[bintcbil uut'aa' = Red-shafted Flicker's feather] A Supernatural Experience 1
Cahto Language

from Bill Ray (via Goddard 1909)

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

Saljiitc dighaang. We were killing lizards.
---------------su^l.g"Üts---de7.gan)
Lizards / we were killing.
Teelee'-bii' nooshghee' lhaang saljiitc. I carried many lizards in a sack
te.leE.b"ÜE---no#c.geE---;an)---su^l.g"Üts
Sack in / I carried / many / lizards.
Teelee' teesdilbing. We filled the sack.
te.leE---tes.du^l.bu^n)
Sack / we filled.
Lhaa'haa' uuyaashtc uudjii'stiltik. He killed one young one.
;aE.haE---u#.yacts---o#.tc"Ü.s.tu^l.tu^k
One / small / he killed.
Baan teelh'its. Its mother ran.
ba7n---te;.Eu^ts
Female / ran.
Yoo'oong neestiing. It lay over yonder.
yo#.o#n)---nes.tin)
Yonder / it lay.
"Taahjii neestiing nchaagh-yii?" shilhtc'nii. "Where is the big one lying?" he asked me.
---------------ta.dj"Ü---nes.tin)---n.tcaG.y"Ü---cu^;.tc'.n"Ü
"Where / does it lie / big one?" / he asked me.
"Yoo-yee," dishnii. "There it is," I said.
---------------yo#.ye---du^c.n"Ü
"There it is," I said.
Tc'tc'aash-teel. He was about to shoot it.
---------------tc'.tc'ac.tel
He was about to shoot it.
"Doohaa'-shdjii'ilhtik. "Do not kill me.
---------------do#.haE.s.tc"Ü.u^;.tu^k
"Do not kill me.
Daang' shyaashtc uudjii'silhtig-ee. You have already killed my child.
dan)E---c.yactc---o#.dj"Ü.su^;.tu^k.ge
Already / my little one / you have killed.
Shii-yee koshnaa." As for me, let me live."
c"Ü.ye---ku^c.na
It is I / I will live."
Uudaa'-bii' kwong' ghilhtik. Fire burst forth from inside its mouth.
---------------o#.daE.b"ÜE---kwo#n)E---gu^;.tu^k
Its mouth in / fire / burst.
Keelhk'as-kwaang teelee'-bii'. I dropped (what was) in the sack.
ke#;.k'a7s.kwan)---te.leE.b"ÜE
I dropped / sack in.
Naaheesiilh'its-kwaang yiidak. I ran back up the hill.
na.he.s"Ü;.Eu^ts.kwan)---y"Ü.du^k
I ran back / up hill.
Kaakosiileeh-kwaang. I was sick.
ka.ko#s.s"Ü.le.kwan)
I became sick.
Shilhyaa'tyiing-kwaang. They doctored me.
cu^;.yaE.t.yin).kwan)
With me they stood. [= with me they doctored]
Doo-kwinishsing. I was senseless.
do#.kwin.nu^c.su^n)
I did not know anything.
Sheeding-kwanghit. I must have died.
ce.du^n).kwan).hu^t
I must have died.
Shnaang ooshtsaang tceegh-it, "Shyaashtc," tc'in-hit. I heard my mother when she cried, when she said, "My boy!"
c.nan)---o#c.tsan)---tce.gu^t---c.yacts---tc'in.hu^t
My mother / I heard / she cried when, / "My boy,"/ she said when.
Tcaakwolhgheel'. It was very dark.
tca.kwu^;.gel'
Very it was dark.
Haakwan shnang, shtaa' 'an, yoo'oong siighing, see chinee-ding ts'ii' uunoo'. Up there were my mother and father; I stood over there at the base of a rock hidden behind some brush.
ha.kwa7n---c.na7n)---c.taE---u^n)---yo#.o#n)---s"Ü.gin)---se#---kin.ne#.du^n)---ts'"ÜE---u#.no#E
Up there / my mother, / my father / it was, / yonder/ I stood, / rock / its base / brush / behind.
Diidaa'ang diishoo' nint'aagh. From the north something flew there.
---------------d"Ü.daE.u^n)---d"Ü.co#E---nu^n.t'aG
From north / something / flew there.
Sheek' shghilhk'its. He spat spittle on me.
cek'---c.gu^;.k'u^ts
Spit / he spit on me.
"Nt'aa' kaal'aa'-teelee. "Your feathers are about to grow.
---------------n.t'aE---ka7l.EaE.te#.le
"Your feathers / will grow.
Beent'aah-teelee diidak' yaa-bii'ing'. You are about to fly up into the sky.
ben.t'a.te#.le---d"Ü.du^k'---ya.b"ÜE.u^n)E
You will fly / up / sky in.
Ch'idaay-ee. There are flowers there.
tc't.da.ye
Flowers are.
Nshoon-ee. It is beautiful/good.
n.co#.ne
It is good.
Ch'ildjii'-yee. It is light.
tcu^l.dj"Ü.ye
It is light.
Shaa-ndiin-ee. The sun shines.
cu^n.d"Ü.ne
Sun shines.
Nshoon-ee nee'." It is a good country."
n.co#.ne---neE
It is good / land."
Chooyii-haa' nchaagh nint'aagh. Again a large one flew there.
---------------tco#.y"Ü.haE---n.tcaG---nu^n.t'aG
Again / large one / flew there.
Daang' 'ang aakwolaah?" "Did you already prepare him?"
---------------dan)E---u^n)---a.kwu^l.la
"Already [/ question particle ] / you fixed him?"
"Hee'uu', daang' aakwoshlaagh- ee. "Yes, I already prepared him.
---------------he.u#E---dan)E---a.kwu^c.la.Ge
"Yes, / already / I fixed him.
Hai-hiit' doo t'aa' kaal'aa- yee?" Why haven't the feathers come out?"
hai.h"Üt'---do#---t'aE---ka7l.Ea.ye
Why / not / feathers / have come out?"
Tcaa' kwilh-yaa'naakaa'-ghityiin-ee. "Listen! There are two (doctors) doctoring him.
---------------tcaE---kwu^;.yaE.na7k.kaE.gu^t.y"Ü.ne
"Listen, / with him two are standing. [= two are doctoring him]
Kaa' kwtcoonditcaang. Okay, we will leave him alone.
kaE---kw.tso#n.du^t.tcan)
Well, / we will leave him.
Yaakwolht'aah." Make him fly."
ya.kwo#;.t'a
Make him fly."
Deek'aa noonaaniik'aats. I fell back right there,
---------------de.k'a---no#.na.n"Ü.k'ats
There / I fell back.
Doo-kwnisin-hit. because I didn't know how (to fly).
do#.kw.nu^s.su^n.hu^t
I did not know how because.
Doo-taashoo' taashaash. I didn't go anywhere.
do#.ta.co#E---ta.cac
Not anywhere / I went.
Haataah doo-kwneesing. I was right there, senseless.
ha.ta---do#.kw.ne#.su^n)
Right there / I was senseless.
---- Kwanlhang. ---- That is all.
-------kwu^n.;a7n)
---- All.

1. Goddard footnote 245: "This interesting account was first told in English and several days later in Kato. There appears to be no insincerity on the part of the narrator. The belief in a soul capable of separation from the body and in shamans capable of calling it back is definite and firmly fixed."
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).

Goddard's Translation

We were killing lizards. I was carrying the sack. We had many of them. The sack was full. He killed a small one. Its mother ran off and lay near by.
"Where is the big one lying?" he asked me.
"There it is," I said.
He was about to shoot it.
"Do not kill me. Already you have killed my little one. I would live," she said.
Fire burst out of its month. I dropped the load in the sack and ran up the hill. I was sick. They doctored me. I didn't know anything because I had died. I heard my mother when she cried and said, "My little boy." It was very dark. My father and mother were standing over there. I was standing at the base of the rock behind a bush.
From the north something flew there. It spit over me.
"Your feathers will grow. You will fly up in the sky. There are flowers there. It is a good place. There is sunshine. It is a good land."
Again, a large one flew there.
"Have you fixed him already?" he asked.
"Yes, I fixed him some time ago. Why have not the feathers come out?"
"Listen, two are doctoring him. Well, we must leave him. Make him fly up now."
I fell back because I did not know how (to fly). I did not go anywhere. I was senseless right there.
That is all.
8/30/99 Sally Anderson using perl version 5.034000