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The Child of Water, Chiricahua Apache Text

excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes

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1. The Child of Water as told by Lawrence Mithlo

1.1.

At the beginning the Creator

1.2.

Afterwards Child of the Water was born.

1.3.

So there were four existing at the very beginning [of time].

1.4.

And Child of the Water was the child of White Painted Woman.

1.5.

He who is called Giant

1.6.

Then White Painted Woman went about weeping.

1.7.

Then White Painted Woman prayed.

1.8.

1.9.

"What shall I do that this baby of mine is [safely] reared?"

1.10.

Every day he who is called Giant customarily came to her.

1.11.

Then she dug a hole for the little one under the fire that lay there.

1.12.

She only took him out when she washed him.

1.13.

Soon Child of the Water became able to walk around.

1.14.

Then [one day] she had taken him out [of the hole].

1.15.

Just as she had put him back in [the hole], the Giant came to her again.

1.16.

Then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant:

1.17.

Then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman:

1.18.

Then White Painted Woman, before his eyes, made the tracks of a baby for him.

1.19.

Just then he saw also those blankets of the baby that were [smeared] with excrement.

1.20.

Then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant:

1.21.

Then the Giant spoke thus to her again:

1.22.

Then White Painted Woman picked up a baby blanket.

Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer

Ethnological Notes Morris Opler

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Then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman:

(1.17)[17]
`Ákoo Ghéé'yeń `Isdzánádleeshéń `áiłndíná'a:

"Hanshaͅ! Shindáał `ághálá! 'Ákooná nooshdláͅ!"

goołndíná'a.

Then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman:

"Well then! Do it before my eyes! Only then will I believe you!"

he said to her.

[_]

(1.17) Linguistic Notes

1. hanshaͅ 'well then; very well'. An interjection indicating doubt.

2. shindáał 'ághálá 'do so before my eyes'. shindáa my eyes 'plus the postposition -ł- 'before,with'. 'ághálá, second person imperfective mode of 'ághá-...[? perf.]-lá 'to do so, tomake so' [act.tr.]. The prefix 'ághá 'thus, so'. Cf. note l.16, §4. There is no specifically imperative form in Chiricahua; the second person imperfective is always used to express the imperative.

3. ákooná 'only then'. The particle ákoo followed by the enclitic -ná 'only'.

4. nóóshdláͅ 'I'll believe you'. First person imperfective mode of ho-|...[si- perf.]-dláͅ 'to believe' [act.tr.]. noo- > ni- second person object plus the prefix ho-. The latter cannot be defined.