Hupa Language Online

VP-02

Verdena's Grandmother's Job as a Nanny
told by Verdena Parker
October 13, 2007
Winston, Oregon
Transcribed by Justin Spence

I can go ahead and tell the story, OK? This is about my grandmother, who was a nanny to a Colonel Dougherty when it was soldier occupation on the Hoopa reservation.

mine:jixomił
after a while

na:lte'
work

na'wing'a'
she got

hayah
there

na:'uste'
she worked

xowh do'n
I guess

mije'e:din
a child

wut-ch'ixo:lya'n
she was looking after it

After some time, she got a job. She worked there, and I guess she was looking after a child.

misGiy'ts
a small child

ya:ng'ay -ji -nehwa:n
just starting to sit up

hay mije'e:din
that child

haya:ł q'ut
and then

mine:jixomił
[after a while]

winkya:w -ji sile'n
he started growing up a little bit

nahsya'
he's starting to walk

The child was small, just starting to sit up, and after a while he was starting to get bigger and walking.

na'ułda'
she packs it around

hay mije'e:din
that child

haya:ł
and then

me:da'ay-ne:s
Chinese

'e'n
is

hay k'e'iłnay
the cook

She packs the child around, and then a Chinese man is the cook.

hayah
there

na:'ulte'
he works

haya:ł
and then

'a:ya:xoł-ch'ide'ine'
he always invites them

ye'ohdił
come on in!

ky'ohyung
eat!

He worked there, and he would invite them in saying, "Come on in! Eat!"

haya:ł
and then

misGiy'ts
small

miq'it-dahky'a:n
table

sa'un -din
where it's sitting

dahno'indil
they sit down

hayah
right there

ma'k'e'iłkit
she feeds it

hay mije'e:din
the child

ya'k'e'iya'n
they always eat

haya:ł
and then

Then there was a small table they sat at, she would feed the child, they would eat. And then ...

mine:jixomił
after a while

q'ut
now

nahsya'-mił
when it started walking

yixote:'ile'
he pulls on her

'a:yxoł-de'ine'
he always tells her

miday'-q'
outside

na:ydił
let's go

After a while, when it started walking, he pulls on her and says, "Let's go outside!"

haya:ł
and then

miday'-q'
outside

na'udil
they walk around

ła'a-ding
sometimes

yo:w -xw
further away

mina:di -tah
sometimes around

xontah
house

mina:di
around it

na'udil
they walk around

And then they walk outside. Sometimes they walk around the house.

haya:ł
[and then]

mine:jixomił
after a while

q'ut xo'ji -wingkya:w
he got really big

nahsda:wh
it was running around

hay kile:xich
the boy

haya:ł
and then

'a:yxoł-de'ine'
he always tells her

After a while he got really big and was running all around, and then he always tells her:

hayi
him

xodiltsun -te:
we're going to see him

hay xota'
his father

hayah
at that place

"We're going to see him (his father) at that place!"

hayah -ch'in'
to that place

na:ydił
let's go

haya:ł
and then

xwe:di -gya'awh -'ung'
what is it

'a:k'it'e:n
they are doing

ch'o:'ine'
she thinks

xontah
house

nikya:w
big

sa'a:n
sitting there

"Let's go there!" Then she wondered what's going on in that big house sitting there.

k'idol
a big racket

xa:'una:wh -ts'iw
she hears it come up

mine:jixomił
after a while

diywho'owh
something

dahungwho'owh
really big

'a:k'ide'ine'
there's a sound

She hears a big noise come up all of a sudden, and after a while there's a really loud sound.

haya:ł
[and then]

milgit -xosing -xw ye:
it's kind of scary

xoł
with her

'a:niwehst'e' sile'n
it's kind of beginning to be

The sound was becoming kind of scary to her.

haya:ł
and then

mine:jixomił
after a time

'a:yxoł-diwe:ne'
he told her

yixote:wile' yixolte:wile'
he's pulling and pulling on her

hay kile:xich
that boy

Then after a while he talked to her, the boy is pulling and pulling on her.

'a:diwe:ne'
he said

xone:dil'ing'
let's go look at him

hayi xota'
his father

hayah
there

ch'ina:n'
for sure

me'
in it

na'way
that's where he's at

He said, "Let's go look him (his father), in there is where he's at for sure!"

haya:ł
and then

xa' do'n
okay

ch'ide:ne'
she said

haya:ł q'ut
and then

tehłda:wh
he started running

xona:tse:
ahead of her

hay kile:xich
the boy

hayah
there

midunła:t
he came running up to the door

Then she said "Okay!" and he started running ahead of her up to the door.

haya:ł
and then

'ungya'
she realizes

hayah
there

ts'isying'
somebody is standing

Then there was a sudden realization that someone was standing right there.

haya:ł
and then

'a'de:ne'
he said

ye'ohdił
come on in

digyung
right here

ye'ohdił
come on in

ch'ide:ne'
he said

Then he said, "Come on in! Come on in here!"

haya:ł q'ut
and then

hayah
there

yehch'iwinde:tł'
they went in

Then they went in there.

de:di 'ungya'
oh gee!

xwe:di -gya' 'unłung
gee! there's a lot

xo'osday
men

wha:ne
only

xontah
building

me:q'
in there

na:wa:
they're walking about

Oh gee! The building is full of men walking around.

haya:ł
and then

na'ne:lgit sile'n
she kind of became frightened

haya:ł
and then

Then she kind of became frightened, and then ...

hayah
there

na'wa:
he's walking around

hay kile:xich
that boy

mita'
his father

haya:ł
[and then]

'a'de:ne'
he said

q'ut 'e'n do'n
it's okay

ye'ohdił
come on in

digyung
right here

na:de:'ohłya'
stand

haya:ł
and then

te:soh'ing'
you look on

The boy's father is walking around there, and he said "It's OK, come on in, stand right here and watch."

haya:ł
and then

hayah
right there

na'de:lya'
they stood

And then they stood there.

haya:ł-ch'in
and then

mine:jixomił
after a while

k'ijiwolch
ball

nikya:w
big

ya'a'awh
he would pick it up

dungwho'-gya'
any one of them

hayahujit
and then

Then after a while, one of them would pick up a big ball, and then ...

tilda:wh
[it's starting to move]*

ch'e'iłchwe:
they're making it

te'ima:s
it starts rolling

yo:w
further away

te'ima:s
it's rolling

diywho'owh
things

na:di'e:tł'
that are standing upright

me'ima:s-mił
when it rolls into it

dahungwho'owh
big

k'idol
a crashing sound

xa:'una:wh
it comes right up

haya:ł
so

ch'ohłts'it
she's learned

'a:ch'ondehsne'
she thought

They make it roll - it started rolling along further away. When it rolled into something standing up there, a big noise came up, and it dawned on her. She thought:

*During transcription session, Verdena says {tilda:wh} is a mistake and would be used for something more like starting a car or something with its own power; here she says she should have used {tilma:s} instead.

hayi de:-gya'
oh! it's that

hay 'a:k'ine:
that sound

"Oh, that's what that sound is!"

haya:ł
and then

ch'e:na'nde:tł'
they went back out

na:ya'tehsde:tł'
they left

na:yinuq
back west

Then they went back out, they went back to the other house.

haya:ł
and then

na:ya'nde:tł'-e:
they returned

Then they returned back.

na:ya'widil
they're coming along

haya:ł
[and then]

me:da'ay-ne:s
the Chinese

'e'n
as for him

na:'ulte'
he's working

miq'it-na:na'ay-e:
he's ironing clothes

ła'ay-xw ch'ina:n'
altogether

ting
really

niwho:n
good

miq'it-na:na:di'a'
ironing

wha:ne
only

me'
in it

na:k'idił -ne'in
they went around

They're coming back, and as for the Chinese, he was working at ironing clothes. He did really good ironing, they only went around in well-ironed clothes.

haya:ł
[and then]

miq'it-dahky'a:n -q'it
on the table

dahsid'ut'-tah
covers also

ła'ay-xw q'ut
altogether

dists'e:n
it's stiff

łiqay
white

mina:t
around it

ya:silay
they are sewn on

'aht'ing -xw -'unt'e:
all kinds lace

k'iwitł'o:n
lace

The tablecloths too are stiff and white, wth lace sewn around the edges.

hayahujit
and then

xong
he

dahch'e'iliwh
he always puts them on

diywho'
things

'aht'ing -xw -'unt'e:
a variety of

dahch'itixa:wh
he puts things in containers containers on

ła'ay-xw q'ut
just

tin
really

ne'iwho'n-e:
it looks good

He always puts all kinds of things up on it (the table), and he puts containers of things up there, and she sees that it just looks really good.

haya:ł
and then

ya:xwe:n 'e'n
as for them

do: ye'indił ya'xołchwe:
they prevent them from coming in

Then as for them (Verdena's grandmother and the boy), they (the parents) are not letting them in there.

haya:ł
and then

hayah
right there

k'e:'iłna:-ding
kitchen*

wha:ne:
only

hayah
there

dahya:ya'a'e:tł'
they sit

ya'k'e'iya'n
they eat

And then right there in the kitchen, only there do they sit up and eat.

*Literally, 'where they cook'.

de:di 'ungya'
there is the realization

hay -yo:w
that

me:da'ay-ne:s
Chinese man

ta'na:n
water

ya'iwhiwh
he sucks it up

She realizes that the Chinese man sucks up water (with his mouth).

'aht'in -ding
all over

miq'it -xw
the top of it

miq'it -xw
the top of it

'aht'in -ding
all over it

ch'e'iwhiw*
he sprays it out with his mouth

haya:ł
[and then]

He sprays it out all over the top of them (biscuits). And then ...

*In the recording, Verdena says {ch'e'iwhiwh}, which would mean 'he sucks it out'. During transcription session she says that that this was an error and that she should have used the verb stem {whiw} 'spit' instead.

hayi
that

miq'it -xw
all over the top of it

'e'iliw-e:
it becomes

hayahujit
and then

miq'i-na:na'a'a'
he irons it

hayi -xw de:-ch'in
oh, it's in that way

hay 'a:niwho:n
that it's so good

haya:ł
and then

hay
that

dists'in
stiffened

na:lchwe:n
it's made into

It (water) gets all over the top of it (the tablecloth), then he irons it, and that's what makes it so good. And then it's made stiff.

mił -dists'i -wilchwe:n
starch*

tehnak'iwidxa:n
it has been soaked in it

haya:ł
and then

na:na:ya'uł'e:tl'
they hang it up

haya:ł
[and then]

It's been soaked in starch and then they hang it up.

*Literally, 'with it - stiff - it is made'.

'iłtun' na:lchwe:n
it's softened

hayi -xw
that way

haya:ł
and then

miq'i-na:ne:'ay
he irons it

He softens it up that way and then he irons it.

haya:ł
and then

xong 'e'n
as for her

'ilush
nasty

ch'ondehsne'
she thought

xoxe'q'e'
his saliva

wha:ne
all over

xowh
it must be

And then as for her, she thought, "Nasty! His saliva must be on everything."

haya:ł
and then

mine:jixomił
after a while

hayi -xw
there

na:'iya'
she'd walk around

haya:ł
and then

tsumehstł'o:n
women

ya'xo:tehłts'it
she started to get acquainted with

xoł-dinił'a' ya:'uschwe'n
they started teaching her*

diywho' na:k'iwilxut'-tah
sewing and stuff like that

And then after a while, she'd walk around there. Then she started to get acquainted with women, they started teaching her sewing and stuff like that.

Literally, 'with her - it sits (= she understands) - they made'.

kya'
dress

no:t'a:ts'-tah
cutting it out - also

haya:ł q'ut
[and then]

na'k'iłxut'
a seamstress

ts'isle'n
she became

Dress cutting too. Then she became a seamstress

haya:ł
[and then]

kya'-tah
sometimes a dress

ch'e'iłchwe'
she makes it

me:lah
some

ya'xowiłchwiw
they hired her

And then she would make some dresses sometimes, and some people hired her.

niwhong-xw
good

na'k'iłxut'
seamstress

ts'isle'n
she became

haya:ł
and then

She became a good seamstress. And then ...

mine:jixomił
after a time

yehna'widyay
she came back in

xolisji
fast

de:di -'ungya'
she realized

me:da'ay-ne:s
the Chinese man

ch'ischwin'-xola:n
he has made

ła'ay-xw q'ut
all at once

tin
really

niwho:n
good

de:diwiłiq'
bread

me'
in it

silay -wilchwe:n
they're sitting

haya:ł
and

ya:na:da:wh
they're rising

After a time she came back in fast. She realized that the Chinese man had all at once made really good bread sitting, they were sitting in a pan and rising.

hayi
that

'ungya'
[a realization]

miq'it
on it

dahch'iwingwhe:q'-e:
he's spraying it with his mouth

'aht'in -ding
all over

haya:ł
and then

She realized that he was spitting all over the top of it. And then ...

do: ch'ilyo' sile'n
she never likes it anymore

hay na:mitł'a'-ding
after that

haya:ł-ch'in 'e'n
and then

tin
really

niwho:n -ne'ing
it was good

hay -de:-ch'in
as for that she realizes

ta'na:n
water

ya'iwhiw
he sucks it up

miq'it -xw 'aht'in -ding
all over it

She never liked it after that. It was no longer really good because he would suck up water (and spray it) all over the top.

'e'iliw-e:
it gets that way

haya:ł
and then

It gets that way, and then ...

hayi -ma:n
for that reason

do: jahda:-din
not very much

ch'ita:n
she eats

sile'n
it became

haya:ł
and then

xowh do'n
I guess

mine:jixomił
after a while

na'tehsdiy
she left

hay kile:xich
that boy

winkya:w xo'ji
he was getting pretty good size

haya:ł
[and then]

xowh do'n
it could be

ta:q'i -din -tah
maybe three years

xowh do'n
it could be

dingk'i -din -tah
maybe four years

xowh do'n
it could be

me:nundiyay
the anniversary came around again

wut-ch'ixolya:ng -xw
she's been watching him

hay kile:xich
that boy

For that reason, she wouldn't eat very much, and then I guess she left after a while. The boy was getting pretty big, it could be three years or four years she looked after that boy.