Water-people and the Elk

	Water-people and the Elk
	Cahto Language
	from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

Cahto ¹		English Translation ²

---- Jeeschow ghilsan yaa'nii.		---- An elk was found, they say.
	-------ges.tco#---gu^l.sa7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	---- Elk / was found / they say.
Hai kwonteelh-bii' yii'in-tc'ing' kalh yaa'nii.		It was walking along this way in Long Valley, they say.
	hai---kwu^n.te;.b"Ü^E---y"Ü.u^n.tcu^n)---ka7;---ya^E.n"Ü
	This / valley in / this way / was walking / they say.
Bintighiiyooh yaa'nii.		They chased it, they say.
	bu^n.t"Ü.g"Ü.yo#---ya^E.n"Ü
	They chased it / they say.
Doo-nhee'-kwan yaa'nii.		It had tired, they say.
	do#n.he^E.kwa7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	It was tired / they say.
Teehnool'its yaa'nii.		It ran into the water, they say.
	te.no#l.^Eu^ts---ya^E.n"Ü
	It ran into water / they say.
Kwinyeehghilaah yaa'nii.		It sank, they say.
	kwu^n.ye.gu^l.la---ya^E.n"Ü
	It sunk / they say.
Lhaang naahneesh, "Danteeshaan- mang?		Many people (asked), "What shall we do?"
	---------------;an)---na.nec---da7n.te.ca.mu^n)
	Many / people, / "What will be?
Jeeschow kwinyeehghilaat," yaa'n yaa'nii.		The elk has sunk," they said, they say.
	ges.tco#---kwu^n.ye.gu^l.lat---ya^En---ya^E.n"Ü
	Elk / has sunk," / they said / they say.
Naahneesh lhaa'haa' nindash-s'isdaa yaa'nii.		A man was staying there courting, they say.
	---------------na.nec---;a^E.ha^E---nu^n.du^c.s'u^s.da---ya^E.n"Ü
	Person / one / was courting there / they say.
Hing tc'ninyaa yaa'nii.		He came, they say.
	hu^n)---tc'.nu^n.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	He / came / they say.
Kwinyeehtc'ghileeh yaa'nii.		He dove, they say.
	kwu^n.ye.tc'.gu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	He dived / they say.
Kaanaa'ghileeh yaa'nii.		He re-surfaced, they say.
	ka.na.gu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	He came up / they say.
Beelh lheelyiits' yaa'nii, lhaang.		He tied together many ropes, they say.
	be;---;el.y"Üts---ya^E.n"Ü---;an)
	Rope / he tied together / they say, / many.
Kwinyeehtc'ghileeh yaa'nii.		He dove, they say.
	kwu^n.ye.tc'.gu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	He dived / they say.
"Beelh bilh uudee' beesiilhyiits'-kwanghaa', beelh tishloos-kwosh," tc'in yaa'nii.		"If I tie its horns with the rope I will tug on the rope," he said, they say.
	---------------be#;---bu^;---u#.de^E---be.s"Ü;.y"Üts.kwan).ha---be;---tu^s.lo#s.kwu^c---tc'in---ya^E.n"Ü
	"Rope / with / its horn / I tie if / rope / I will pull," / he said / they say.
Dook'ang Too- kiiyaahang daihiidilhting-kwan yaa'nii.		The Water People had already taken it, they say.
	do#.k'u^n)---to#.k"Ü.ya.hu^n)---dai.h"Ü.du^;.tin).kwa7n---ya^E.n"Ü
	Already / water people / had taken it / they say.
Beelh tc'teeloos yaa'nii.		He kept pulling on the rope, they say.
	be;---tc'.te.lo#s---ya^E.n"Ü
	Rope / he pulled repeatedly / they say.
Lheenee'haa' beelh teeghiloos yaa'nii.		All of them pulled the rope, they say.
	;e.ne^E.ha^E---be;---te.ge.lo#s---ya^E.n"Ü
	All / rope / pulled / they say.
Hootaa kaanaaghileeh yaa'nii.		Then he re-surfaced, they say.
	ho#.ta---ka.na.gu^l.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / he came up / they say
Taanaastyaa yaa'nii.		He came back out of the water, they say.
	ta.nas.t.ya---ya^E.n"Ü
	He came out of the creek / they say.
Jeeschow taaghit'aats' yaa'nii.		They butchered the elk, they say.
	---------------ges.tco#---ta.gu^t.t'ats---ya^E.n"Ü
	Elk / they cut up / they say.
Kaanaamiil' yaa'nii, yeeh- bii'ang'.		They carried it back up to the houses, they say.
	ka.na.m"Ül'---ya^E.n"Ü---ye.b"Ü^E.u^n)^E
	They carried it up / they say / house to.
Hootaa naahneesh lhaa'haa', "Doo-kwashnaa-teelee Too-kiiyaahang waniileegh-eet," tc'in yaa'nii.		Then one man said, "I will not live because I swam to the Water People,", they say.
	---------------ho#.ta---na.nec---;a^E.ha^E---do#.kwa7c.na.te#.le---to#.k"Ü.ya.hu^n)---wn.n"Ü.le.get---tc'in---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / man / one / "I shall not live / water-people/ I swam to because," / he said / they say.
Hootaa kaanaamiil' yaa'nii, yeeh- bii'.		Then they brought him back up into the house, they say.
	---------------ho#.ta---ka.na.m"Ül'---ya^E.n"Ü---ye.b"Ü^E
	Then / they brought it / they say / house in.
Hootaa naahneesh lhaa'haa' hai kaakosleeh yaa'nii.		Then that one man was sick, they say.
	ho#.ta---na.nec---;a^Eha^E---hai---ka.ko#s.le#---ya^E.n"Ü
	Then / man / one / that / was sick / they say.
Nisk'ai yaa'nii.		He was crazy, they say.
	nu^s.k'ai---ya^E.n"Ü
	He was crazy / they say.
Ghilgheel' yaa'nii, uuyaashtc.		It was a little bit dark, they say.
	gu^l.gel'---ya^E.n"Ü---o#.yactc
	It was evening / they say, / little.
Tcaakwoghilhgheel'-it beedin yaa'nii, naahneesh.		When it was very dark the man died, they say.
	tca.kwo#.gu^;.gel.lit---be.du^n---ya^E.n"Ü---na.nec
	Very it was dark when / he died / they say / man.
Yiiskaan-it koghilhit yaa'nii.		When it was morning they burned him, they say.
	y"Üs.ka.nit---ko#.ge7.;u^t---ya^E.n"Ü
	It was day when / they burned him / 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).

Goddard's Translation

An elk was seen walking along in this valley. They ran after it. It was tired and ran into the water. It sank. There were many people there.
"What shall we dot The elk has sunk," they said.
There was a man staying there courting. He came where they were. He dived. When he came up again he tied many pieces of rope together.
"If I succeed in tying it to its horns, I will pull it," he said. He dived again. He found the water-people^241 had already taken it. He pulled the rope several times. They all pulled on the rope. Finally he came up. He walked out from the creek.
They cut the elk up and carried it to the houses.
"I shall not live," said the man, "because I swam to the water-people."
They took him into the house. He was sick. When it was getting dark he was out of his head. He died when night came. The next morning they burned him.
That is all.

8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.034000