239: "Said to have happened not long ago at John Wilson creek."
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. The barbs that are separate pieces from the point itself, bound together with the binding sealed with pitch.
5. Some cultures rubbed charcoal or soot on the spear-shafts to make them dark, and maybe hide them from the fish.
6. This seems to be counting the last three coyotes as they individually come out.
7. This sounds like a specialized phrase relating to asking for a food offering??

Goddard's Translation

They were spearing fish in the winter-time. They made the spear shafts. They made the prongs and fastened the spearpoints with pitch. They had a fire in which they put the stones (for working the pitch).
"Well, let us go."
"Yes," he said.
They crossed the river and sat down. They saw a person alone under a tree.
"Who is that I" he asked.
"A Yuki, probably."
"He is not aYuki. Their spear-shafts are white. These are well blackened. Look at them."
Again one came out of the brush.
"Who is it?"
"I don't think it is a person. Look at him well."
Again one came out. He brought out a spear.
"I think there will be war," he said.
They saw they had speared many fish. They were driving the fish back and spearing them. He speared one and beat it on the head. He killed it. He took the spear-point out of it.
"It is not a human being. It seems like Coyote."
Again two came out. A third one came out. They (the men) ran away.
"They are Coyotes."
"You frightened us. We thought you were people," they said. They were coyotes.
"I want to live, my uncle, if I did see you," he said.
"I, too, I do that. I eat in the forest. I know that. I walk outside at night. I will not tell it. Let nothing happen because we saw you. "
"Nothing will happen. We will not look toward the spearing places. Hide it that he may eat it. Let no one see us."
"May I walk (live) for a long time yet. May I not be sick because I saw you. May it be well with my wife. May she not be sick when I come again to my house. Soon you will find a little present of cooked food somewhere. We will leave it on the ground. "
"You must not tell it in the village lest we get sick. You must not go again to that stream for fish. Let them spear over there. Next time you must leave many fish on this side."
At Yellow-pine-hill stream they left some food.
"We put down this food, my uncle, because we found you."
"Give him food. Let him eat it alone."
That is all.
8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.030000