Formula of Medicine for Going in Dangerous Places with a Canoe
told by Emma Lewis
December, 1901
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Pliny Earle Goddard
Source: Hupa Texts (UCPAAE vol. 1, no. 2), p. 314
- yima:ni-yinuq
- Across to the south
- ts'isday
- he lived,
- miqe:kin'-me:k'istł'o'n*
- Snipe.
Snipe lived across to the south.
*"His ankle tied around."
- xoqe:-jiwole'
- His ankle joint
- do:
- never
- mitis
- over it
- 'ina:wh
- reached,
- 'ist'ik'
- (so) narrow.
It was so shallow it did not come above his ankle.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought,
- yehwe:ya:-te:
- "I am going into it,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"I am going in it," he thought.
- duxwe:di-gya'awh 'a:'o:neh
- "How is it going to be?"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"How is it going to be?" he thought.
- hayah-mił
- And
- k'it'o:w
- paddles
- ch'e'nilay
- he took out.
- to:-ding
- To the river
- ch'e'ningyay
- he went down.
He took the paddles out of the house and went down to the river.
- me'dil
- canoe
- yehch'iwingyay
- he went into.
- hayah-mił
- And
- tahna:'isdiyay
- he came out of it again.
He got into his canoe and then he got out again.
- mitł'a'
- Stern
- duqi-ch'in'-ch'ing'
- toward the land
- na:'ischwe'n
- he placed it.
He placed it with the stern toward the land.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought,
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- "Indians
- na:na:nde'tł'-te:
- are coming to be.
"Indians are going to come into existence," he thought.
- hay
- That
- mił
- with
- whinist'e'
- my body
- xokyung
- his mind
- me:nundiya:-te:
- will think about."
"They will think about me with this."
- duqi-ch'in'-ch'ing'
- Toward the land
- mitł'a'
- stern
- ch'o:na:nta'n
- he held it.
- de:-xw
- This way
- yima:n
- across
- yide'
- downstream
- ditse'
- headed
- dahwehsla:l
- it floated.
He held it with the stern toward the land, headed this way across the river and down stream.
- hayah-mił
- And
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- he thought,
- łah-xw gya'
- "Just like that
- ła:n
- many
- do:
- not
- 'a:whił-ch'ide:n' whung
- must say of me;
- hay
- 'That one
- ch'in
- they say
- hayi-q'
- this way
- 'a:na'idyaw
- did it.'"
"There must not be many," he thought, "who will say of me, 'That one I hear did this way.'"
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- yehch'iwingyay
- he went in
- hay
- the
- me'dil
- canoe.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And when
- hay
- he
- yehch'iwingyay
- had gone in
- hijit
- then
- mitł'a'-ding
- the stern
- me'wiłwa:tł'
- he beat on
- hay
- the
- k'it'o:w
- paddle.
Then he went into the canoe, beat on the stern with the paddle, and sang.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- ta'wiłqe:t
- he started across.
- hayahujit-'ung'
- And then
- xoł tehsla:t
- with him it floated
- ninis'a:n
- the world
- me:q'
- in.
- łah-xw
- Just
- tehłchwe:n
- it grew
- xome'dil
- his canoe.
- xoł tehsla:t
- It floated with him
- ninis'a:n
- world
- me:q'
- around.
When he started across, his canoe grew up higher, and floated with him over the world.
- hay-de:t
- This
- ninis'a:n
- world
- sa'a:n
- lies
- mina:t
- around,
- xoł-łe:nundila:t
- it floated with him.
It floated with him over this body of water which lies around the world.
- k'ite'e'aw
- He sang along
- whin*
- a song.
He sang a song as he went along.
*The formula and the song seem to be the only means employed in this medicine to produce the desired result.
- yima:ni-yinuq
- Across to the south
- xoł me:nundila:t-e
- with him it floated back.
It floated back with him across to the south.
- hayi-q'
- This way
- xolun 'ahdiyah-tehł
- it will do
- hay
- who
- whinist'e'
- my body
- ch'o:nahłtsit
- knows,"
- ch'ondehsne'
- he thought.
"It will do that way with the man who knows my medicine," he thought.
- xoh
- "Even
- nichwin'-ding
- bad place
- yehch'iwinya:-de'
- if he goes in,
- hayi-heh
- if
- whe: whinist'e'
- my medicine
- xokyung minya:-te:
- he thinks about
- hayi-q'
- this way
- ta'na:n
- water
- hay me'dil
- the canoe."
"Even if he goes into a bad place, if he thinks about me, this way the water will not trouble his boat."