The Child of Water, Chiricahua Apache Text :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Child of Water, Chiricahua Apache Text

excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes

1. The Child of Water as told by Lawrence Mithlo

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She only took him out when she washed him.

(1.12)[12]
Dáhaaee taanájigisgoná hanájiłteená'a.
`Áshíͅ, taanájiyagisgo bi'jiyasíͅíͅłgo, dásí `ákaa `ináájiyałtééłgo Ghééye hooghéń kaanahadááłná'a.

She only took him out when she washed him.
Then, after washing and feeding him, she put him back in [the hole] just as he who is called Giant customarily came to her.

[_]

(1.12

1. dáhaaee 'just when'. haa- indefinite pronoun stem;-ee 'at' [pp.]; dáá- 'just, only'. haa- here refers to time rather than place or thing.

2. taanájigisgoná 'only as she washed him'. taanájigis, 3a person imperfective mode of taa-ná-...[si- perf.]-gis 'to wash' [act. tr.]. The prefixes may be taa-, an incorporated form of tó 'water'; and ná- 'around'. -gis is probably a continuative imperfective form of the stem -giz 'to twist' [cf. 'ił-k'é-ná-...[si- per.] -giz to twist about one another'; act. tr.; 'ił- reciprocal pronoun, k'é 'on' , pp.]. -go subordinating enclitic; -ná 'only' [emphatic encl.].

3. hanájiłteená'a 'she took him out again and again, it is said'. 3a person iterative mode of ha-|...[hi- perf.]-ł-tee. 'to take an animate object out [act. tr.]. Theme: 'to handle an animate object'; haa-| 'out'. Cf. note 1.11, §5.

4. 'áshíͅ' 'then, at that point, from then on' [part.]. This particle may be the demonstrative stem -'á- 'there' plus the postposition -shíͅ 'from' which has become generalized in meaning.

5. taanájiyagisgo 'she having been washing him'. 3a person progressive mode of taa-ná-...[si- perf.]-gis 'to wash' [act. tr.]. See §1 of this note.

6. bi'jiyasíͅíͅłgo 'she, having been feeding him'. 3a person progressive mode of 0-'i-|...[hi- perf.]-ł-yáͅ 'to feed' [act. tr.]. Theme -yáͅ 'to eat' [act. intr.], -ł-yáͅ 'to feed' [act. tr.]; prefix 'i-| meaning unknown. The -ł- classifier unites with the initial stem consonant y- [gh- in the progressive stem -ghíͅíͅł] to give s-.

7. dásí 'just, exactly, just then' [part. and procl.].

8. 'ináájiyałtééłgo 'she, having been putting him in again'. 3a person progressive mode of' 'i-náá-...[hi- perf.]-l-tee 'to put an animate object in again' [act. tr.]. With the exception of the prefix náá- 'again' [which requires the -1- class] this is the same as the verb analyzed in note 1.11, §5.

9. kaanáhadááłná'a 'he was coming to her again'. kaa- > go- 3a object pronoun plus aa- 'to' [pp.]; náá- 'again' [requires the -d- class]; ha- progressive prefix, third person; -daał, -d- form of -yáál, progressive stem of -yá 'one person moves' [act. intr.]. See note 1.10, §§2 and 8.