Coyote Holds Up the Sky, Chiricahua Apache Text excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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16. Coyote Holds Up the Sky as told by Sam
Kenoi
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 | Coyote Holds Up the Sky, Chiricahua Apache Text |  |
16. Coyote Holds Up the Sky as told by Sam Kenoi
Then he again went out on the very same road.
'Áshíͅ dáná'ńtiná ch'énáánáłghoná'a.
nDáséyá hołghołyá, Ma'ishóͅídich'izhé ditsiͅnáheesgaͅ'í 'óó'áí yaadasitíͅgo yaahíłghoná'a.
As he was going along a little further on, he came to a Rock Lizard lying upon a dead tree that was standing there.
1. dáná'ńtiná 'on the very same road'. dá- 'very'; dá- 'again'; 'íńtin 'road'; -yá pp.
2. Ma'ishóͅídich'izhé 'Rock Lizard'. A compound of Ma'ishóͅí 'lizard' [see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.4] and dichizh, 3rd person of di-ni-...-chizh 'to be rough' [imp. neut. intr.]. di-ni- adj.; ni- is lost in the 3rd person.
He looked up at him.
Yédahdees'íͅná'a:
naańłghee 'come down'. 2nd person imp. of naani-...[ni- perf.]-1-ghee 'to come down' [act. intr.; naa- 'down'; ni- completive]. See note 13.7.
"Say, old man, don't be foolish! I am holding this [tree] which holds up the sky. If I let go of this, the sky will fall down on us."
1. doońndii'édiͅda 'don't be foolish'. -ńndii 'your mind, sense'; -ndii 'mind, sense' requires a high tone on its prefixes. 'édiͅ, 3rd person of 'é-...-diͅ 'to be none' [imp. neut. intr.].
2. yábéyan'áí 'that which holds up the sky'. yá 'sky' plus 0éya-...-'á 'to brace up, to hold up' [ni- perf. neut. intr.]. éya- 'against'; -'á 'a rigid object extends'.
3. hónshtaͅ 'I am holding it'. 1st person of hó-ni-...-taͅ 'to have hold of' [imp. neut. tr.].
4. bidóóchigo 'if I let go of it'. 1st person perf. of 0-di-...[hi- perf.]-chí 'to turn loose, let go' [act. tr.; di- ?].
"Old man, I am very tired. You, you hold it. Don't let go of it! If you let it go, if the tree falls over, the sky will fall on us. Hold it with all your strength!"
1. ńnáhiiyá 'I'm very tired'. ńná- 'very' plus the 1st person perf. of hi-|...[ni- perf.]- yá 'one becomes tired' [act. intr.]. - yá 'one moves'; hi-| ?
2. nłtsó 'you hold it'. 2nd person imp. of hi-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsó 'to hold, to grasp' [act. tr.; hi-| ?].
3. nan'óókéézgo 'if it falls over'. 3rd person perf. of nan-'i-|...[hi- perf.]-kees 'a long rigid object falls over' [act. intr.]. nan- 'on [its] side' [?]; i-| 'away'. The theme: 'a long rigid object moves'.
Then [Coyote] threw himself onto the tree.
Nágo ditsiní yaadahneesghalná'a.
Ma'ishóͅídich'izń 'ábiiłndiná'a:
The Rock Lizard spoke thus to him:
1. yaadahneesghalná'a 'he threw himself onto it'. 3rd person perf. of 0aa-dah-ni-...[si- perf.]-l-ghaał 'to grab at, to throw oneself onto' [mediopas.]. aa- 'to'; dah- 'on'; ni- terminative. The theme: 'to move quickly, suddenly'; cf. linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.6, §8.
2. goch'agoshchí 'I'll let them know'. 1st person imp. with 3a obj. of 0-ch'a-|...[si- perf.]-chí 'to make known to' [act. tr.]. -ch'a 'about, concerning' [pp.].
3. łashé 'one side'. ła- 'one'; -shé 'side'.
"All right."
Ma'yeń
Then the Rock Lizard ran away from him,
Nágo Ma'ishóͅídich'izń goch'áͅha'oołghoná'a.
Ma'yenń ditsiͅní yaadasit'íͅgo 'a'ááłná'a.
Ńnáhiiyáná'a.
Ditsiͅí yédahdees'íͅná'a.
K'osí daahikaná'a.
Ditsiͅí nan'iikaaí biłke'ánáháhndííłná'a.
Coyote lay upon the tree for a long time.
He became very tired.
He looked up at the tree.
The clouds were moving.
It continually seemed to him as if the tree was about to fall.
biłke'ánáháhndííłná'a 'it continually seemed to him'. The prefixes 0-[-k'e-'á-ná- plus the prog. mode of -n dá 'to do, make, act'' [act. intr.]. ''á 'thus'; ná- 'again and again'; 'k'e- 'similar to, like' [see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 6.2, §2]; bił- 'with him'. Literally: 'it was acting like so again and again to him'.
He was very tired.
Dáhiiyáná'a.
'Iłch'áͅgo nádigałná'a.
He looked constantly in all directions.
nahagóń'á or naagóń'á 'arroyo'. Cf. also góń'á 'arroyo'. The latter is probably the ni- perf. neut. with place subject of -'a 'a rigid object extends'. naa- and naha- cannot be defined.
Note, in the interrogative sentence, that the dubitative enclitic -shiͅ, is found on each word in the sentence.
Nearby, he saw a small arroyo.
'Áháánéshíͅ, gozáͅáͅyégo naagóń'ágo yiiłtsáͅná'a.
Ditsiͅní yidóóchiná'a.
Naagóń'áí bich'iͅiͅ'ádeenaajiłtłizhgo nádiiłghoná'a.
Naagóń'áyá 'ádee'jałtłizhná'a.
He let go of the tree.
He ran in a zigzag course to the arroyo.
He threw himself into the arroyo.
1. bich'iͅiͅ'ádeenaajiłtłizhgo 'in a zigzag course to it'. bich'iͅiͅ- 'toward it' plus 3a person imp. of 'ád-ee-naa-|...[si- perf.]-ł-tłizh [rep. of -tłiish] to dodge, to zigzag'. The theme alone seems to refer to sudden and forcible action such as stumbling, falling violently, throwing oneself, striking or beating. 'ad- reflexive; ee- 'by means of'; naa- 'here and there'.
2. 'ádee'jałtłizhná'a 'he threw himself in'. 3rd person perf. of 'ád-ee-'i-ji-...[hi- perf.]-ł-tłíísh 'to throw oneself in, to throw oneself about'. The theme here is the same as in §1 above 'ádee- 'by means of oneself'; 'i- 'away, in'; ji- ?.
Panting and frightened, he looked upward.
'Ishdahenlíͅnágo, dahyá dees'íͅná'a.
K'osí daahikaí yinéł'íͅnágo, biłgóyénágo,
'Inádaagoyałtł'ashíͅ nádiiłghogo 'a'ááłná'a.
Dáhiiyáná'a.
He looked at the moving clouds [and], being frightened, he said:
He ran to one hollow after another for a long time.
He became very tired.
1. 'isdahenlíͅgo [the form appearing in the text is: 'ishdahenlíͅnágo--MEC] 'panting'. 'isdahe 'panting', breathless' plus 3rd person of ni-...-líͅ 'to be' [imp. neut. intr.].
2. dahyá 'upward'. dah- 'up' is usually a verb prefix but here functions as a particle.
3. 'inádaagoyałtł'ashíͅ 'to one hollow after another'. 'inádaagoyałtł'ah 'many caves, hollows'. Cf. 'igałtł'ah 'cave, hollow'. No further analysis is possible.
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
1. dáná'ńtiná 'on the very same road'. dá- 'very'; dá- 'again'; 'íńtin 'road'; -yá pp.
2. Ma'ishóͅídich'izhé 'Rock Lizard'. A compound of Ma'ishóͅí 'lizard' [see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.4] and dichizh, 3rd person of di-ni-...-chizh 'to be rough' [imp. neut. intr.]. di-ni- adj.; ni- is lost in the 3rd person.
naańłghee 'come down'. 2nd person imp. of naani-...[ni- perf.]-1-ghee 'to come down' [act. intr.; naa- 'down'; ni- completive]. See note 13.7.
1. doońndii'édiͅda 'don't be foolish'. -ńndii 'your mind, sense'; -ndii 'mind, sense' requires a high tone on its prefixes. 'édiͅ, 3rd person of 'é-...-diͅ 'to be none' [imp. neut. intr.].
2. yábéyan'áí 'that which holds up the sky'. yá 'sky' plus 0éya-...-'á 'to brace up, to hold up' [ni- perf. neut. intr.]. éya- 'against'; -'á 'a rigid object extends'.
3. hónshtaͅ 'I am holding it'. 1st person of hó-ni-...-taͅ 'to have hold of' [imp. neut. tr.].
4. bidóóchigo 'if I let go of it'. 1st person perf. of 0-di-...[hi- perf.]-chí 'to turn loose, let go' [act. tr.; di- ?].
1. ńnáhiiyá 'I'm very tired'. ńná- 'very' plus the 1st person perf. of hi-|...[ni- perf.]- yá 'one becomes tired' [act. intr.]. - yá 'one moves'; hi-| ?
2. nłtsó 'you hold it'. 2nd person imp. of hi-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsó 'to hold, to grasp' [act. tr.; hi-| ?].
3. nan'óókéézgo 'if it falls over'. 3rd person perf. of nan-'i-|...[hi- perf.]-kees 'a long rigid object falls over' [act. intr.]. nan- 'on [its] side' [?]; i-| 'away'. The theme: 'a long rigid object moves'.
1. yaadahneesghalná'a 'he threw himself onto it'. 3rd person perf. of 0aa-dah-ni-...[si- perf.]-l-ghaał 'to grab at, to throw oneself onto' [mediopas.]. aa- 'to'; dah- 'on'; ni- terminative. The theme: 'to move quickly, suddenly'; cf. linguistic note to Chiricahua text 5.6, §8.
2. goch'agoshchí 'I'll let them know'. 1st person imp. with 3a obj. of 0-ch'a-|...[si- perf.]-chí 'to make known to' [act. tr.]. -ch'a 'about, concerning' [pp.].
3. łashé 'one side'. ła- 'one'; -shé 'side'.
biłke'ánáháhndííłná'a 'it continually seemed to him'. The prefixes 0-[-k'e-'á-ná- plus the prog. mode of -n dá 'to do, make, act'' [act. intr.]. ''á 'thus'; ná- 'again and again'; 'k'e- 'similar to, like' [see linguistic note to Chiricahua text 6.2, §2]; bił- 'with him'. Literally: 'it was acting like so again and again to him'.
nahagóń'á or naagóń'á 'arroyo'. Cf. also góń'á 'arroyo'. The latter is probably the ni- perf. neut. with place subject of -'a 'a rigid object extends'. naa- and naha- cannot be defined.
Note, in the interrogative sentence, that the dubitative enclitic -shiͅ, is found on each word in the sentence.
1. bich'iͅiͅ'ádeenaajiłtłizhgo 'in a zigzag course to it'. bich'iͅiͅ- 'toward it' plus 3a person imp. of 'ád-ee-naa-|...[si- perf.]-ł-tłizh [rep. of -tłiish] to dodge, to zigzag'. The theme alone seems to refer to sudden and forcible action such as stumbling, falling violently, throwing oneself, striking or beating. 'ad- reflexive; ee- 'by means of'; naa- 'here and there'.
2. 'ádee'jałtłizhná'a 'he threw himself in'. 3rd person perf. of 'ád-ee-'i-ji-...[hi- perf.]-ł-tłíísh 'to throw oneself in, to throw oneself about'. The theme here is the same as in §1 above 'ádee- 'by means of oneself'; 'i- 'away, in'; ji- ?.
1. 'isdahenlíͅgo [the form appearing in the text is: 'ishdahenlíͅnágo--MEC] 'panting'. 'isdahe 'panting', breathless' plus 3rd person of ni-...-líͅ 'to be' [imp. neut. intr.].
2. dahyá 'upward'. dah- 'up' is usually a verb prefix but here functions as a particle.
3. 'inádaagoyałtł'ashíͅ 'to one hollow after another'. 'inádaagoyałtł'ah 'many caves, hollows'. Cf. 'igałtł'ah 'cave, hollow'. No further analysis is possible.
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