Dahchwin'-ding Xon'-na:'iswe' (Gooseberry-place Brush Dance)
told by Mary Marshall
July, 1902
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 179
- dahchwin'-ding
- Gooseberry-place
- xon'-na:'iswe'
- brush dance
- nahnin
- two
- k'ehłtsa:n
- maidens
- ye:w
- way up
- min'-tsida'
- roof
- dahno[']ninde:tł'
- they sat.
One time they had a Brush dance at Datcwinding. Two young women sat on the roof watching the dance.
- haya:ł
- And
- yehk'iłta:tł'
- they began to dance,
- nahnin
- two
- xo'osday
- men
- do: ya[']xo:łts'it
- they did not know.
Two strange men were noticed about the place where the dance was being held.
- haya:ł
- And
- xutł'e'-e:-mił
- after midnight
- 'a:ya[']de:ne'
- they said,
- xunay
- "Friend,
- ta:ydinung
- let us drink water."
About midnight one of the two girls who were sitting on the roof said to the other, "Xunai, let us get a drink of water."
- haya:ł
- And
- ch'itehsde:tł'
- they went
- tiwimah
- Along the shore
- yinuq
- south
- ch'itehsde:tł'
- they went.
They walked along the river-shore toward the spring.
- haya:ł
- And
- xo'osday
- men
- nahnin
- two
- no:xo:ning'ung
- fell in with them
- 'ungya'
- they saw.
- haya:ł
- And
- yinuq
- south
- ya[']xotehslay
- they took them.
The two strange men overtook them and carried them away toward the south.
- ye:w
- Way up
- no:ta:ng'a:-ding
- at No:ta:ng'a:-ding
- mił
- then
- xoning'
- their faces
- ya:'isloy'
- they wrapped
- nahxa-le:n
- two deer-skins
- mił
- with.
At Notangading they stopped and wrapped the girls' faces in double deer-skin blankets.
- hayah-mił
- And
- na:yiduq
- across - up the hill
- yehya[']xolay
- they took them.
- ye:w
- Way up
- k'iya:ne:-q'eh*
- Kiya:neke'
- q'eh
- along
- na:ya[']xonilay-e:
- they took them.
Leaving the river they took them up Ki:yaneke creek.
*The name of a creek.
- haya:ł
- And
- jiyshta:ng'a:-ding
- Diyshta:ng'a:-ding
- ya[']xowile:l-e:
- they took them along.
- xahslin-ding
- Xahslin-ding creek
- q'eh
- along
- yehya[']xowilay-e:
- they took them.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:diwung
- for themselves
- ya'tehłwis
- they were afraid.
When they had crossed Djictangading and Xaslinding creeks, the girls began to fear for their lives.
- xokya'
- Their dress
- tsiq'e'
- fringes
- ya[']te:mich
- they pulled off.
- no:ya[']te:me:tł'
- They dropped them along.
They pulled off the fringes of their dresses and dropped them by the trail that their friends might know which way they had been taken.
- łe:lding
- Łe:lding
- yima:n
- across from
- na:ya[']xonilay-e:
- they took them.
- yisinch'in-ch'ing'
- Southfork creek
- q'eh
- along
- yehya[']xowilay
- they took them.
At Southfork they were taken across the Trinity river and conducted along Southfork creek.
- ya[']te'ichwiw
- They cried along.
They cried as they went along.
- xwe:ya:lwilil
- They camped along.
- yine[h]ł'ing[']
- to see
- ya[']xo'iłchwe'
- they made them
- hay
- where
- tse:l-nehwa:n
- red obsidians
- ya:widchway
- were buried.
- k'iłixun
- venison
- niłtsa:y
- dry
- ya:silay
- was placed.
At the camping places the men showed them where the red obsidians were buried and the dried venison was stored.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- ya[']ninde:tł'-e:
- they got there.
- ła:n
- Many
- xontah
- houses
- sa'a:n
- were there.
- ya:silay
- were there.
Finally they came to their journey's end where there were many houses and sweat-houses.
- haya:ł
- And
- ch'ide:lts'e'
- they lived there.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- ya[']k'iwintsit
- they pounded acorns.
- k'ita:ya[']wiłtsit
- They soaked the meal.
After they had been living there some time they went down to the river shore to make acorn soup.
- hayah-mił
- And
- tsumehstł'o:n
- a woman
- xoch'ing'
- to them
- ts'isdiyung-xola:n
- She was old.
A very old woman came down to see them.
- xoch'ing'
- To them
- ya[']xine:wh
- she talked
- dining'xine:wh-q'
- Hupa language way.
- 'a[']de:ne'
- She said,
- whe:
- "I
- q'ina'
- too
- whiniwilte:n
- was brought here
- dahungwho'-dung'
- long time ago,
Speaking to them in the Hupa language she said, "I too was brought here many years ago when I was young.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- mije'e:din
- babies
- ya:'ischwe'n
- they had;
- kile:xich
- boys
- nahx
- both
- xiy
- children.
After a while each had a child. Both were boys.
- haya:ł
- And
- xoł-ya[']xowilik
- they told them
- hay
- the
- tse:l-nehwa:n
- red obsidians
- hay
- the
- mine:jixomił-'ung'
- After a time
- xoł-ya[']xowilik
- they told them
- ya[']xo:qot
- they stick them
- -tah
- too.
- haya:ł
- And
- xoł-yaydine:wił'a'
- they learned.
Their husbands showed them where the red obsidians were buried and taught them to kill deer by magic.
- k'iłixun
- Deer
- k'iningya'n-e:
- to feed
- ch'e:k'e'iyawh
- always came out
- hayah
- there
- yima:n'ch'ing'
- across.
The deer used to come out to feed on the opposite side of the stream.
- ya'uqot
- They always stuck them.
- haya:ł
- And
- k'e:'idmil-e:
- they drop.
When they pointed something at them the deer always fell dead.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:ya[']de:ne'
- they said,
- na:ya:xosdiqot-de'
- if we stuck them?"
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said
- łiwung
- one of them,
- xa'
- "Very well."
One time they said to each other, "Why wouldn't our husbands die if we did that way with them?"
- nahsde:tł'
- They began to walk
- hay
- those
- mije'e:din
- children.
- ła'
- one
- wilwe:tł'
- evening
- ta:kiwh
- sweathouse
- yehch'iwinde:tł'
- went in
- hay
- those
- k'idongxwe:*
- kitdo:ng-xoi.
One evening after the children had learned to walk the men went into the sweat-house.
*Kitdonxoi is a name given to those who have evil power. See, Life and Culture of the Hupa, p. 64. The Indians of this region were thought to be expert kitdo:ngxoi.
- ya[']xohsqot
- they stuck them
- ta:kiwh
- sweathouse
- -me'-ch'in'
- inside.
The women standing outside did to them as they had been accustomed to do to the deer.
- k'iye:
- Again
- xoch'ing'
- to them
- na:ya[']xine:wh
- they spoke.
- daw
- No reply.
Again they called but still they received no reply.
- dahungwho'-dung' xowh
- Long before
- xode:wing'e:tł'
- they were dead.
They had already been dead some time.
- xolisch
- quickly
- xehł
- loads
- wun-na:'isde:tł'
- they made ready.
- tse:l-nehwa:n
- Red obsidian
- wha:ne:
- only
- ya:ya[']k'inge:n
- they brought away.
- dahna:xo:diwing'a:n
- They ran back.
The women packed up their things quickly, taking away only the red obsidians, and started home.
- xwe:na:ya:lwilil
- they camped along
- hay
- where
- dahungwho'
- before
- xwe:ya:lwilił-tah
- they had camped.
They camped each night at the places they had camped before.
- tse:l-nehwa:n
- red obsidian
- xa:na:ya[']widchwa:l
- they dug up along.
They dug up the red obsidians at these places.
- yiwidin-e:-mił-'ung'
- Finally
- na:'inde:tł'
- they got back.
- yehna[']widya:-hit
- When she went in
- ya'wing'e:tł'
- they were sitting there.
When they got to their home one of them went into her mother's house. The family were sitting about the fire.
- xe'e:ya:xowidme:tł'*
- They had thrown away part of themselves.
They had their hair cut in mourning for the lost daughter.
*They had cut their hair as a sign of mourning for the dead.
- 'a[']de:ne'
- said
- hay
- that
- do:k'iwile:
- old woman,
- i:
- "Eh,"
- 'a[']de:ne'
- she said,
- nichwing'-xw
- ill
- 'a:whiłch'ide:ne'
- spoke to me?
"Eh," said the old woman, "who spoke to me in a forbidden manner?
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- she said to her,
- whe:
- "I
- na:whdiyay
- have got back."
"I am that daughter," the young woman said, "I have got back."
- xowa:'iłda'
- she handed her
- mije'e:din
- the child.
- ch'o:nchwit
- she took it.
She passed her child to her mother who took it.
- ch'ixowilik
- she began to tell them
- 'aht'ing
- everything
- na:'isde:tł'
- they had travelled.
She told her people all that had happened to her since her disappearance.
- do:-heh
- Did not
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n-q'i
- human-like
- 'a:niwehst'e'
- appear.
- xong'
- Fire
- miky'a:-ch'ing'
- away from
- dinung
- facing
- wha:ne:
- always
- ya'a'a'
- he used to sit.
He did not act like a human being and always sat with his back to the fire.
- xoh
- In vain
- ma:lyeh-xw 'a:ya'iliw
- they tried to take care of him.
They took care of him the best they could.
- me:ya[']dzehsla'
- they did not like him
Some of the people did not like him.
- mine:jixomił
- For a while
- na:na:'indil
- they came back.
For a while they used to come back occasionally.
- xo'osday
- Men
- ya[']sile'n
- they had become
- mił
- then
- mine:jixomił
- after a time
- do: na:ya[']ninde:tł'
- they did not come back.
- hayah
- Here
- no:nt'ik'
- is the end.
When they became men they ceased coming back.