Coyote and Blue Bunting, Mescalero Apache Text excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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 | Coyote and Blue Bunting, Mescalero Apache Text |  |
Then he picked up the bark.
'Ákoo 'ikásht'óójí náinjaaná'a.
'Áńdeeda níidnzhishgo sidáná'a.
Shóͅóͅdéń níidóͅóͅzhiijnágon, bi'isdzáńń 'izis yéyóͅóͅkeená'a.
'Áí níidóͅóͅzhiijí Shóͅóͅdé 'izis gheyóͅóͅjaaná'ago, izis yénááyóͅóͅkeená'a.
Bi'isdzáńń 'izisí baayíńłtsoodzná'a.
'Ákoo izisí baayíńłtsoodzí díͅíͅn 'iłch'iͅiͅyiindiná'a.
'Ákoo dá'ághát'égo, doo'iyáabighe'ási'iͅiͅdaná'ahá.
Dá'ághát'égo, 'indaa'izháshee bidáa bánch'íń'iͅiͅná'a.
Now he sat pounding it.
Just as Coyote had pulverized it, he asked his wife for a sack.
Coyote put that which he had pulverized into the sack and asked for another sack.
His wife gave him the sack.
Then he pressed the sacks that she had given him together four times.
But, in spite of this, there was absolutely nothing in them[4].
However, he put it down before Blue Bunting.
1. níidnzhishgo 'pounding it'. This is apparently the 3rd person imp. with 3rd person object of ní-di-...[hi- perf.]-zhish 'to pound, pulverize' [act. tr.]. See note 1.21, §4. níi- > ní- plus the 3rd person object yi-. I cannot understand the prefix dn-, however.
2. níidóͅóͅzhiijnágon 'just as he had pounded it'. For níidóͅóͅzhiij, see note 1 above and note 1.24, §4. -ná 'just'; -go subord. encl.; -n past tense enclitic.
3. doo'iyáabighe'ási'iͅiͅdaná'ahá 'there was absolutely nothing in them, it is said'. 'doo-... -da negative; 'iyáa 'anything'; bighe' 'in them'; -á, a reduced form of the pp. -yá; si'iͅiͅ; 'an unknown object lies' [3rd person si- perf. neut. intr.]; -ná'a narrative encl.; -há exclamatory enclitic.
| Coyote and Blue Bunting, Mescalero Apache Text | |