Miyme'duq'it K'iwintsit (At Miyme'duq'it She Pounded Acorns)
told by Mary Marshall
July, 1901
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 185
- miyi-mida:-q'it
- At Miyme'duq'it
- k'iwintsit
- was pounding acorns
- hay
- that
- tsumehstł'o:n
- woman.
A woman was pounding acorns at Mi:medakut.
- haya:ł
- And
- mije'e:din
- the baby
- xona:t
- around her
- nahłqol
- was creeping.
- hayah-mił
- And
- xwe:na:se'ildiqo:l
- on her it kept crawling.
Her baby while playing near her became hungry and tried to crawl up on her.
- xe'e:na:'iłkis
- She kept pushing it away.
She pushed it off.
- haya:ł
- And
- na[']k'iwintsit
- she pounded again.
- hayah-mił
- And
- na[']te:ng'e'n
- she looked
- 'a:diwina:
- behind herself.
After pounding a while she looked around.
- xontah
- House
- mina: na:'isdiła:t
- around - she ran.
- haya:ł
- And
- na:'is'its
- different places she ran
- xoh
- in vain.
She ran around the house and looked in different places.
- do:-xole:n-e:
- He was gone.
It was gone.
- haya:ł
- And
- wilwe:tł'
- at evening
- na:'ndiyay
- came home
- hay
- the
- xo'osday
- man.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a[']de:ne'
- she said,
- whiwung
- from me
- nixohsle'
- is lost
- mije'e:din
- the baby."
When her husband came home at night, she said, "I have lost the baby."
- haya:ł
- And
- yo'n
- back of fire
- no[']niłq'a:s
- he threw
- hay
- that
- k'iłixun
- deer
- hay
- which
- 'a:didiłwa:
- He turned back.
- ch'e:na[']indiyay-e:
- He went out.
He threw the deer which he had brought on the bank back of the fire and went out again.
- hay
- The
- xontah
- house
- hijit
- then
- na:'iłtsa:n
- he found signs.
- hayah
- There
- 'ungya'
- he saw
- ch'e:'ilqol-e:-xola:n
- it had crawled out.
Then he found where the baby had crawled out under the house.
- hayah-mił
- And then
- ch'itehłxa'
- he tracked it.
- ch'ite:'iłqol-e:-xola:n
- It had crawled along he saw.
Following its trail he saw where it had crawled along.
- mine:jixomił
- After a while
- no:diwinta'[t]ł-xola:n
- it had made a track he saw.
- ch'itehsyay-e:-xola:n
- He was walking along he saw.
After a while he saw its foot-print and knew that it had begun to walk.
- ch'iłtsa:n
- He found
- hay
- the
- xwe:lwe'tł-xolun-ding
- he had camped place.
He saw where it had spent the night.
- k'iye:
- Again
- ch'itehsyay-e:-xola:n
- he had travelled he saw.
- na:'ine:l-e:-xola:n
- He played he saw.
He could see that it had played along as it travelled.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- ts'iłting'
- a bow
- ch'ischwing'-xola:n
- he had made he saw.
Soon he saw the boy had succeeded in making a bow.
- mine:jixomił
- After a while
- łe:na[']nila:-xola:n
- a fire he had built he saw.
Then he found he had built a fire.
- mine:jixomił
- After a while
- k'iya:ts
- birds
- dahsiłte:n
- lying on something
Still further on there were birds already cooked lying on something beside the trail.
- xona:
- for him
- da'e'iłte'
- he left
- diywho'
- something
- wint'e'
- cooked
- mike'-ne:s
- squirrels
- -tah
- too.
Every now and then he found something left for him, cooked squirrels and small game.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- xo'ch
- quite
- ch'iwingkya:w-e:-xola:n
- large he had become he saw.
After a time he saw the boy had become quite large.
- mine:jixomił
- Finally
- k'iłixun
- deer
- ch'ise:tehłwe:n-e:-xola:n
- he had killed he saw.
Finally he found where he had killed a deer.
- haya:ł
- And
- hay
- that
- ch'iwinya'n
- he ate.
- ch'ite'ina:wh-xola:n
- He always travelled he saw.
He ate some of that which had been left for him.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- ch'ite'ina:wh-e:-xola:n
- he had gone along he saw.
After a time he saw by the appearance of the trail that his son had gone along only a little ahead of him.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- xunding
- close
- ts'isle'n
- he got.
- na[']k'iwing'aw-e:-ts'iw
- Singing he heard.
When he came closer he heard him singing.
- k'iłdik'-kyoh
- Woodpecker heads
- -tah
- too
- da'e'iłte'
- were on a stick
- xona:
- for him.
Woodpecker heads had been left for him on sticks by the trail.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- de:di xoma:n-ch'ing'-xw
- right across from him
- na[']k'iwing'ah-ts'iw
- singing he heard.
- 'a[']de:n'-ts'iw
- singing he heard.
Then right across from him he heard his son singing.
- mine:jixomił
- After a time
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought,
- 'e:wa:k
- "Poor fellow,
- whe: na:ch'ohłxe'
- let him catch up with me."
Then the son thought, "Poor man, never mind, let him catch up with me."
- haya:ł
- And
- xona'niłxa:
- he overtook him.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he said to him,
- łah-xw
- "Without reason
- 'ayne:se'n
- I thought
- digyung
- here
- mił
- from
- 'int'a:na[']widya:-te:
- he would turn back."
When the father came along the son said, "I just thought you would turn back from here."
- sa:k'iding-'ungya'
- He saw with surprise
- xona:-t'ung'-tah
- his eyebrows
- k'iya:wh me:da'ay*
- woodpecker color
- te:le'n-e:-xola:n
- had become.
He was surprised to see that the son's eyebrows had become woodpecker color.
*The woodpecker-color eyebrows are a distinctive mark of the Kixunai.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he told him,
- 'a:doxa:
- for your stuff
- na:nungya:
- go back
- haya:ł
- and
- whił te:singya:-te:
- with me you may go."
"Well," said the son, "go back after your things and then you may go with me."
- haya:ł
- And
- na[']tehsdiyay
- he went back.
- na:'ndiyay
- he arrived.
- sa:k'iding-'ungya'
- He was surprised to find
- xong'
- fireplace
- me'
- in
- ts'isting
- lying
- xon'-ding
- ashes
- xoq'it
- on her
- ya:na:me:diwing'a'
- piled up.
When he got back to the house he found his wife lying dead by the fire-pit covered with ashes.
- hayahujit
- And then
- 'a:de:y
- his own things
- wha:ne:
- only
- mixa:
- after
- na:na[']k'isle'
- he felt.
- ch'e:na[']diyay
- He went out again.
- na[']tehsdiyay
- He went back
- k'iye:
- again.
- hayah
- There
- xowung
- to him
- na:'ndiyay
- he came.
Groping about he found his own things and went back.
- mixa:ch'e'-xole:n
- incense root
- ch'iwintsit
- he pounded.
- hayahujit
- And then
- mił
- with it
- na[']xowiłme'
- he bathed him.
The son pounded up incense root and bathed him with it.
- yinuqi-yiduq
- southeast
- na:na[']winde:tł'
- they are living.
They are still living in the world to the southeast.