Deer Medicine for Childbirth
told by Minnie Reeves
1963
Hoopa Valley, California
- miwhxe'x-xole:n*
- a doe
- mije'e:din
- a baby fawn
- xoł xitehsdina'n
- with her - it started to move (= her labor began)
- ch'inehste:n
- she lay down
- q'ut
- but
- do:
- not
*Literally, 'its children, offspring {miwhxe'x} are plentiful'. The words {de:d-a:ng' miwhxe'x-xole:n} are apparently spoken by Louise Jackson, perhaps prompting Minnie Reeves to tell the story or jogging her memory. This portion of the recording has been amplified slightly for presentation online to make Mrs. Jackson's voice more audible.
- haya:ł
- then
- xonin'
- her face
- no:na'ta:'a:n
- she turned it back and forth
- haya:ł
- then
- xosa:sta:n
- her tongue
- na'k'isna:t
- she licked around with it
- mine:jixomił
- In doing this
- tł'oh
- grass*
- xosa:sta:n
- her tongue
- mide:k'ime:tł'
- it touched it
- mixa:
- after it
- na'k'isna:t
- she licked around
- na'k'isna:t
- she licked around
*{tł'oh} is the general term for grass or any herb. The specific herb for this medicine, according to Mrs. Jackson, is the leaf of the madrone tree {'isde:w}.
- [haya:ł]*
- [then]
- hay
- the
- mije'e:din
- baby fawn
*This word is untranscribed in the original version.
- haya:ł
- then
- 'a:ch'ondehsne'
- she thought
- de:
- here
- gya'
- I see
- k'iwinya'n-ya:n
- people
- na:na:nde'tł'-de'
- come down (to Earth) - when, if
- minist'e' ...
- Its body ...
- whinist'e'*
- my body
- mikyun minya:-de'
- its heart - goes to it - if (= if it, she thinks about it)
- mije'e:din
- a baby
- do:-xoling
- not possible
- 'a:t'e:
- it is so
*Minnie Reeves hesitates, then Louise Jackson corrects {minist'e'} 'its body' to {whinist'e'} 'my body' followed by another word (possibly {ch'in} 'they say'). Mrs. Jackson's voice has been amplified for presentation online to make it more audible.