Coyote Tricks the Girls

	Coyote Tricks the Girls
	Cahto Language
	from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

Cahto ¹		English Translation ²

---- Ghilk'aan yaa'nii.		---- There was a fire, they say.
	-------gu^l.k'an---ya^E.n"Ü
	---- Fire was / they say.
See-kw'it' ghilk'an yaa'nii.		The fire was on top of a rock, they say.
	se.k'wu^t'---gu^l.k'a7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	Rock on / fire was / they say.
Laashii' kwong'ding naatghilghal yaa'nii.		She poured buckeyes down on the fire place, they say.
	la.c"Ü^E---kwo#n)^E.du^n)---na.t.gu^l.ga7l---ya^E.n"Ü
	Buckeyes / fire place / she poured down / they say.
Ghitcaa yaa'nii, lheetc bilh.		They were covered up with soil, they say.
	gu^t.tca---ya^E.n"Ü---;etc---bu^;
	Were covered up / they say, / earth / with.
Kaanaaghaalaa yaa'nii.		She took them out, they say.
	ka.na.ga.la---ya^E.n"Ü
	She took them out / they say.
Biinooghitlheek' yaa'nii.		She soaked them, they say.
	b"Ü.no#.gu^t.;ek---ya^E.n"Ü
	She soaked them / they say.
Ch'siitcing ts'aal-bii' tc'nilaat yaa'nii.		Coyote floated there in a basket cradle, they say.
	---------------tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)---ts'al.b"Ü^E---tc'n.nu^l.lat---ya^E.n"Ü
	Coyote / baby-basket in / floated there / they say.
"Daanjii biiyee' skii nilaat?" yaa'n yaa'nii.		"Whose baby is floating here?" they asked, they say.
	---------------dan.dj"Ü---b"Ü.ye^E---sk"Ü---nu^l.lat---ya^En---ya^E.n"Ü
	"Whose / his / baby / floats?" / they asked/ they say.
Taaghikan yaa'nii.		She took it out of the water, they say.
	ta.ge7.ka7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	She took it out of water / they say.
Skii ts'aal-bilh taaghikan yaa'nii.		She took the baby out with the basket cradle, they say.
	sk"Ü---ts'al.bu^;---ta.ge7.ka7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	Baby / basket with / she took out / they say.
Skii tceeh yaa'nii.		They baby cried, they say.
	sk"Ü---tce^c---ya^E.n"Ü
	Baby / cried / they say.
Naalhghii-lhgai daahkwtkan yaa'nii.		Merganser carried it around, they say.
	na;.g"Ü.;gai---da.kw.t.ka7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	White duck / carried it about / they say.
Tc'deengheel' yaa'nii.		It stopped crying, they say.
	tc't.den).n)el---ya^E.n"Ü
	It stopped crying / they say.
Ghilhgheel' yaa'nii.		It was evening, they say.
	---------------gu^;.gel'---ya^E.n"Ü
	It was evening / they say.
Yaa'nteeslaalh yaa'nii.		They slept, they say.
	ya^En.tes.la;---ya^E.n"Ü
	They slept / they say.
Skii noo'ghikan yaa'nii.		She put down the baby (in the cradle), they say.
	sk"Ü---no#.ge7.ka7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	Baby / she put down (basket) / they say.
Yiiskan yaa'nii.		It was early morning, they say.
	y"Üs.ka7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	It was day / they say.
Ch'ghistcii' yaa'nii.		It was just before dawn, they say.
	tc'.gu^s.tc"Ü^E---ya^E.n"Ü
	It was red / they say.
Naaheestyaa yaa'nii.		He went back, they say.
	na.hes.t.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	He went back / they say.
"Diijii ch'ohyaan?		"What did you (pl) eat?
	---------------d"Ü.dj"Ü---tc'o#^c.ya7n
	"What / you eat?
Nohbit' ghinchaah-kwang."		Your bellies are big."
	no#^c.bu^t'---gu^n.tca.kwa7n)
	Your bellies / are big."
"Nee'odin-jaa', Ch'siitcing."		"May you die, Coyote!" ³
	---------------ne.o#.du^n.dja^E---tc'.s"Ü.tcu^n)
	"You die / Coyote."
---- Kwanlhang.		---- That is all.
	-------kwUn.;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. Cursing Coyote because they've figured out that he tricked them and they are now pregnant.

Goddard's Translation

Upon the stones in the fireplace the young women poured down the buckeyes and covered them with soil. When they were cooked they took them out and soaked the flour obtained by pounding them.
Coyote was floating as a baby in a baby-basket.
"Somebody's baby is floating," one said. They took up the basket with the baby. It cried. White duck carried it about to quiet it.
When it was dark they put it down and went to sleep. As soon as the east reddened Coyote went home.
"What have you eaten that your stomachs are so big?" they were asked. When they understood that they were pregnant, they cried, "May you die, Coyote."

8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.034000