The Stolen Woman and Her Return
told by Minnie Reeves
1963
Hoopa Valley, California
Transcribed by Victor Golla
- dahungwho'-dung'
- a long time - ago
- me'dilding
- at Me’dilding
- xong'-na:'uswe'*
- fire - they waved about. (= they had a Brush Dance)
*This is the only term for the dancing of the Brush Dance ({xon'-na'we:} "waving fire about"), and refers to the brush torches waved over the sick child in the ceremony.
- haya:ł
- then
- 'ung'
- it was
- yehch'iwinyay
- came into (the dance pit)
- xwe'ehsday
- a man
- ła'a:y-xw
- right away
- q'ut
- then
- me:tsah-xosing-xw
- really*
- ningxa' ch'inehwa:n
- he was handsome,
- ła'a:y-xw
- right away
- q'ut
- then
- nahxi
- two
- na:'ułte:
- he carried around
- 'ista:ng-q'eh-k'itiqowh
- fisher (hides).**
*Literally, "in a mean way, fiercely".
**Literally, "along logs ({[n]ista:n-q'eh}), it scampers ({k'itiqowh})".
- haya:ł
- then
- ła'a:y-xw
- right away
- q'ut
- then
- yehk'iłta:tł'
- he came in dancing.
- nahxi
- two
- tsumehstł'o:n
- women
- k'ehłtsa:n*
- girls
- xoch'ing'
- towards them
- ch'ingyay
- he went
- nahxi
- the two
- mituq
- between
- ya'xoschwe'n
- he made them, put them.
*On the tape Minnie actually says {yehłtsa:n}, which is probably only the slurring effect of fast speech.
- haya:ł
- then
- 'ung'
- it was
- q'ut
- now
- hay
- the
- do:ch'o:wila'n
- finish,
- ch'e:na'te:de:tł'-te:-mił
- they go out (of the dance) one after another - (future) - when,
- ch'iłkit
- he caught hold of
- ła'
- one
- hay
- (of) the
- k'ehłtsa:ning*
- girls
- ła'a:y-xw
- right away
- mił
- with it (her)
- dahna'diwingła:t
- he ran away,
- ch'ixotehłte:n-e:y
- he took her - there
*{k'ehłtsa:ning} is the plural or collective form of {k'ehłtsa:n} "girl" and refers to a group of girls. That is, the man stole one of the group of girls present.
- na'xote'iłtiwh
- he kept taking her along,
- na'te'indil
- they kept on going,
- ninis'a:n
- mountains
- mitis
- across them
- wa:nun'diwinde:tł'-e:y
- they crossed over - there
- mine:jixomił
- after a while
- na:'unde:tł'
- they arrived back (at his home),
- de:
- here
- 'ungya'
- could be seen
- xontah
- a house
- sa'ung
- standing --
- hayah
- there
- na'de:'iltse'
- they stayed for a while,
- mine:jixomił
- during that time
- mije'e:din
- a baby
- ch'ischwe'n
- she gave birth to it --
- kile:xich
- a boy.
- haya:ł
- then
- 'ung'
- it was
- k'iwunayda:-ch'ite'indil
- hunting - he would go off,
- 'a:ł*
- with himself
- ch'ixote'iłtiwh
- he would take her
- hay
- the
- tsumehstł'o:n
- woman.
*Contracted from {'a:dił}, which is reflexive pronoun {'a:di-} + -ł "with".
- haya:ł
- then
- k'iłuxun
- a deer
- ch'e'iłtsis
- he would see
- dahungwho'-oxw
- in a big way
- 'ułkyow
- it was of that size
- k'iłuxun
- deer --
- ya'ułqe:t*
- he would point it
- mich'ing'
- toward it
- hay
- the
- na'wehch
- Jump Dance basket,
- ch'ide'iłna'n
- he would tip (the Jump Dance basket).
*This verb is in the customary tense. The simple indefinite form would be {ya:'ułqe:t} "he points it".
- haya:ł
- then
- hay
- the
- tsumehstł'o:n
- woman
- 'a:ł
- with himself
- ch'ixote'iłtiwh
- he would always take,
- hay
- the
- na'wehch
- Jump Dance basket
- q'ina'
- also
- do:
- not
- no'itiwh*
- he would put it down.
*This verb is in the customary tense. The simple indefinite form would be {no'tiwh} "he puts it down".
- hay
- the (venison)
- do:
- not
- k'iye:
- again
- k'iwunayda:-te'indil
- hunting - they would go off,
- mine:jixomił
- (and) once while doing this
- no'ninta:n
- he put down
- hay
- the
- na'wehch
- Jump Dance basket
- hay
- the
- k'iłuxun
- (fallen) deer
- mich'ing'
- to it
- ch'itehsyay
- he went.
- hay
- the
- tsumehstł'o:n
- woman
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- thought --
- do:
- not
- ch'e'iłde'n
- she was happy --
- 'isdo'
- I wish
- na:te:sdiya:
- I go back home
*Place names ending in {-ding} "place" change this to {-ch'ing'} in phrases where "to (that place)" is meant.
- haya:ł
- then
- 'ung'
- it was
- ya'winta:n
- she picked up (the basket),
- xoch'ing'
- towards him
- dahch'iwehs'ul
- she held it up,
- na:'uswich
- she moved it around
- hay
- the
- hay
- (when) the
- k'iłuxun
- deer
- ch'ise'iłwe'
- he would kill.
- haya:ł
- then
- diywho'
- things
- ła:n
- many
- ch'ixołe:n
- she had plenty,
- diywho'
- things
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- people
- me:y
- belonging to.
- hay
- that (woman)
- xehł
- a pack
- na:'ischwe'n
- she fixed up,
- na'tehsde:tł'
- they (she and child) started back.
- 'a:ch'o:'one'
- she thought,
- we:dil*
- we go along.
*From basic {wi-di-dil}, progressive first person plural. Pronominal {-di-} "we" is contracted with the preceding vowel when the stem is zero-class and begins with {d-}.
- na'te'indil
- they kept going along back,
- dunłungwho'-ding
- several - times
- yisxa:n
- it dawned (= several days passed)
- xoh
- without
*Or, "they took several days to get back". Compare the phrases at Text #8, line 5 and Text #8, line 46 [referring to the text "The Origin of the Ch'idilye:" in the same collection, and using the line numbering of original print version]. A more literal translation of {xoh na'widił-xw} is "futilely, without any result" ({xoh}) + "they went along back" ({na'widił}) + "as they did so" ({-xw}), i.e., "as they went along back without getting there".
- yiwiding-it
- finally
- me'dilding
- Me’dilding
- na:ya:'unde:tł'-e:y
- they got back - there.
- hay
- the
- kile:xich
- boy
- do:
- never
- yiłtsis
- had seen
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- people
- xa'unłung
- so many,
- diywho'
- things
- k'e:w
- under them
- na:'iya'
- it would go about,
- xontah
- houses
- mino'
- behind them
- yeh'e'inła:t
- it would run in
- xe:yaynehsgit
- it was afraid (of)
- 'unłun
- so many
- na'way
- going around
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- people,
- yondehsne'
- it thought.
- hay
- that (is why)
- 'ung'
- it is
- mich'ing'-ding
- towards it - place (= at that place)
- me'dilding
- Me’dilding
- ningxa't'e:n
- rich men
- ya:'usle'n
- they came to exist.
- diywho'
- things
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- people
- me:y
- belonging to
- na:'undiwe:n
- she packed back.