Coyote and the Rolling Rock, Chiricahua Apache Texts excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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14. Coyote and the Rolling Rock as told by Sam
Kenoi
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 | Coyote and the Rolling Rock, Chiricahua Apache Texts |  |
14. Coyote and the Rolling Rock as told by Sam Kenoi
He was going [along] a road again.
'Íńtin náánóołghołná'a.
Tséntsaaí si'áͅí yaahíłghoná'a.
Łi' 'áałjindiná'a:
He came to a big Rock that was lying there.
Someone spoke thus to him:
náánóołghołná'a 'he was going along again'. 3rd person prog. of nááná-...[si- perf.]-l-ghee 'to go again' [act. intr.; nááná- 'again']. See note 13.7.
"So? Where is there a Rock that moves about!"
"Do not defecate on that Rock."
dook'ejichiͅiͅda 'do not defecate on it'. 3rd person imp. of k'e-...[si- perf.]-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on'. 'k'e- is probably. cognate with the pp. -k'i [also heard -k'e 'on, upon'. In this verb, however, it is not preceded by a pronoun object except in the third person and has lost the inherent tone characteristic of the independent postposition [see, for example, 'k'é-chiͅiͅ 'you defecate on it']. Since the theme -chiͅiͅ 'to defecate' is intransitive, the verb k'e-...-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on', which is apparently transitive, is probably derived from an earlier form *0-k'i-...-chiͅiͅ.
Then he spoke thus:
hik'eeschaͅaͅná'a 'he defecated on it'. 3rd person perf. with 3rd person obj. of k'e-...[si- perf.]-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on'. See note 14.3.
Then he went over yonder.
Nágo gháhách'éłghoná'a.
Tsé bike'ch'éńmáázná'a.
Yaanádiiłghoná'a.
Dábikétsínee homasná'a.
Dásíbindzileí yeenádaadiiłghoná'a.
Dá'ághát'éndah, Tséí dábikétsínee homasná'a.
The Rock rolled out after him.
He ran from it.
It rolled along right at his heels.
He ran with all his strength.
In spite of that, the Rock rolled along right at his heels.
1. gháhách'éłghoná'a 'he went over yonder'. gháhá 'over yonder' is the demonstr. stem gháh- plus the pp. -yá [see Grammatical Sketch, §3]. ch'éłgho, 3rd person perf. of ch'é-ni-...[ni- perf.]-l-ghee 'to go out' [act. intr.; ch'é- 'out'; ni- completive]. See note 13.7.
2. bike'ch'éńmáázná'a 'it rolled out after him'. bike'- 'after him' plus 3rd person perf. of ch'é-ni- ...[ni- perf.]-mááz 'to roll out' [act. intr.]. Cf. §1, above. The third person ni- perf. of the verb in §1 differs from this one because it is an -l- class verb.
3. dábikétsínee 'right at his heels'. dá- 'just'; bi- 'his'; kétsín 'ankles' [see note 13.6, §2]; -ee 'at'.
4. homasná'a 'it rolled along'. 3rd person prog: of -máás 'to roll' [act. intr.]. The verb theme without derivational prefixes is found only in the progressive mode.
5. dásíbindzileí 'that which is all his strength'. dásí- 'very'; -ndzile 'strength, power'.
6. yeenádaadiiłghoná'a 'he ran with it'. 3rd person distrib. perf. of 0ee-ná-di-|...[ni- perf.]-l-ghee 'to run by means of it' [act. intr.; see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.6, §6]. Note that 'the distrib. 3rd persen is used when it is quite clear from the context that a single actor is being referred to. The distributive prefix probably functions here as an adverb and therefore the form should be translated 'he ran very [fast] by means of it'.
Then Coyote spoke thus:
1. dásíshihátideí 'my very best speed'. -hátide 'best speed, full speed'.
2. danshóͅóͅ'íͅná 'did you ever see me?'. dan- interrog. procl. [cf. da- interrog. procl. in note 13.1]. shóͅóͅ'íͅ, 2nd person with 1st person obj. of -'íͅ 'to see' [prog. neut. tr.].
Then he ran with his very best speed.
Nágo dásí'itisgo yeehiiłtií yeenádiiłghoná'a.
Dá'ághát'éndah, Tséí dábikétsínee homasná'a.
In spite of that, the Rock rolled along right at his heels.
Then [Coyote] ran from him into a hole.
Nágo 'ii'áńyá yaa'áhołghoná'a.
Tséí 'ii'ání bidádéńmáázná'a.
Tséí 'ábiiłndiiná'a:
The Rock rolled to cover [the entrance to] the hole.
The Rock spoke thus to him:
1. bidádéńmáázná'a 'it rolled to cover it'. bidá 'its top, its cover, over it'. I cannot analyze '-déńmááz It seems to be a 3rd person ni- perf. of the theme -mááz 'to roll' [act. intr.] with the prefixes di-ni- but I have not a conjugation complete enough to verify this.
2. shánáłndaa 'lick it off for me'. 2nd person imp. of 0á-ná-...[hi- perf.]-ł-ndaa 'to lick clean for someone' [act. tr.]. á- 'for'; ná- 'off [to lick] clean'; cf ...[hi- perf.]-ł-ndaa 'to lick' [act. tr.] .
Then Coyote licked it all off for him.
And the Rock rolled back to where it had been before.
nnáńmáázná'a 'he rolled back'. 3rd person perf. of ni-ná-ni-...[ni- perf.]-d- máás 'to roll back' [act. intr.]. ni- 'to a stop'; ná- 'back'; ni- completive. See note 14.5, §§ 2, 4.
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
náánóołghołná'a 'he was going along again'. 3rd person prog. of nááná-...[si- perf.]-l-ghee 'to go again' [act. intr.; nááná- 'again']. See note 13.7.
dook'ejichiͅiͅda 'do not defecate on it'. 3rd person imp. of k'e-...[si- perf.]-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on'. 'k'e- is probably. cognate with the pp. -k'i [also heard -k'e 'on, upon'. In this verb, however, it is not preceded by a pronoun object except in the third person and has lost the inherent tone characteristic of the independent postposition [see, for example, 'k'é-chiͅiͅ 'you defecate on it']. Since the theme -chiͅiͅ 'to defecate' is intransitive, the verb k'e-...-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on', which is apparently transitive, is probably derived from an earlier form *0-k'i-...-chiͅiͅ.
hik'eeschaͅaͅná'a 'he defecated on it'. 3rd person perf. with 3rd person obj. of k'e-...[si- perf.]-chiͅiͅ 'to defecate on'. See note 14.3.
1. gháhách'éłghoná'a 'he went over yonder'. gháhá 'over yonder' is the demonstr. stem gháh- plus the pp. -yá [see Grammatical Sketch, §3]. ch'éłgho, 3rd person perf. of ch'é-ni-...[ni- perf.]-l-ghee 'to go out' [act. intr.; ch'é- 'out'; ni- completive]. See note 13.7.
2. bike'ch'éńmáázná'a 'it rolled out after him'. bike'- 'after him' plus 3rd person perf. of ch'é-ni- ...[ni- perf.]-mááz 'to roll out' [act. intr.]. Cf. §1, above. The third person ni- perf. of the verb in §1 differs from this one because it is an -l- class verb.
3. dábikétsínee 'right at his heels'. dá- 'just'; bi- 'his'; kétsín 'ankles' [see note 13.6, §2]; -ee 'at'.
4. homasná'a 'it rolled along'. 3rd person prog: of -máás 'to roll' [act. intr.]. The verb theme without derivational prefixes is found only in the progressive mode.
5. dásíbindzileí 'that which is all his strength'. dásí- 'very'; -ndzile 'strength, power'.
6. yeenádaadiiłghoná'a 'he ran with it'. 3rd person distrib. perf. of 0ee-ná-di-|...[ni- perf.]-l-ghee 'to run by means of it' [act. intr.; see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.6, §6]. Note that 'the distrib. 3rd persen is used when it is quite clear from the context that a single actor is being referred to. The distributive prefix probably functions here as an adverb and therefore the form should be translated 'he ran very [fast] by means of it'.
1. dásíshihátideí 'my very best speed'. -hátide 'best speed, full speed'.
2. danshóͅóͅ'íͅná 'did you ever see me?'. dan- interrog. procl. [cf. da- interrog. procl. in note 13.1]. shóͅóͅ'íͅ, 2nd person with 1st person obj. of -'íͅ 'to see' [prog. neut. tr.].
1. bidádéńmáázná'a 'it rolled to cover it'. bidá 'its top, its cover, over it'. I cannot analyze '-déńmááz It seems to be a 3rd person ni- perf. of the theme -mááz 'to roll' [act. intr.] with the prefixes di-ni- but I have not a conjugation complete enough to verify this.
2. shánáłndaa 'lick it off for me'. 2nd person imp. of 0á-ná-...[hi- perf.]-ł-ndaa 'to lick clean for someone' [act. tr.]. á- 'for'; ná- 'off [to lick] clean'; cf ...[hi- perf.]-ł-ndaa 'to lick' [act. tr.] .
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