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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 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.