Formula of Medicine to Protect Children in Strange Places
told by Emma Lewis
December, 1901
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 299
- mine:jixomił
- After a while
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said,
- keh
- "Come
- tse:ning'-me'*
- Tseningme
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in,"
- 'a:xołch'ide:ne'
- she told them.
When she returned she said, "Come, run into Tseninme (Burnt Ranch mountain)."
*A mountain near Burnt Ranch.
- wha:
- the sun
- na:na:'ida:wh
- had gone down
- mił
- then
- de:t
- this place
- no:na:'idgit
- they came again.
When the sun was down they came back.
- keh
- "Come,
- hay
- that
- me'
- in
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run,"
- yahł-ch'ide:ne'
- she told them.
Come, run into the mountain which stands by that," she told them.
- wha:
- the sun
- na:na:'ida:wh
- had gone down
- mił
- then
- no:na:'idje:w
- they came flying back in a flock.
At sundown the flock came flying back.
- hayah-mił
- And
- keh
- "Come
- je:lo'o-me'
- Djelo:me
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, run into Djelo:me," she said.
- de:t
- This
- ninis'a:n
- world
- ne:jit
- middle
- na:'idigit
- they came back.
They went and returned to the middle of the world.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- Then
- keh
- "Come,
- tse:wun-e:-me'*
- Tsewuneme
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in,"
- yahł-ch'ide:ne'
- she told them.
"Come, run into the mountain east of Djictangading," she told them.
*A mountain east of Djictangding.
- tse'ehtsding-mił
- After a little while
- de:t
- this place
- no:na:'idje:w
- they came back.
After a time they returned.
- 'a:ya:łch'ide:ne'
- she told them,
- keh
- "Come
- tse:-tidmili-me'
- Tsetitmilakut
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, run into Tsetitmilakut," she said.
- na:ne'idgit
- they came back
- hay
- the
- munchwing
- their mother
- ya'sida:-ding
- was staying place.
They did so and came back where their mother lived.
- keh
- "Come,
- tł'ohwhung-me'
- Bald Hill
- ye'ohdijeh-ne'
- run in."
- yahł-ch'ide:ne'
- she told them.
"Come, run into Lo:hwunme (Bald Hill)," she told them.
- tł'ohwhung-me'
- Bald Hill
- yehwidje:w
- they went in.
- na:ne'idgit
- They came back
- de:t
- this
- ninis'a:n
- world
- ne:jit
- middle.
They went into Lo:hwunme and came back into the middle of this world.
- keh
- "Come
- tł'oh-kyo:w-e:-me'
- Lo:kyo:weme
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, run into Lo:kyo:," she said to them.
*A mountain near the Eight-mile camp on the Redcap trail from Hupa to Orleans.
- de:t
- This
- ninis'a:n
- world
- ne:jit
- middle
- na:ne'idgit
- they came back.
They came back again to the middle of this world.
- keh
- "Come
- xa'isdil-me'
- Xaisdilme
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, Xaisdilme (Hooker's Ridge) run in," she told them.
- hayah-mił
- And
- keh
- "Come
- yida:ch'ing-dinun-ding
- Weitchpec butte
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, run into Yi:datcingdinunding (Weitchpec Butte)," she said.
- na:ne'idgit
- they came back
- de:t
- this
- ninis'a:n
- world
- ne:jit
- middle.
They came back again to the middle of this world.
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said,
- yide'-q'it-ch'ing' ch'ixine:wh
- Yitdekitcing Tcexunneu:wh
- me' ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
"Come, Yidekitcin Tcexuneuwme, run in," she told them.
- na:ne'idgit
- They came back.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said,
- misxustun-ding
- "Misxustunding
- keh
- come
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
When they had come back again, she said, "Come, run into Misxustunding (a mountain north of the Klamath)."
- keh
- "Come,
- dahdinmo:t'-ding* me'
- Dadinmo:tding
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in,"
- ch'ide:ne'
- she said.
"Come, run into Dadinmo:tding (a mountain at the mouth of Redwood Creek)," she told them.
*A mountain near mouth of Redwood creek.
- na:ne'idgit
- They came back,
- tse'ehtsding
- a short time
- mił
- then
- na:ne'idgit
- they came back.
After they had been gone a short time they came back.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said,
- keh
- "Come
- ta:ng'ay-me'*
- Tangaime
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
And then she said, "Come, run into Tangaime (a mountain at Trinidad)."
*Near Trinidad.
- ta:ng'ay-me'
- At Tangaime
- hijit
- then
- ła'ay-xw
- really
- k'ina:kil
- slaves
- ch'iswchwe'n-e:
- they made them.
There they made slaves of them.
- ła'ay-xw
- At once
- yo:w
- that
- me:ne:q'
- behind
- no'nilay-e:
- they put them.
They put them inside of that mountain.
- yiwidin-e:-mił
- Finally
- wilwe:tł'-e:
- it was night.
- hayah-mił
- And
- xa:na'te:eng'e'n
- she looked for them.
Finally night came and she looked for them.
- yiwidin-e:-mił
- Finally
- no:whe'de:whe'n-e:
- darkness came.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- she thought,
- hayah
- "There
- wha:ne:
- only
- xolung
- they are."
When it became dark she thought, "That is the only place they got into trouble."
- yiwidin-e:-mił
- At last
- xo'ch
- quite
- xutł'e'
- night
- sile'n-e:y
- it became.
- xoxa:
- For them
- na:ya'tehs'ing'-xw
- she looked.
When it became very dark she looked for them.
- hayah-mił
- And
- sa'a:
- long after
- wilwe'tł'-hit
- night
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- she thought,
- xokyung
- "Against his breast
- mitł'owe'
- medicine
- na:whchwe:
- I am going to make.
Long after night had fallen she thought, "I am going to make medicine against him.
- ming
- That is why
- 'a:ya:ł-de'iwhne'
- I told them,
- keh
- "Come,
- hayah
- there
- ye'ohdigi(t)-ne'
- run in."
That is why I kept saying to them, 'Come, run in here and there.'"
- hay-'ung'
- And
- ła'a-xutł'e'
- all night
- ya'wehs'a'
- she sat up;
- do:-ch'inehste:n
- never lay down
- hay
- that
- do:k'iwile:
- old woman.
All night long the old woman sat up; she did not lie down at all.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- nina:'usdiqe'
- she got up.
- ch'e'niłte:n
- She took out
- to:-q'it-xw*
- water on
- na:ky'oxo'a:n*
- always runs
- mixa:ch'e'-xole:n
- incense root
- niłch'ing'
- together
- no'nilay
- she put.
She got up and took a water bug and put it with incense root.
*The insect that skates on the water.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- de[']diwing'a:n
- she put them in the fire,
- ch'iwingye:wh
- rubbing them.
- xon'-ding
- Fire place
- 'ingxut'-e:
- they fell in.
Then rubbing them together between her hands she dropped them into the fire.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said
- da:ydi-ding
- "Wherever
- whiwung
- from me
- yehch'iwilay
- he took them in
- hay
- my
- mije'e:din
- children."
- 'a'de:ne'
- she said,
- q'a:de'
- "Pretty soon
- xołiqay
- dawn
- tehsyay
- will come,
- mił
- then
- hayah
- there
- yehk'iwehsch'e'-te:
- the smoke will blow,"
- ch'ide:ne'
- she said.
"To whomsoever took my children in," she said, "when dawn comes this smoke will blow.
- xołiqay
- dawn
- tehsyay
- came
- mił
- then
- hayah
- there
- 'a:xowiłchwe'n
- it smells
- ta:ng'ay-me'-ch'ing'
- at Tangaime
- mixa:ch'e'-xole:n
- incense root.
When dawn came, there at Tangaime (Trinidad) they smelled that incense root.
- haya:ł-'ung'
- And
- hay
- that
- ta:ng'ay-me'
- Tangaime man
- 'a'de:ne'
- said,
- mawh-xa'
- "I smell
- mixa:ch'e'-xole:n
- incense root.
That Tangaime man said, "I smell incense root.
- hayi
- That
- xowh-'ung'
- it may be
- miq'i[t]
- on their account
- 'a:xowiłchwing'
- it smells,
- hayo:w
- those
- mije'e:din
- children.
It smells on account of those children.
- ch'e:na:mił
- Throw them out."
Throw them out."
- ch'e:na'nime:tł'
- he had them thrown out
- mił
- then
- ła'ay-xw
- at once
- ya:na:dje:w
- they came back.
When they had been thrown out they came back.
- xoch'ing'
- to her
- yehna:nde:tł'
- they came back in
- xomije'e:din'
- her children.
- ch'o:diwiłxit'
- she asked them,
- de:di-whung
- "Did you
- 'a:xowiłchwing'
- smell anything
- nohq'it
- on yourselves?"
- yahł-ch'ide:ne'
- she said.
When her children came back to her she asked them, "Did you smell anything on yourselves!"
- 'a:ya[']diwe:ne'
- they said,
- diywho'owh-kya:ng'
- "Something
- 'a:xowiłchwe'n
- smelled
- nohq'it
- on us.
"There was something on us that smelled," they said.
- hayah-mił
- And then
- 'a:nohoł-ch'ide:ne'
- he said of us,
- ch'e:na:ya:xonmił
- 'Throw them out.
"He told them to throw us out.
- hayo:w
- Those
- xowung
- for them
- miq'i[t]
- on them
- 'a:xowiłchwing'
- it smells,'
- nohoł-ch'ide:ne'
- they told us."
'The smell comes on account of them,' he said."
- hayah-mił
- And
- hay
- that
- do:k'iwile:
- old woman
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- thought,
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- "Indians
- na:na:nde'tł'-te:
- are coming to be.
"Indians are coming into existence," the old woman thought.
- 'a:whił-ch'ide:n'-te:
- Of me they will say,
- hay
- 'That one
- ch'ing
- they say
- hayi-q'
- this way
- 'a:na:ch'idyaw
- she did.'
"They will say of me, 'That is the one who did this way.
- xoh
- In vain
- ninis'a:n
- mountains
- me:tsah-xosin-ding
- bad places
- yehch'iwiłtin-de'
- if they will take them in.
In vain they tried to take them into the bad mountains.
- hayi-heh
- Nevertheless
- haya:-ch'ing'
- there
- miq'eh
- after them
- mixa:ch'e'-xole:n
- incense
- ye'iyohł
- she blew in.
Notwithstanding she made incense go there after them.'
- hayah-mił
- And
- whe:
- me
- 'a:whił-ch'ide:n'-te:
- they will say of,
- hay
- 'That one
- ch'in
- they say
- hayi-q'
- that way
- 'a:ch'idyaw
- did.
They will say of me, 'That is the one who did this way.'
- hay
- Who
- miq'eh
- after them
- 'a:xowiłchwin'-te:
- will make smell
- hay-de:t
- this
- whe:
- I
- 'awhlaw
- made,
- hay
- whoever
- 'a:dich'ing'-no'nila:-de'
- puts with herself
- hayi-q'
- this
- mitł'o:w'
- medicine
- na:sehłchwing'
- I make."
Whoever makes for them this medicine which I made, will accomplish what I did."