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

Ethnological Notes Morris Opler

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

(1.18)[18]
`Ákoo `Isdzánádleeshéń, gondáał, `áłchiné bikék'e ká'ágólaaná'a.
Nágo Ghéé'yeń `ándee `oodláͅná'a.

Then White Painted Woman, before his eyes, made the tracks of a baby for him.[6]
And the Giant now believed her.

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(1.18) Linguistic Notes

1. gondáał. 'before his eyes'. See note l.17, §2; go- 3a person possessive.

2. ká'agólaaná'a. 'she had made them so for him, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of the verb 'á...[? perf.]-lá 'to make, do' [act. tr.]. ká- > go- 3a object pronoun plus the post position á- 'for'.

3. 'ándee 'now'. Also heard 'índee. Here this word functions adverbially. In structure, however, it is the third person of 'i-ni...- ndee 'to be new, recent, young' [imp. neut. intr.]. 'i- is possibly the indefinite deictic prefix; ni-, the adjectival prefix, disappears in the third person, leaving a high tone.

4. 'oodlaͅaͅ 'he believes it'. Third person imperfective mode of ho-|...[si- perf.]-dlaͅaͅ 'to believe' [act. tr.]. See note 1.17, §4; here the indefinite object ?i- is used.

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Ethnological Note 6
The footprints were made with the outer side of the clenched fist, the toes being added with the finger.