Łich'iwh-ding Ya'dehłtse: (At Sand-place They Lived)
told by Oscar Brown
June, 1901
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 169
- ya[']dehłts'e:
- They were living
- łich'iwh-ding
- Sand-place
- ta:q'in
- three
- 'iłde:
- sisters.
Three sisters were living at Sand-place.
- mine:jixomił
- after a time
- na:nde:tł'
- it snowed
- xowingq'uts'
- it was cold.
Once it turned very cold and snowed.
- 'a:ya[']de:ne'
- they said,
- yo:w
- "The
- k'iwingxoya:n
- old man
- xong'
- fire
- me:w
- beside
- ch'ino:te'
- he might lie."
"The old man might sleep in the wood-room near the fire," suggested one of the daughters.
- łiwuning
- one
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said,
- daw
- "No,
- ky'o:dile'n
- he might be cold."
"No, he might be cold there," said another.
- hay
- the
- nahnin
- second
- 'a:ya[']de:ne'
- said,
- xoch'ing'
- "For him
- łe:na:yundila:-te:*
- we will keep a fire burning."
"Well then," the other said, "we will keep a fire burning for him in the wood-room."
*A plural form, rather unusual. The dual, Le-nun-dil-la-te, is more frequent.
- 'a[']de:ne'
- she said.
- no:ya[']xoniłte:n
- they left him.
- ya[']nehste:ch'
- they went to bed.
To this the others agreed so they left him there and went to bed.
- xutł'e'-dung'
- in the morning
- łiwung
- one of them
- ch'e[']ningyay
- went out.
- sa:k'iding 'ungya'
- She was surprised to see
- tse:lin
- blood
- ch'e:'indił-xw
- outside the door.
When one of the girls went out in the morning she was surprised to see blood by the door.
- yehna[']wilła:t
- she ran in
- xontah
- the house
- -me'-ch'ing'
- inside.
- 'a[']de:ne'
- she said,
- tse:ling
- blood
- wha:ne:
- nothing but."
Running in again, she called to the others, "There is nothing but blood outside."
- 'ina:xohs'a:n
- they jumped up,
- yehxo:ng'ung-hit
- when they ran in.
Jumping up they looked in the wood-room.
- hay
- the
- ch'ingkya:w-e:
- largest
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said,
- do: wichwiw-e:-heh
- "Don't cry."
- xodehch
- her sister
- 'ahłch'ide:ne'
- she told,
- xo'ch
- "Good
- 'a:na:dileh
- fix yourself."
- xo'ch
- good
- 'a:na:ya'dilaw
- they fixed themselves.
"Don't cry," said the oldest, "dress yourselves."
- haya:ł
- And
- hay
- the
- ts'its'e:y-e:
- youngest
- 'a:ya[']xołch'ide:ne'
- they told,
- na:ya[']xotehłxa'
- they tracked him.
- xoda:na:ya[']xo:łxa'
- down they tracked him.
Telling the youngest to stay at home the two older sisters followed the tracks to the river.
- yima:n
- the other side
- na:na:ya[']xoniłxa'-e:
- they found his tracks.
- ya[']xowiłxehł
- going along they tracked him.
On the other side of the river they found tracks where someone had gone toward the east.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- 'ungya' k'istse[']tł'-ts'eh
- they heard pounding.
After a time they heard someone pounding.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- she told her,
- xa'
- "Come,
- xolisch
- hurry,
- de:-xo-ts-e:-xunding
- he is close by."
"Come, hurry up, he is close by," said one of them.
- ya[']widil-it
- As they were going along
- 'ungya'
- they saw
- łit
- smoke
- ch'e:na:wh
- coming out
- nilin-e:
- by the creek
- yidahch'ing
- down.
As they were going along they saw smoke down by the creek.
- haya:ł
- And
- hayah
- there
- ya[']widil-it
- as they were going along
- 'ungya'
- they saw
- nisking
- Douglas spruce
- łe:nawila:
- a fire was.
- hayah
- there
- ya[']ninde:tł'
- they went.
They found a fire burning there at the butt of a spruce.
- haya:ł
- And
- na:'a:ya[']ditse:l
- they warmed themselves.
- hayah
- There
- 'ungya'
- they saw
- tse:ling
- blood
- na:ya:diwilwa:tł'-e:
- scattered about.
- ch'ingkya:w-e:
- the largest
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said,
- xa'
- "Well
- wingyahł
- come on.
- xunding
- close by."
- ch'itehsde:tł'
- they went.
Blood was scattered all about. When they had warmed themselves the oldest sister said, "Come, let us go on. He is close by."
- xo'dzi-nehwa:n
- carefully
- ch'itehsde:tł'
- they went.
- xontah
- house
- me:xunding
- close to
- ya[']ninde'tł'-hit
- when they came
- 'ungya'
- they heard
- ch'idilwahwh-ts'iw
- talking.
They went on cautiously until they came to the house. They heard someone talking inside.
- hay
- the
- ch'ingkya:w-e:
- oldest
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said,
- xodehch
- her sister
- 'ahłch'ide:ne'
- she told,
- do: nije:'-te:ltsit-ne'
- "Don't get excited."
"There must be two of them; don't get excited," said the oldest sister.
- łing'
- Dog-skin
- t'e'
- blanket
- 'ungya'
- they saw
- na:niwilxut'
- hanging for door.
A dog skin blanket was hanging there over the door.
- hay
- the
- ch'ingkya:w-e:
- oldest
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said,
- keh
- "Well
- xontah
- house
- -me'-ch'ing'
- into
- te:siwh'ing'
- I am going to look."
"I am going to look in," she said.
- 'ungya'
- she heard
- k'iwingxoya:n
- the old man
- 'a[']de:n'-ts'iw
- she heard say,
- ya:ng'a:
- "Why do you sit there;
- k'e:dze'
- penis,
- do: de:diwidtung'
- why don't you cook?"
An old man was saying, "Why do you sit there, why don't you cook a piece!"
- 'a:ya'ch'ondehsne'
- they thought,
"There must be two of them," she thought.
- hay
- the
- ch'ingkya:w-e:
- largest
- no:na:witse:-ding
- the doorway
- ch'iningya:-hit
- when she went to
- xontah
- house
- -me'-ch'ing'
- into
- ch'ite:ng'ing'-hit
- when she looked
- 'ungya'
- she saw
- k'iwingxoya:n
- the old man
- na:ch'iłtsił
- moving as he sat
- łiwuning
- alone
- k'e:ch'iłna:
- cooking,
- k'iq'ay'
- thigh
- xoyiw
- in front of him
- suxung
- lying in basket.
When she went through the outer door and looked in, she saw an old man sitting alone before the fire by which a human thigh was cooking.
- hay
- the
- k'iwingxoya:n
- old man
- 'ina:ch'isła:t
- jumped up
- haya:ł
- and
- ch'iwhłah
- "Let me run out,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought
- mił
- then
- na[']niłkis
- she struck him
- xoyehk'ilxit-q'eh
- in his throat.
The old man jumped up and tried to run out but she struck him in the throat with a knife.
- hay
- the
- łiwung
- other one
- q'ing'
- too
- yehch'iwilła:t
- ran in.
- k'iłch'ixa:nyay
- there was a fight.
- ya[']xosehłwe:n
- they killed him.
The other sister came in and they fought with him, and killed him.
- łe:na:ya[']k'iwilaw
- they gathered up
- mits'ine'
- his bones.
- da'ng
- Already
- xowh
- it seems
- ch'inehłya:n
- he had eaten him.
They found there the bones of their father whom he had already eaten.
- 'aht'ing
- all
- xowung
- from him
- dahya[']diwing'a:n
- they took away,
- diywho'
- some
- tse:l-nehwa:n-ne'in
- red obsidians,
- ts'iduqi-na'we-ne'in
- fisherskin quivers,
- ło:q'-yiditile:-ne'in
- otterskins,
- diywho'
- some
- hay
- that
- ch'ił'a:n
- he had
- minła:n-e:
- everything.
They took away all the red obsidians, fisher-skin quivers, otter-skins, dentalia and everything else of value they found.
- xehł
- load
- ya:'ischwe'n
- they made up.
- ya:na:ya[']k'inge:n
- they carried it away.
- łiwung
- One of them
- hay
- the
- ya:na[']winge:n
- carried.
One of the sisters carried the remains of their father.
- na:ya[']widil
- They went along.
- haya:ł
- And
- ch'e:na[']ninde:tł'
- they came down.
- yima:n
- The other side
- na:na:ya[']ninde:tł'
- they arrived.
- na:ya:'inde:tł'
- they came back to.
They came back along the way they had gone, crossing the river to their home.
- xo'ch
- good
- 'a:ya[']ch'ilaw
- they fixed.
- hijit
- Then
- ya[']xowinchway
- they buried him.
The next morning they prepared their father's remains and buried them.
- na:ya[']de:lts'e'
- they lived as before.
The sisters continued to live there as before.