Formula of Medicine for the Birth of the First Child
told by Emma Lewis
[November, 1901]
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 280
- ch'ixolchwe:-ding
- Tcexoolteweding
- ts'isday
- lived
- yima:ntiw'winyay
- Yiimantuuwingyai.
Yiimantuuwingyai lived at Tcexooltcweding.
- yide'-ch'ing'
- Down river
- ch'iningyay-e:
- he went.
- tse:łch'e'-ding
- TseLtceding
- na:-to:no:ng'a:-ding
- along on the beach
- yinuq
- south.
He went down the river to TseLtceding.
- na:diq'a:n
- Along the ridges
- yida:ch'ing
- from the north
- hayah
- there
- yehna'widyay-e:
- he went.
He followed the beach south for some distance and then he went along the ridge.
- haya:ł
- And
- yinahch'ing
- from the south
- ye:
- he saw
- nahnin
- two
- tsumehstł'on
- women.
Two women came from the south.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he said,
- nahłyehwh
- "Rest
- nohin
- you
- q'ing'
- too."
"You sit down and rest too," he said.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought
- me:diwinchwe'n k'iłch'initiwh
- he wanted to have intercourse with some woman.
He thought, "I would like to have intercourse with them."
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- hayah
- there
- no:na'ning'a:n
- he left
- hay
- that
- tse:-q'i-chwun'-to:-me:ne:q'
- Tsekatcwuntoomeneuk.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- yide'
- north
- ch'itehsde:tł'
- went
- hay
- those
- tsumehstł'on
- women.
Then he left that place, and the women went on toward the north.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- xong
- he himself
- ch'itehsyay
- went
- yinuq
- south
- ch'iqa:l
- walking along.
He himself walked along toward the south.
- de:t
- This place
- yinuq
- south of
- tse:-din
- Willow creek
- hayah
- there
- xwe:lwe:tł'
- he spent the night.
- hayah
- There
- k'iye:
- again
- nahx
- two
- tsumehstł'on
- women
- yide:lwe:tł'
- spent the night.
Below Willow Creek he spent the night with two women.
- hayah
- There
- xoyeh
- under them
- yitsin'
- below
- xong
- he himself
- tse:-yeh-me'
- rock under
- xwe:lwe:tł'
- he spent the night.
- hayah-mił
- And
- k'iye:
- again
- xa'a:ch'idyaw
- that he did
- k'iye:
- again
- xoyeh
- under him
- yitsin'
- below
- yide:lwe:tł'
- they spent the night.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- ch'itehsyay
- he went
- yinuq
- south
- de:t
- this
- ninis'a:n
- world
- ne:ji-xw
- the middle
- ch'iqa:l
- walking along
- mił
- then
- k'iye:
- again
- do: ch'itehsya:-te: sile'n
- he did not feel like going farther.
He went on walking along in the middle of the world toward the south. Again he did not feel like going on.
- sa:k'iding 'ungya'
- He was surprised to see
- king'kya:w*
- a white oak
- hayah
- there
- k'isxung
- standing.
He was surprised to see a hollow white oak standing there.
*Quercus Garryana.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- hayah
- there
- mił
- with it
- ch'inehste:n
- he lay
- hay
- that
- king'kya:w
- white oak
- kinye:q'it
- hollow.
He lay with that.
- yinuqa-ninis'a:n-no:ng'a:-ding
- south world's end
- chiningyay-e:
- he came to.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- hay
- the
- ch'ininya:-ding
- he came from place
- na'tehsdiyay
- he started back.
He came to the end of the world at the south and then turned back the way he had come.
- yinahch'ing
- From the south
- na:wida:l
- he came back,
- ye:w
- way
- na:-yinahch'ing
- back - from south
- hayah
- there
- na'wida:l
- he came to
- hay
- that
- king'kya:w-ding
- white oak place.
- hayah
- there
- na'wida:l
- he came along
- mił
- then
- mije'e:din
- baby
- da:ywho'-ch'ing'-xw
- somewhere
- ky'a:tehłchwiw-e:-ts'iw
- he heard cry.
When he came back to the place where the white oak was standing he heard a baby crying somewhere.
- hayahujit
- And
- mina:na[']wiliwh
- then about it he thought
- hay
- that
- nahsda'undeh
- some time ago
- 'a:ch'idyaw
- he did that.
Then he thought about what he had done some time before.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- dinung
- facing
- ch'iwinye'n
- he stood.
- sa:k'iding 'ungya'
- He was surprised
- hay
- that
- kinye:q'it
- hollow tree
- -me'-ch'ing'
- inside
- 'a:n-ts'iw
- he heard it cry.
As he stood facing the tree he heard something inside.
- haya:ł
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought
- duxwe:di-gya'awh 'a:'o:neh
- how will it be.
"How will it be," he thought.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- hay-yo:w
- that
- king-mi(ky)'o:tse'
- knurl
- mina:t
- around
- hay
- the
- łe:na:ldichwing-xola:n-ding
- it had grown together place
- mina:t
- around
- ch'idiwiłtse:tł'
- he pounded it off.
Then he pounded off the bark around the knurl where it had grown together.
- hijit
- Then
- hay
- it
- miq'it
- on
- dahna'dehłwa:tł'
- he poured it.
Having made a decoction of the bark he poured it on the tree.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- ła'ay-xw
- really
- je:dwa:tł'
- it opened
- hay-yo:w
- that
- king'kya:w
- white oak.
That white oak opened at once.
- hayi-q'
- "This way
- 'a:diyah-te:
- it will be,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought,
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- "Indians
- na:na:nde'tł'-te:
- when they come to be.
"This way it will be," he thought, "when Indians become."
- hayi-q'
- This way
- do:-xoł-me:tsah-xowinsin'-te:
- it will be easy for them,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"It will be easy this way," he thought.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- hayi-q'i
- that way
- ch'e'niłte:n
- he took out
- mije'e:din
- the baby.
That was the way he took the baby out.
- na'tehłte:n
- He took it along.
- ch'ixolchwe:-ding
- Tcexooltcweding
- na:'iłdite:n-e:
- he brought it.
He brought it back to Tcexooltcweding.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- hayah
- there
- na:'iste'
- he carried it around
- hay
- that
- mije'e:din
- baby.
- do:-xoynehsya:n
- He did not raise it.
He carried the baby around with him but he did not succeed in raising it.
- k'iwinya'nya:n
- "Indians
- ma:
- for
- 'a:na:whdiyaw
- I did it,"
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"I did it for Indians," he thought.
- haya:ł
- And
- yide'-q'it-ch'ing' ch'ixine:wh-q'it-ch'ing'
- "Yiidekitcing Tcexungeuuwhkut
- no:y'-na:sehłchwin'-te:
- I will bury it,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"I will bury it at Yiidekitcing Tcexuneuuwhkutcing," he thought.
- 'a:dit'ah
- In his sack
- na'wiłte:n
- he put it.
- yide'-q'it-ch'ing' ch'ixine:wh-q'it
- At Yiidekitcing Tcexuneuuwhkut
- diywhe'eh
- nobody
- do: ch'iłtsa:n
- he saw.
He put it in his buckskin sack and took it there. He found no one about.
- k'ixinay-ne'in
- The Kiixunai used to be,
- 'aht'ing
- all
- tsintehłde:tł'
- had run away.
All the Kixunai who used to live there had fled.
- hayah-mił
- And
- ch'itehłte:n
- he took it along
- hay
- the
- k'ixinay
- Kiixunai
- na:dił
- lived
- tah
- places
- xoch'ing'
- to them
- niwina:whil
- he went.
Then he took it to all the places where the Kiixunai used to live.
- yiwidin-e:-mił
- finally
- łe:na'niłte:n
- he carried it all around
- hay-de:t
- this
- ninis'a:n
- world
- me:q'
- over.
- yiwidin-e:-mił
- Finally
- ch'ixolchwe:-ding
- Tcexooltcweding
- na:'ndiyay-e:
- he came back.
- hayahujit
- And then
- 'a:na:ch'ilaw-e:
- he buried it.
Finally he went all around the world and came back to Tcexooltcweding where he buried it.
- łiwun
- alone
- ts'isday
- he lived there.
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- NiLkyakilduuwime
- hayah
- there
- ts'isday
- lived
- mining'-mił-łe:diliw
- Panther.
Panther was living alone at NiLkyakilduuwime.
- hayi-q'
- That way
- q'ing'
- too
- ła'
- one
- xomije:'e:din'
- his baby.
- hayi-q'
- That way
- 'e:ng'
- it was
- 'a:ch'idyaw
- he did.
In the same manner he, too, got a baby.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought
- yide'-q'it-ch'ing' ch'ixine:wh
- "Yiidekitcing Tcexuneuuwh
- hayah
- there
- ch'int'e:
- it will be,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
He thought, "I will go to Yiidekitcing Tcexuneuuwh to bury it."
- hayah-mił
- And
- k'iye:
- again
- hayah
- there
- xoky'a:-ch'ing'
- from him
- tsintehłde:tł'
- they ran off.
They ran away from him.
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought
- ninis'a:n
- world
- me:q'
- over
- ch'itehłte:n
- he would take it along.
Then he thought he would take it around the world.
- hayi-q'
- that way
- q'ing'
- too,
- hayi-q'
- that way
- 'a:ch'idyaw
- he did.
- hayi-q'
- That way
- q'ing'
- too
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- NiLkyakilduuwime
- na:'iłdite:n
- he brought it back.
- hayahujit
- And then
- hayi-q'
- that way
- 'a:na:ch'ilaw-e:
- he buried it.
He, too, brought it back to the place from which he had started and buried it.
- ch'ixolchwe:-ding
- Tcexooltcweding
- na:tehłdichwe:n
- grew
- hay
- that
- mitł'owe'
- medicine
- nahsdilin'-te:
- that was to be.
At Tcexooltcweding the plant that was to be the medicine grew.
- hayah-mił
- And
- tehłchwe:n
- there grew
- ch'ime:-ya:wh
- small Douglas spruces.
Small Douglas spruces grew there.
- hayah-mił
- And
- hay
- that one
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- NiLkyakilduuwime
- hay
- that
- 'e:ng'
- was
- hay
- the
- mitł'o:w'
- medicine
- na:tehłdichwe:n
- grew there
- niłchwin-dilmay*
- yarrow.
The medicine that grew at NiLkyakilduuwime was yarrow.
*Achillea millefolium L. which is claimed by the Hupa and other Indians, to be native to northwestern California.
- haya:ł
- And
- whe:
- me
- na:tse:
- first
- yima:ntiw'winyay
- Yiimantuuwingyai
- ch'iwho:'iwhe'
- he will call.
- hayah-mił
- And
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- (Panther)
- na:miq'eh
- second
- ch'ixo:'iwhe'
- he will call.
- nahding
- A second time
- na'xo'iwhe:
- he will call
- yima:ntiw'winyay
- Yiimantuuwingyai.
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- NiLkyakilduuwime
- q'ing'
- too
- nahding
- a second
- na'xo'iwhe:
- he will call.
That is why I call Yiimantuuwingyai a second time, and then I call panther again.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he said to him,
- to:-ch'ing'
- "On the river side
- te:wing'e'tł'
- stand out.
He told one of them, "Stand on the river side where the branch hangs over.
- hayah-mił
- And
- niłky'a:k'ildiwi-me'
- NiLkyakilduuwime
- 'a:xoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he said to him,
- hay
- "That
- me:w
- under
- hay
- that
- duqi-ch'in'-ch'ing'
- shore side
- hay
- that
- me:w
- under
- k'itin
- small tail
- xa'e:ng'e:tł'
- will go."
He told the other one, "Stand on the shore side. Those with small tails will pass under that."