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
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 | The Child of Water, Chiricahua Apache Text |  |
1. The Child of Water as told by Lawrence Mithlo
At the beginning the Creator
'Íłtséshíͅ Bik'ehgo'iindáń gólíͅná'a.
Dájík'eh bédaagojísiͅ.
`Ákoo Isdzánádleeshé `iłdóͅ gólíͅná'a.
Everyone knows about him.
And White Painted Woman[2] also existed.
1. 'íłtséshíͅ 'at the beginning'. íłtsé 'the first, the beginning, first' [part.], -shíͅ 'from' [pp.]
2. Bik'ehgo'iindáń 'the Creator'. A compound of bik'ehgo 'being by reason of him', 'iindá 'there is life', and -ń relative enclitic referring to persons [see Grammatical Sketch, §20]. bik'eh 'his spiritual power, in his charge, by reason of him', a noun with third person possessive pronoun; -go subordinating enclitic. 'iin dá 'there is life, life'a verb [apparently imp. neut. and with prefix 'i-] found only in the third person.
3. gólíͅná'a 'he lived, it is said'. gólíͅ, third person of: go-ni-...-líͅ 'to live, to exist' [imp. neut. intr.]. The prefix go- is often found as a derivational prefix but it is difficult to isolate its meaning. Cf. nlíͅ 'he is' and ndénlíͅ' he is a man' [ ndé 'man']. ni- is a prefix found with verbs defining adjectival notions. In the third person, it disappears leaving a high tone on the vowel of the preceding prefix.
-ná'a is the narrative enclitic which is generally suffixed to every principal (i. e., non-subordinated) verb in myths or stories which recount events that the narrator has not personally witnessed. In order to save space and to avoid repetition, I have not translated -ná'a in the translations to the texts.
4. dájík'eh 'all of them' [part.]. Cf. dá-nahí-k'eh all of us, all of you' and dágok'eh 'all of them'. From these can be isolated the proclitic dá- 'just, only', the pronouns ji- 3a subject, nahi- first or second person object, and go- 3a object. The stem appears to be -k'eh and, since it is always preceded by a high tone, an element ni- may be assumed. The inflection, however, is irregular and it is impossible to class this as either verb or noun.
5. bédaagojísiͅ 'they knew about him'. 3a person distributive of : 0é-go-ni-...-ł-ziͅ 'to know about, to possess knowledge of' [imp. neut. intr.]. -é 'about' [pp.]; go- derivational prefix, meaning uncertain; ni- adjectival prefix. ni- disappears in the 3a person leaving a high tone on ji-. The classifier -ł- and the initial stem consonant combine to form s-. The indirect object bi- combines with the postposition -é to form bé-.
6. 'ákoo 'then, and' [part.]
7. Isdzánádleeshé 'White Painted Woman ', the mother of the culture hero [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 1, note 2]. Apparently a compound of isdzáń 'woman', nádleesh 'she is being painted white again', and -é an archaic relative enclitic.
This word, which is used to refer to the mother of the culture hero and to the adolescent girl at the time of the girls' puberty ceremony [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 40, note 1], probably owes its etymology to the fact that the girl is painted with white at the time of the ceremony. Except for the the word is cognate to Nav. 'Asdzáͅáͅnádleehé 'Changing Woman' which may be analyzed as 'asdzáͅáͅ 'woman', nádleeh 'she is born again and again', and the relative -é. It is quite possible that the Chiricahua form is a borrowing from Navaho which has been altered to adapt it to Chiricahua religious beliefs.
8. 'iłdóͅ 'also' [part.]. Cf. -dó 'also' [encl.].
Literally, "he by reason of whom there is life." This is one of the names by which the creator of the world is designated. The conception of a Creator is not sharply defined for the Chiricahua Apache and seems to have little relation to other phases of their religious thinking. It is quite possible that the concept is a result of Western European contact.
White Painted Woman is the mother of the culture hero, as the myth relates, and is the author of important Apache ceremonies and customs. It was she who gave instructions in the use of beneficial herbs, it is said.
Afterwards Child of the Water was born.
Killer of Enemies also was born.
1. bik'éshíͅgo 'afterwards'. -ké 'next to, after, behind' [indep. pp.]. bi- third person pronoun, -shiͅ 'from' [pp. encl.], -go subord. encl. Literally: 'being from after it'--'it' referring to the preceding events.
2. Tóbájiishchinéń 'Child of the Water'. Tóbájiishchiné, 'Child of Water' is a compound of tó- 'water', -bájiishchin- , and the archaic relative -é. -bájiishchin- is evidently a bound 3a person si- perfective form of the verb Oá-...-chí 'to be born for, to be born by reason of' [act. intr.]. -á 'for, by reason of' [pp.]. Therefore, the literal meaning of the compound is 'he who is born by reason of the water', an etymology which is confirmed by the text.
3. The relative enclitic -ń, when suffixed to a noun, serves essentially the same function as the definite article in English. Generally this enclitic is added only when the individual is mentioned a second time in the text, presumably to indicate that the same person is being referred to.
4. gooslíͅná'a 'he was born, it is said'. Third person si- perfective of go-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, become alive' [act. intr.]. The theme by itself means 'to become'; the meaning of go-, however, is not clear. Cf. note 1.1 §3.
5. Naaghéé'neesgháné 'Killer of Enemies'. This noun is unanalyzable in Chiricahua. From comparative data, however, it appears that it is a compound of naaghéé' 'monsters'; -neesghán-, a bound third person perfective form with a prefix ni- of the theme -gháͅ 'to kill several' [act. tr.]; and the relative -é. Naaghéé' may also be a compound of náá- 'enemy' and -ghéé'-, a compounded form of the theme -ghé 'to be dangerous' [imp. neut. intr.]. This analysis results in the literal meaning 'he who kills monsters'. This meaning is, however, rejected by the Apaches whose conception of this culture hero is not in accord with it [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 1, note 3].
So there were four existing at the very beginning [of time].
1. díͅíͅ' jiłt'égo 'they, being four in number'. Díͅíͅ' 'four'; jiłt'égo 3a person of -ł-t'é 'to be a certain number' [imp. neut. intr.]; -go subordinating enclitic.
2. gojílíͅná'a 'they were living, it is said'. 3a person of the verb go-ni-...-líͅ 'to live, to exist' [imp. neut. intr.]. Cf. note 1.1, §3. Note that the 3a subject has here a plural referent.
3. dá'íłtségodeeyáshíͅ 'from the very beginning'. dá- 'just, only' [procl.]; 'íłtsé 'first' [part.; cf. note 1.1, §1]; godeeyá 'time has begun to move'; -shíͅ 'from' [pp.]. godeeyá is a third person si- perfective with place pronoun of di-...[si- perf.]-yá 'one begins to move' [act. intr.; di- inceptive prefix]. From this form, it is clear that the place pronoun may refer to time as well as space. dee- is a combination of the inceptive prefix di- and the perfective prefix si- which, in most cases, results in dees-. Before a stem consonant y-, however, the final -s is lost.
And Child of the Water was the child of White Painted Woman.
`Ákoo `Isdzáńaádleeshéń Tóbájiishchinéń bizhaaná'a.
`Ákoo Naaghéé'neesghánéń ndé doonzhóͅdashégo ndé `át'íͅná'a.
And Killer of Enemies was one of the evil people.[3]
1. bizhaaná'a '[was] her child, it is said'. -zhaa 'child, little one', bi- third person possessive. Note that this sentence requires no verb.This type of sentence is quite common in Chiricahua.
2. ndé doonzhóͅdashégo 'being evil people'. ndé' 'people'. nzhóͅ, third person of ni-...-zhóͅ 'to be good' [imp. neut. intr.; ni- adjectival prefix]. doo-...-da negative; -shé 'side, group' [pp.]; -go subordinating enclitic.
3. ndé 'át'íͅná'a 'he is such a person, it is said'. Note that ndé has a singular referent here [cf. §2 above]. 'át'íͅ, third person of 'á-ni-...-t'íͅ 'to be so, thus' [imp. neut. intr.]. 'á- 'so, thus'; ni- adjectival prefix. The latter prefix has disappeared in the third person; cf. 'ánsht'íͅ' I am so' and 'áńt'íͅ 'you are so'.
The position of Killer of Enemies in Chiricahua and Mescalero mythology is most interesting. For the Navaho, Western Apache, Lipan, and Jicarilla, Killer of Enemies is the principal culture hero and performs deeds and exploits comparable to those attributed to Child of the Water in this story. By the Chiricahua and Mescalero, however, Killer of Enemies is relegated to a subordinate position, an unenviable position, or is forgotten altogether. In some versions he figures as an older but more timid brother of Child of the Water, again as a maternal uncle (brother of White Painted Woman) or as the step-father (husband of White Painted Woman) of Child of the Water. Very often, as in the present version, Killer of Enemies is charged with cowardice (see Chiricahua text 2) or is represented as the protector and benefactor of the white man (see Chiricahua text 6). Some Chiricahua informants have said that the term Killer of Enemies is synonymous with "enemy" or "white man" and cases have been noted where parents and grandparents will not allow children to utter the name of Killer of Enemies, giving the children the explanation that it is the name of the "devil" or an "evil one" (see also text Mescalero text 8).
He who is called Giant
Ghéé'ye hooghéń `iłdóͅ gólíͅná'a.
nDéí doobáńgólaadaná'a.
Isdzánádleeshéń bizhaa goyaleełná'a.
Isdzánádleeshéń bizhaań `it'a bizáͅáͅyégo, Ghéé'ye hooghéń kaayinłndéná'a.
He did not permit people to live.
White Painted Woman's children were being born.
While White Painted Woman's children were still small,he who is called Giant ate them.
1. Ghéé'ye 'giant'. An unanalyzable noun. The first syllable [i. e., ghéé'-] may be cognate with the -ghéé'- of Naaghéé'neesghánéń 'Killer of Enemies' [see note 1.2 §5]. The element -ye cannot be explained.
2. hooghéń 'he who is called. hooghé 'he is called, named', third person of ho-ni-...-ghé 'to be called, named' [imp. neut. intr.]. ho- cannot be defined but ni- is probably the adjectival prefix. The conjugation is somewhat irregular, however, since ni- drops out in the third person and causes the vowel of ho- to lengthen compensatively. -ń is the relative enclitic.
3. ndéí 'people'. ndé 'person, people' plus the relative enclitic -í. Note that -í functions here as a definite article [see note 1.2, §3] and is used instead of -ń because the reference is to a collectivity.
4. doobáńgólaadaná'a 'he did not permit them to live, it is said'. doo-...-da negative. báńgolaa, third person optative of Oáń-go-...[si-perf.]-laa 'to permit to live' [act. intr.]. The prefixes are indefinable but cf. notes 1.1, §3 and 1.2, §4.
5. goyaleełná'a 'they were being born'. Third person progressive mode of go-yi-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, to come into existence' [act. intr.]. Cf. note 1.2, §4.
6. 'it'a [also heard 'it'ah] 'still, before' [part.].
7. bizáͅáͅyégo 'they, being small'. bizáͅáͅyé may be classed as a noun with constant possessor and it may occasionally be used as such and translated 'his little one'. More often, however, it is used as in this context, defining an attribute of the preceding noun. Cf. note 1.4, §1.
8. kaayinłndéná'a 'he ate them from her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of Oaa-ni-...[si- perf.]-ł- ndé 'to eat something of someone's' [act. tr.]. aa- 'from' [pp.]; ni- terminative [?].
A monster of huge size, usually described as having the appearance of a man. He is pictured as carrying a knife and a large burden-basket in which to put his victims. He is cumbersome and slow of foot and burdened with enormous testicles which he swings over a bush under which he lies, thus providing shade for himself. There is an independent body of stories about the monster, who is probably to be identified with the "big owl" of other Southern Athabascan myths.
Then White Painted Woman went about weeping.
`Ákoo Isdzánádleeshéń chaałnaagháná'a.
1. chaałnaagháná'a 'she went about weeping'. chaał is a form of the theme -cha 'to weep' [act. intr.] plus a suffix -ł 'while--ing'. naaghá is the third person imperfective mode of naa-...[si- perf.]-yá 'one person moves about' [act. intr.]. naa- 'about'. The imperfective stem of this verb varies with the person [naashá 'I go about ', nann dá 'you go about', naajighá 'he goes about'] presumably because the pronoun has combined in various ways with the initial stem consonant.
2. ha'yágonáhé 'how, in what way'. ha' the interrogative pronoun stem [see Grammatical sketch §4] plus -yá, postposition, and -go subordinating enclitic give the interrogative or indefinite pronoun ha'yágo 'how, somehow'. -ná is an enclitic denoting emphasis and -hé [also heard -hee], is an interrogative enclitic.
3. gózhóͅgo 'it, being good'. Third person with place pronoun of ni-...-zhóͅ 'to be good' [imp. neut. intr.]. ni- disappears in the third person leaving a high tone on go-. In this context, gózhóͅgo loses its literal meaning and simply adds emphasis to the preceding interrogative pronoun.
4. niigosdzání 'the earth'. A compound of ndii- 'earth' [compounded form nii-] and gosdzáń meaning unknown. This compound refers to the earth or to the universe in general whereas ndii is used when the reference is merely to the surrounding country.
5. bikázhiͅ 'on its surface'. -ká 'surface, top' [indep. pp.]; -zhiͅ 'to' [pp.]; bi- third person possessive; referent, earth.
6. gólaaná 'would they be created!' góla third person optative mode of go-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, created' (act. intr.). -ná emphatic enclitic.
7. n díná'a 'she said, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of di-...[hi- perf.]-n dí 'to say' [act. intr.]. di- is a prefix employed with verbs of saying, speaking, making a noise, etc. The third person form is irregular, the prefix having been lost.
8. The part of this sentence within the quotation marks is meant to be an intensified exclamatory interrogative. The use of the enclitics -ná and -hé, the use of gózhóͅgo, and the selection of the optative mode for the principal verb all serve to give this meaning. White Painted Woman is in despair; her children are all being destroyed by the giant; she is seeking to circumvent him and populate the earth.
Then White Painted Woman prayed.
`Ákoo' `Isdzánádleeshéń da'ookaͅaͅná'a.
Nágo naagołtiͅná'a.
Tóí yáda'neestíͅná'a.
Nágo tóí yábizhaagooslíͅná'a.
And it rained.
She lay face upward for the water.
And her child was born of the water.[5]
1. da'ookaͅaͅná'a 'she prayed, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of daa-'i-ho-|...[si- perf.]-kaͅaͅ 'to pray' [act. intr.]. The prefixes are indefinable; cf. ho-|...[si- perf.] with the same theme 'to beg, to plead' [act. tr.]. It is likely that the prefix 'i- of the text form is the indefinite object pronoun.
2. Nágo 'and then' [part.].
3. naagołtiͅná'a 'it rained, it is said'. Third person with place subject of naa- ...-ł-tiͅ to rain' [imp. neut. intr.].
4. tóí 'the water'. to 'water'; -í relative enclitic. See notes 1.2, §3 and 1.5, §3 for a discussion of the relative enclitic with nouns.
5. yáda'neestíͅná'a 'she lay face upward for it'. Third person perfective mode of Oá-da'-ni-...[si- perf.]-tee 'to lie face upward for' [act. tr.]. The theme alone means 'an animate being moves'; the prefixes á- 'for' [pp.], da'- 'face up', ni- terminative. y- is yi- (vowel lost before a vocalic prefix) third person object pronoun referring to the water.
6. yábizhaagooslíͅná'a 'her child was born of it. yá- > yi- third person object plus the post position á- 'for, of'. bizhaa 'her child' is here incorporated into the verb [see note 1.4, §1]. gooslíͅ 'he was born [see note 1.2, §4].
Some versions have it that she lay under a waterfall, others that she exposed herself to rain on a mountain top. According to some informants impregnation occurred when the water entered her vagina, others say this occurred when water fell upon her navel or upon her head.
Then:
`Ákoo:
Nágo `Isdzánádleeshéń bizhaa goslíͅ yaa'iłéńziͅná'a.
And White Painted Woman was happy over the birth of her child.
1. 'ádíń 'this one' . Demonstrative stem dí- plus the proclitic 'á- and the relative enclitic -ń. See Grammatical Sketch, §3.
2. bizháͅáͅyéń 'little one'. Note that here this word is to be translated as a noun without possessive prefix. See note 1.5, §7.
3. hooghédaał 'he will be called'. hooghé 'he is called' is a third person imperfective neuter verb [see note 1.5, §2]. -daał is the future tense enclitic. Since neuter verbs are not conjugated for mode and tense, these variations are expressed by means of enclitics.
4. bizhaa goslíͅ 'the birth of her child'. literally 'her child has been born'. This phrase functions as a noun and the indirect object of the following verb.
5. yaa'iłéńziͅná'a 'she was happy over it'. Third person of Oaa-'iłé-ni-...-ziͅ 'to be happy about something' [imp. neut. intr.]. aa- 'from, to, about' [pp.]; -'iłé 'happy, thankful, grateful'; cf. ni-...-ziͅ 'to feel, to think' [imp. neut. intr.]. I do not know why the ni- prefix has a high tone in the third person nor can that prefix be defined.
"What shall I do that this baby of mine is [safely] reared?"
1. díń 'this'. Demonstrative stem dí- plus the relative enclitic -ń. Cf. note 1.8,§1.
2. shishké'ń 'my child'. -shké' 'child', shi- first person possessive pronoun, -ń relative encliti c .
3. ha'yágohé 'what, in what way'. See note 1.6, §2.
4. áshłágo 'I, doing so'. First person imperfective mode of 'á-...[? perf.]-lá 'to do so' [act. tr.]. 'á- 'thus, so'. Note that the initial stem consonant assimilates in voice to the subject pronoun sh- preceding it.
5. nsáná 'I rear it'. nsá, first person imperfective mode of ni-...[si- perf.]-ł-yá 'to raise, rear; to cause to grow' [act. tr.]. ni- terminative prefix. In this form, the first person pronoun sh-, the classifier -ł and the initial stem consonant y- assimilate to s-; cf. nshyá 'I grow' [imp. mode, act, intr.]. -ná is the emphatic enclitic.
6. jin dínáná'a 'she said, it is said'. 3a person imperfective mode of di-...[hi- perf]-ndí'to say' [act. intr.]. In the 3a person, the prefix disappears. See note 1.6, §7.
Every day he who is called Giant customarily came to her.
Dá'ałtso jíͅda Ghééye hooyéń kaanádáná'a.
`Áłchiné káháyintágo dooha'iyáadaí gózhóͅgo biłkégoyaazíͅíͅłgó, `áńdeeda goch'áͅ'ináhadááłná'a.
He was looking for a baby and after making certain that none was there, he went away from her again.
1. Dá'ałtso jíͅda 'every day'. dá-...-dá 'absolutely, even'; 'ałtso 'all, every' [part.]; jíͅ 'day'.
2. kaanádáná'a 'he customarily came to her,it is said'. Third person iterative mode of Oaa-ni-...[ni- perf.]-yá 'one person goes to someone' [act. intr.] aa- 'to' [pp.]; ni- completive prefix. The ni- completive occurs only in the imperfective mode. The stem in the text form is -dá because ofthe fact that the iterative prefix requires the -d- class [see Grammatical Sketch, §7] and -d- plus -d- plus y- gives d-. Notice how the two third persons are distinguished; the subject is indicated by the third person pronoun, the indirect object by the 3a person pronoun [see Grammatical Sketch, §2].
3. 'áłchiné 'baby'. Unanalyzable noun.
4. káháyintágo 'he, looking for it of her'. Third person imperfective mode of 0á-há-ni-...[si- perf.]-tá 'to look for something [belonging to] someone' [act. tr.]. á- 'for, of' [pp.]; há- 'for'; n- terminative.
5. dooha'iyáadaí 'that there was no one'. do-...da negative; ha'iyáa 'someone', a combination of the two pronoun stems ha'- and 'iyáa; -í relative enclitic.
6. gózhóͅgo biłkégoyaazíͅíͅłgó 'having learned about it for certain'. gózhóͅgo has been analyzed in note 1.6, §3. Here it means 'certainly, for certain'. biłkégoyaazíͅíͅł [third person progressive mode of O-ł-Oé-go-...-ziͅiͅ 'knowledge about something comes to someone' [act. intr.]. -ł- 'with, to' [pp.]; -é 'about' [pp.]; go- deictic prefix referring to knowledge(?).
7. 'áńdeeda 'then, now' [part.].
8. goch'áͅ'ináhadááłná'a 'he was going away from her again, it is said'. goch'áͅ 'away from her'; cháͅ independent postposition, go- 3a object pronoun. 'ináhadááł 'he is going off again' (third person, prog. mode). Prefixes: 'i- off; away'; ná- [sometimes heard náá-] 'again'. Stem dááł, -d- form of -yááł, progressive stem of -yá 'one moves' [act. intr.]. ná 'again' requires the -d- form.
Then she dug a hole for the little one under the fire that lay there.
`Ákoo `ádíń bizháͅáͅyéń koͅoͅdasikáͅí bitł`áhyá bá'gojóóch'iná'a.
`Ákaa `inájiłteená'a.
`Ákaa jinsáná'a.
There she customarily put him away.
There she reared him.
1. koͅdasikáͅí 'the fire that lay there'. koͅoͅ 'fire'. dasikáͅ, third person of dah-.-káͅ something in a container lies upon' [si- perf. neut. intr.]. dah- 'on, upon' unites with the si- perfective prefix to form dasi-. -í relative enclitic.
2. bitł'áhyá under it'. -tł'áh 'under' [indep. pp.]; bi- third person possessive; -yá indicating the relation between the verb following and koͅoͅsikáͅí bitł'áh-
3. bá'gojóóch'iiná'a 'she had dug a hole for him, it is said'. Third person continuative hi- perfective of 0á-'i-go-.[hi- perf.]-ch'ii 'to dig a hole for someone' [act. intr.]. á- 'for' [pp.]; 'I- and go-, meanings unknown.
4. ákaa 'there'. An invariable demonstrative.
5. 'inájiłteená'a 'she customarily put him away, it is said'. 3a person iterative mode of 'i|.[hi- per.]-ł-tee 'to put an animate object away' [act. tr.]. The theme alone means 'to handle an animate object'; 'i-| 'away, off'.
6. jinsáná'a 'she reared him, it is said'. 3a person imperfective mode of ni-...-ł-yá 'to rear, cause to grow' [act. tr.]. See note 1.9, §5.
She only took him out when she washed him.
Dáhaaee taanájigisgoná hanájiłteená'a.
`Áshíͅ, taanájiyagisgo bi'jiyasíͅíͅłgo, dásí `ákaa `ináájiyałtééłgo Ghééye hooghéń kaanahadááłná'a.
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. 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.
Soon Child of the Water became able to walk around.
1. kadi 'now, soon' [part.].
2. naaghá silíͅná'a 'he became able to walk, it is said'. naaghá 'he walks about here and there' [see note 1.6, §1]: silíͅ, thirdperson perfective mode of -laa 'to become' [act. intr.].
Then [one day] she had taken him out [of the hole].
`Ákoo hanáájóółtíͅná'a.
`Áń bizáͅáͅyéń biłgózhóͅgo tsíbaͅaͅee naagháná'a.
`Ákaa hikék'ená'a.
The little one walked happily about at the fireside.
There [were] his tracks.
1. hanáájóółtíͅná'a 'she had taken him out again, it is said'. 3a person perfective mode of ha-náá-...[hi- perf.]-l-tee 'to take an animate object out again' [act. tr.]. Theme: 'to handle an animate object'; prefixes: ha- 'out'; náá- 'again' [requires the -1- class]. Cf. note 1.12, §3.
2. 'áń bizáͅáͅyéń 'that little one'. 'áń, demonstrative stem 'á- plus the relative enclitic -ń [see Grammatical Sketch, §3]. Note that bizáͅáͅyéń is here translated without the possessive [see note 1.5, §7].
3. biłgózhóͅgo 'he, being happy'. gózhóͅ 'there is good, happiness', third person place subject of ni- -zhóͅ 'to be good, happy' [imp. neut. intr.; ni- adjectival prefix]. Cf. note 1.6, §3. gózhóͅ is prefixed by the object pronoun bi- 'him' and the postposition ł- 'with, accompanying'.
4. tsíbáͅáͅee 'at the side of the fire'. tsí [also heard tsídí] 'fire, glowing coals', followed by the independent postposition -baͅaͅ 'border, edge, and the postpositional enclitic -ee 'at'.
5. 'ákaa hikék'ená'a 'there [were] his tracks, it is said'. This is the same type of verb-less sentence remarked in note 1.4, §1. 'ákaa 'there' [demonstr.]; -kék'e 'trail, tracks', a compound of -ké- 'foot' [non-possessed form] and -k'e occurring only in this compound. The prefix hi- is a variant third person possessive which is apparently of commoner occurrence in the speech of the older people.
Just as she had put him back in [the hole], the Giant came to her again.
Dásí `ákaa `ináázhóółtíͅgo, Ghéé'yeń kaanáánádzáná'a.
`Ákoo Ghéé'yeń `Isdzánádleeshéń `áiłndíná'a:
And the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman:
1. dásí 'ákaa 'ináázhóółtíͅgo means, literally, 'just as she had put him away again there'. 'There' refers to the hole under the fire. dásí 'just, exactly' [part.]; ákaa 'there' [demonst.]; 'ináázhóółtíͅ, 3a person perfective mode of 'i-náá-...[hi- perf.]-l-tee 'to put an animate object away again' [act. tr.]. See notes 1.11, §5 and 1.12, §8.
2. kaanáánádzáná'a he had come to her again'.
Third person perfective mode of Oaa-nááná-,,,[ni- perf.]-dá 'one person
comes again to someone' [act. intr.]. -dá is
the -d- form of the theme -yá 'one moves'. The
prefix nááná- 'again' requires the -d- form of
the theme -yá. Since this theme 'one moves' is
so irregular in stem form, it may be useful to list the stems.
| Mode | Zero classifier | -d-class | ||
| Sg. 1 | Sg. 2 | Sg. 3 | ||
| Imperf. | -shá | - ndá | -ghá | -dá |
| Perf. | -yá | -yá | -yá | -dzá |
| Prog. | -shááł | -ndááł | -gááł | -dááł |
| Iter. | -dá | -dá | -dá | -dá |
| Opt. | -sha' | -nda' | -ya' | -dza' |
3. 'áiłndíná'a 'he spoke thus to her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of 'á-0ł-di-...[hi- perf.]-ndí 'to speak thus to someone' [act. intr.]. 'á- 'thus, so'; ł- 'with, to'; di- a prefix used with verbs of speaking etc. di- drops out in the third person sometimes causing the pronoun yi- [in this form, reduced to -i-] to lengthen its vowel ['áyiiłndí]. See note 1.16, §7.
4. ''ádíídíí 'these'. This is apparently the demonstrative stem di- plus the relative enclitic -í reduplicated and with the proclitic 'á-. Reduplication is very rare in Chiricahua, this form and dídíń 'these [referring to persons]' being the only examples.
5. 'iyádí' 'what'. Interrogative stem 'iyádí plus the relative enclitic -í.
6. bich''iyoołkaͅaͅni 'something good to eat'.An unanalyzable noun used, according to the informant, only in myths having to do with the Giant.
7. koyá 'here'. ko-, demonstrative stem, plus the postposition -yá. ko- refers to places within the neighborhood of the speaker and listener and is probably best translated by the English 'hereabout, thereabout'.
8. bikék'e 'his tracks'. The compound -kék'e 'trail, tracks' with the third person possessive pronoun. See note 1.14, §5. Note that this sentence also lacks a verb--see note 1.14, §1.
9. goołndíná'a 'he said to her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode ndí 'he says' [see note 1.6, §7] prefixed by the 3a object pronoun go- referring to White Painted Woman and the postposition ł- 'with, to'. go- is lengthened to compensate for the loss of the prefix di-; cf. gołdishndí 'I said to her'. See also §3, this note.
The verb 'to say' requires the prefix 'á- 'thus, so' [see §3] except when it is preceded by a quotation.
Then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant:
`Ákoo `Isdzánádleeshéń Ghéé'yeń `áiłndíná'a:
1. The significance of word order in Chiricahua is well illustrated by comparing the first line of this passage, i. e., 'Ákoo 'Isdzánádleeshéń Ghee'yeń 'áiłndíná'a: 'then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant', with the first part of the second line of passage 15: 'Ákoo Ghééyeń 'Isdzánádleeshéń 'áiłndíná'a: 'then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman. This order--subject, object, verb--is rarely violated.
2. díídíí'? 'these?' See note 1.15, §4. Here the proclitic is lacking. The interrogative connotation is given by the sentence tone.
3. béńdaashtsaago 'I, longing for it'. First person imperfective mode of 0éń-daa-|...[si- perf.]-tsaa 'to long for, yearn after' [act. intr.]. I cannot define theprefixes. Cf., however, daa-|...[si- perf.]-tsaa 'to die' [act. intr.].
4. ánágosh'iͅiͅ 'I customarily make them so'. First person iterative mode of 'á-...[? perf.]-lá 'to make, to do' [act. tr.]. Prefix 'á- 'thus,so'. go- is the 3a object pronoun referring to the tracks. The iterative theme of this verb is irregular not only in stem form but also in the fact that it requires the -ł- classifier whereas the other paradigms have the zero classifier.
Then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman:
`Ákoo Ghéé'yeń `Isdzánádleeshéń `áiłndíná'a:
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.
Then White Painted Woman, before his eyes, made the tracks of a baby for him.
`Ákoo `Isdzánádleeshéń, gondáał, `áłchiné bikék'e ká'ágólaaná'a.
Nágo Ghéé'yeń `ándee `oodláͅná'a.
And the Giant now believed her.
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.
The footprints were made with the outer side of the clenched fist, the toes being added with the finger.
Just then he saw also those blankets of the baby that were [smeared] with excrement.
`Áshíͅ `áłchinéń bich'idenáhí chaͅaͅná'át'égo kaanááyiiłtsáͅná'a:
1. bich'idenáhí 'those blankets of his'. ch'ide 'blanket'; bi- third person possessive; -náhí apparently a demonstrative enclitic. It is possible, however, that I misheard - náhí for - náí, the emphatic enclitic -ná plus the relative -í.
2. cháͅáͅná'át'égo 'they, being so [with] excrement'. cháͅáͅ 'excrement'; -ná emphatic enclitic; 'át'é, third person of 'to be so' [imp. neut. intr.]. Prefixes: 'á- 'thus, so; ni- adjectival.
3. kaanááyiiłtsáͅná'a 'he saw them from her also, it is said'. kaa- > go- 3a object plus aa- 'from, to, about' [pp.]. nááyiiłtsáͅ, third person perfective of náá-hi-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsé 'to see again, to see also' [act. tr.]. Prefixes: náá- again, also'; hi-| ?. náá- should require the -l- class but it does not in this verb. The perfective is irregular.
4. iyáahee 'what'. Should read: iyáahee. iyáa, interrogative pronoun plus the interrogative enclitic hee [also heard hé].
5. ch'iyoołkaͅaͅ 'something good to eat'. Cf. note 1.15, §6.
6. bicháͅáͅne 'his excrement'. -cháͅáͅne is the possessed form of cháͅáͅ 'excrement'. See Grammatical Sketch, §5. This sentence is another without a verb. See note 1.4, §1.
Then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant:
`Ákoo `Isdzánádleeshéń Ghéé'yeń áiłndíná'a:
1. díídíí'áͅáͅ 'these?' díídíí 'these' [see note15, §4] plus the interrogative enclitic -'áͅáͅ.
Then the Giant spoke thus to her again:
Nágo Ghéé'yeń 'ánáágołdihndíná'a:
1. 'ánáágołdihndíná'a 'he spoke thus to her again, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of 'á-náá-Oł-di-...[hi- perf.]-d- ndí 'to speak thus to someone again' [act. intr.]. Prefixes. 'á- 'thus'; náá- 'again'; ł- 'with, to' [pp.]; di- noise. The -d- class, signified by the -h- before the stem [see Grammatical Sketch, §7] is required by the prefix náá- 'again'.
2. 'ágháláshaͅ 'do so, make it so'. 'ághálá is analyzed in note 1.17, §2; -shaͅ exclamatory enclitic
Then White Painted Woman picked up a baby blanket.
Nágo `Isdzánádleeshéń `áłchiné bich'ideí náinłtsoozná'a.
`Ináshtł`izheí yéisjoolná'a.
Nágo dásí `ághát'éná'a.
Nágo Ghéé'yeń `áńdeeda `oosdlaͅaͅná'a.
She smeared wild honey[7] on it.
And it was just exactly so.
And the Giant now believed her.[8]
1. náinłtsoozná'a 'she had picked up a faric-like object, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of ná-di-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsóós 'to pick up a fabric-like object' [act. tr.]. The theme alone 'to handle a fabric-like object' [act. tr.]. ná-di-| 'upward'. náinł- > ná-yi-di-ni-ł-. yi- third person object loses its vowel and becomes -i-; di- becomes -n and combines with the -n- and combines with the -n- of the ni- perfective prefix. The low tone in the third person of the ni- perfective is irregular.
2. 'ináshtł'izheí .'wild honey' plus the relative -í. The noun cannot be analyzed.
3. yéisjoolná'a 'she smeared it on it, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of 0é-...[si- perf.]-ł-joł 'to rub, smear on' (act. tr.). -é onto, against' [pp.]. yéis- > yé-yi-si-ł-. yi- third person object becomes -i-; si- becomes -s-; and -ł- assimilates to the preceding -s-.
4. dásí 'ghát'éná'a 'it was just exactly so, it is said'. That is, the blanket she smeared with honey looked just like the one smeared with excrement. dásí 'just, exactly'. 'ghát'é, third person of 'ághá-ni-...-t'é 'to be so' [imp. neut. intr.]. ághá- 'thus, so', ni- adjectival.
5. 'oosdlaͅaͅná'a 'he had believed it, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of ho-|...[si- perf.]-dlaͅaͅ 'to believe' [act. tr.]. 'i- indefinite pronoun plus ho- plus si- perfective gives 'oos-. See note 1.17, §4.
The honey referred to is said to be deposited by bees in the stalks of yucca plants.
In complete versions other encounters between Giant and White Painted Woman are described and other means (usually four in all) which she used to deceive Giant are related.
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
1. 'íłtséshíͅ 'at the beginning'. íłtsé 'the first, the beginning, first' [part.], -shíͅ 'from' [pp.]
2. Bik'ehgo'iindáń 'the Creator'. A compound of bik'ehgo 'being by reason of him', 'iindá 'there is life', and -ń relative enclitic referring to persons [see Grammatical Sketch, §20]. bik'eh 'his spiritual power, in his charge, by reason of him', a noun with third person possessive pronoun; -go subordinating enclitic. 'iin dá 'there is life, life'a verb [apparently imp. neut. and with prefix 'i-] found only in the third person.
3. gólíͅná'a 'he lived, it is said'. gólíͅ, third person of: go-ni-...-líͅ 'to live, to exist' [imp. neut. intr.]. The prefix go- is often found as a derivational prefix but it is difficult to isolate its meaning. Cf. nlíͅ 'he is' and ndénlíͅ' he is a man' [ ndé 'man']. ni- is a prefix found with verbs defining adjectival notions. In the third person, it disappears leaving a high tone on the vowel of the preceding prefix.
-ná'a is the narrative enclitic which is generally suffixed to every principal (i. e., non-subordinated) verb in myths or stories which recount events that the narrator has not personally witnessed. In order to save space and to avoid repetition, I have not translated -ná'a in the translations to the texts.
4. dájík'eh 'all of them' [part.]. Cf. dá-nahí-k'eh all of us, all of you' and dágok'eh 'all of them'. From these can be isolated the proclitic dá- 'just, only', the pronouns ji- 3a subject, nahi- first or second person object, and go- 3a object. The stem appears to be -k'eh and, since it is always preceded by a high tone, an element ni- may be assumed. The inflection, however, is irregular and it is impossible to class this as either verb or noun.
5. bédaagojísiͅ 'they knew about him'. 3a person distributive of : 0é-go-ni-...-ł-ziͅ 'to know about, to possess knowledge of' [imp. neut. intr.]. -é 'about' [pp.]; go- derivational prefix, meaning uncertain; ni- adjectival prefix. ni- disappears in the 3a person leaving a high tone on ji-. The classifier -ł- and the initial stem consonant combine to form s-. The indirect object bi- combines with the postposition -é to form bé-.
6. 'ákoo 'then, and' [part.]
7. Isdzánádleeshé 'White Painted Woman ', the mother of the culture hero [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 1, note 2]. Apparently a compound of isdzáń 'woman', nádleesh 'she is being painted white again', and -é an archaic relative enclitic.
This word, which is used to refer to the mother of the culture hero and to the adolescent girl at the time of the girls' puberty ceremony [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 40, note 1], probably owes its etymology to the fact that the girl is painted with white at the time of the ceremony. Except for the the word is cognate to Nav. 'Asdzáͅáͅnádleehé 'Changing Woman' which may be analyzed as 'asdzáͅáͅ 'woman', nádleeh 'she is born again and again', and the relative -é. It is quite possible that the Chiricahua form is a borrowing from Navaho which has been altered to adapt it to Chiricahua religious beliefs.
8. 'iłdóͅ 'also' [part.]. Cf. -dó 'also' [encl.].
1. bik'éshíͅgo 'afterwards'. -ké 'next to, after, behind' [indep. pp.]. bi- third person pronoun, -shiͅ 'from' [pp. encl.], -go subord. encl. Literally: 'being from after it'--'it' referring to the preceding events.
2. Tóbájiishchinéń 'Child of the Water'. Tóbájiishchiné, 'Child of Water' is a compound of tó- 'water', -bájiishchin- , and the archaic relative -é. -bájiishchin- is evidently a bound 3a person si- perfective form of the verb Oá-...-chí 'to be born for, to be born by reason of' [act. intr.]. -á 'for, by reason of' [pp.]. Therefore, the literal meaning of the compound is 'he who is born by reason of the water', an etymology which is confirmed by the text.
3. The relative enclitic -ń, when suffixed to a noun, serves essentially the same function as the definite article in English. Generally this enclitic is added only when the individual is mentioned a second time in the text, presumably to indicate that the same person is being referred to.
4. gooslíͅná'a 'he was born, it is said'. Third person si- perfective of go-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, become alive' [act. intr.]. The theme by itself means 'to become'; the meaning of go-, however, is not clear. Cf. note 1.1 §3.
5. Naaghéé'neesgháné 'Killer of Enemies'. This noun is unanalyzable in Chiricahua. From comparative data, however, it appears that it is a compound of naaghéé' 'monsters'; -neesghán-, a bound third person perfective form with a prefix ni- of the theme -gháͅ 'to kill several' [act. tr.]; and the relative -é. Naaghéé' may also be a compound of náá- 'enemy' and -ghéé'-, a compounded form of the theme -ghé 'to be dangerous' [imp. neut. intr.]. This analysis results in the literal meaning 'he who kills monsters'. This meaning is, however, rejected by the Apaches whose conception of this culture hero is not in accord with it [see Ethnological Notes to Chiricahua text 1, note 3].
1. díͅíͅ' jiłt'égo 'they, being four in number'. Díͅíͅ' 'four'; jiłt'égo 3a person of -ł-t'é 'to be a certain number' [imp. neut. intr.]; -go subordinating enclitic.
2. gojílíͅná'a 'they were living, it is said'. 3a person of the verb go-ni-...-líͅ 'to live, to exist' [imp. neut. intr.]. Cf. note 1.1, §3. Note that the 3a subject has here a plural referent.
3. dá'íłtségodeeyáshíͅ 'from the very beginning'. dá- 'just, only' [procl.]; 'íłtsé 'first' [part.; cf. note 1.1, §1]; godeeyá 'time has begun to move'; -shíͅ 'from' [pp.]. godeeyá is a third person si- perfective with place pronoun of di-...[si- perf.]-yá 'one begins to move' [act. intr.; di- inceptive prefix]. From this form, it is clear that the place pronoun may refer to time as well as space. dee- is a combination of the inceptive prefix di- and the perfective prefix si- which, in most cases, results in dees-. Before a stem consonant y-, however, the final -s is lost.
1. bizhaaná'a '[was] her child, it is said'. -zhaa 'child, little one', bi- third person possessive. Note that this sentence requires no verb.This type of sentence is quite common in Chiricahua.
2. ndé doonzhóͅdashégo 'being evil people'. ndé' 'people'. nzhóͅ, third person of ni-...-zhóͅ 'to be good' [imp. neut. intr.; ni- adjectival prefix]. doo-...-da negative; -shé 'side, group' [pp.]; -go subordinating enclitic.
3. ndé 'át'íͅná'a 'he is such a person, it is said'. Note that ndé has a singular referent here [cf. §2 above]. 'át'íͅ, third person of 'á-ni-...-t'íͅ 'to be so, thus' [imp. neut. intr.]. 'á- 'so, thus'; ni- adjectival prefix. The latter prefix has disappeared in the third person; cf. 'ánsht'íͅ' I am so' and 'áńt'íͅ 'you are so'.
1. Ghéé'ye 'giant'. An unanalyzable noun. The first syllable [i. e., ghéé'-] may be cognate with the -ghéé'- of Naaghéé'neesghánéń 'Killer of Enemies' [see note 1.2 §5]. The element -ye cannot be explained.
2. hooghéń 'he who is called. hooghé 'he is called, named', third person of ho-ni-...-ghé 'to be called, named' [imp. neut. intr.]. ho- cannot be defined but ni- is probably the adjectival prefix. The conjugation is somewhat irregular, however, since ni- drops out in the third person and causes the vowel of ho- to lengthen compensatively. -ń is the relative enclitic.
3. ndéí 'people'. ndé 'person, people' plus the relative enclitic -í. Note that -í functions here as a definite article [see note 1.2, §3] and is used instead of -ń because the reference is to a collectivity.
4. doobáńgólaadaná'a 'he did not permit them to live, it is said'. doo-...-da negative. báńgolaa, third person optative of Oáń-go-...[si-perf.]-laa 'to permit to live' [act. intr.]. The prefixes are indefinable but cf. notes 1.1, §3 and 1.2, §4.
5. goyaleełná'a 'they were being born'. Third person progressive mode of go-yi-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, to come into existence' [act. intr.]. Cf. note 1.2, §4.
6. 'it'a [also heard 'it'ah] 'still, before' [part.].
7. bizáͅáͅyégo 'they, being small'. bizáͅáͅyé may be classed as a noun with constant possessor and it may occasionally be used as such and translated 'his little one'. More often, however, it is used as in this context, defining an attribute of the preceding noun. Cf. note 1.4, §1.
8. kaayinłndéná'a 'he ate them from her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of Oaa-ni-...[si- perf.]-ł- ndé 'to eat something of someone's' [act. tr.]. aa- 'from' [pp.]; ni- terminative [?].
1. chaałnaagháná'a 'she went about weeping'. chaał is a form of the theme -cha 'to weep' [act. intr.] plus a suffix -ł 'while--ing'. naaghá is the third person imperfective mode of naa-...[si- perf.]-yá 'one person moves about' [act. intr.]. naa- 'about'. The imperfective stem of this verb varies with the person [naashá 'I go about ', nann dá 'you go about', naajighá 'he goes about'] presumably because the pronoun has combined in various ways with the initial stem consonant.
2. ha'yágonáhé 'how, in what way'. ha' the interrogative pronoun stem [see Grammatical sketch §4] plus -yá, postposition, and -go subordinating enclitic give the interrogative or indefinite pronoun ha'yágo 'how, somehow'. -ná is an enclitic denoting emphasis and -hé [also heard -hee], is an interrogative enclitic.
3. gózhóͅgo 'it, being good'. Third person with place pronoun of ni-...-zhóͅ 'to be good' [imp. neut. intr.]. ni- disappears in the third person leaving a high tone on go-. In this context, gózhóͅgo loses its literal meaning and simply adds emphasis to the preceding interrogative pronoun.
4. niigosdzání 'the earth'. A compound of ndii- 'earth' [compounded form nii-] and gosdzáń meaning unknown. This compound refers to the earth or to the universe in general whereas ndii is used when the reference is merely to the surrounding country.
5. bikázhiͅ 'on its surface'. -ká 'surface, top' [indep. pp.]; -zhiͅ 'to' [pp.]; bi- third person possessive; referent, earth.
6. gólaaná 'would they be created!' góla third person optative mode of go-...[si- perf.]-laa 'to be born, created' (act. intr.). -ná emphatic enclitic.
7. n díná'a 'she said, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of di-...[hi- perf.]-n dí 'to say' [act. intr.]. di- is a prefix employed with verbs of saying, speaking, making a noise, etc. The third person form is irregular, the prefix having been lost.
8. The part of this sentence within the quotation marks is meant to be an intensified exclamatory interrogative. The use of the enclitics -ná and -hé, the use of gózhóͅgo, and the selection of the optative mode for the principal verb all serve to give this meaning. White Painted Woman is in despair; her children are all being destroyed by the giant; she is seeking to circumvent him and populate the earth.
1. da'ookaͅaͅná'a 'she prayed, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of daa-'i-ho-|...[si- perf.]-kaͅaͅ 'to pray' [act. intr.]. The prefixes are indefinable; cf. ho-|...[si- perf.] with the same theme 'to beg, to plead' [act. tr.]. It is likely that the prefix 'i- of the text form is the indefinite object pronoun.
2. Nágo 'and then' [part.].
3. naagołtiͅná'a 'it rained, it is said'. Third person with place subject of naa- ...-ł-tiͅ to rain' [imp. neut. intr.].
4. tóí 'the water'. to 'water'; -í relative enclitic. See notes 1.2, §3 and 1.5, §3 for a discussion of the relative enclitic with nouns.
5. yáda'neestíͅná'a 'she lay face upward for it'. Third person perfective mode of Oá-da'-ni-...[si- perf.]-tee 'to lie face upward for' [act. tr.]. The theme alone means 'an animate being moves'; the prefixes á- 'for' [pp.], da'- 'face up', ni- terminative. y- is yi- (vowel lost before a vocalic prefix) third person object pronoun referring to the water.
6. yábizhaagooslíͅná'a 'her child was born of it. yá- > yi- third person object plus the post position á- 'for, of'. bizhaa 'her child' is here incorporated into the verb [see note 1.4, §1]. gooslíͅ 'he was born [see note 1.2, §4].
1. 'ádíń 'this one' . Demonstrative stem dí- plus the proclitic 'á- and the relative enclitic -ń. See Grammatical Sketch, §3.
2. bizháͅáͅyéń 'little one'. Note that here this word is to be translated as a noun without possessive prefix. See note 1.5, §7.
3. hooghédaał 'he will be called'. hooghé 'he is called' is a third person imperfective neuter verb [see note 1.5, §2]. -daał is the future tense enclitic. Since neuter verbs are not conjugated for mode and tense, these variations are expressed by means of enclitics.
4. bizhaa goslíͅ 'the birth of her child'. literally 'her child has been born'. This phrase functions as a noun and the indirect object of the following verb.
5. yaa'iłéńziͅná'a 'she was happy over it'. Third person of Oaa-'iłé-ni-...-ziͅ 'to be happy about something' [imp. neut. intr.]. aa- 'from, to, about' [pp.]; -'iłé 'happy, thankful, grateful'; cf. ni-...-ziͅ 'to feel, to think' [imp. neut. intr.]. I do not know why the ni- prefix has a high tone in the third person nor can that prefix be defined.
1. díń 'this'. Demonstrative stem dí- plus the relative enclitic -ń. Cf. note 1.8,§1.
2. shishké'ń 'my child'. -shké' 'child', shi- first person possessive pronoun, -ń relative encliti c .
3. ha'yágohé 'what, in what way'. See note 1.6, §2.
4. áshłágo 'I, doing so'. First person imperfective mode of 'á-...[? perf.]-lá 'to do so' [act. tr.]. 'á- 'thus, so'. Note that the initial stem consonant assimilates in voice to the subject pronoun sh- preceding it.
5. nsáná 'I rear it'. nsá, first person imperfective mode of ni-...[si- perf.]-ł-yá 'to raise, rear; to cause to grow' [act. tr.]. ni- terminative prefix. In this form, the first person pronoun sh-, the classifier -ł and the initial stem consonant y- assimilate to s-; cf. nshyá 'I grow' [imp. mode, act, intr.]. -ná is the emphatic enclitic.
6. jin dínáná'a 'she said, it is said'. 3a person imperfective mode of di-...[hi- perf]-ndí'to say' [act. intr.]. In the 3a person, the prefix disappears. See note 1.6, §7.
1. Dá'ałtso jíͅda 'every day'. dá-...-dá 'absolutely, even'; 'ałtso 'all, every' [part.]; jíͅ 'day'.
2. kaanádáná'a 'he customarily came to her,it is said'. Third person iterative mode of Oaa-ni-...[ni- perf.]-yá 'one person goes to someone' [act. intr.] aa- 'to' [pp.]; ni- completive prefix. The ni- completive occurs only in the imperfective mode. The stem in the text form is -dá because ofthe fact that the iterative prefix requires the -d- class [see Grammatical Sketch, §7] and -d- plus -d- plus y- gives d-. Notice how the two third persons are distinguished; the subject is indicated by the third person pronoun, the indirect object by the 3a person pronoun [see Grammatical Sketch, §2].
3. 'áłchiné 'baby'. Unanalyzable noun.
4. káháyintágo 'he, looking for it of her'. Third person imperfective mode of 0á-há-ni-...[si- perf.]-tá 'to look for something [belonging to] someone' [act. tr.]. á- 'for, of' [pp.]; há- 'for'; n- terminative.
5. dooha'iyáadaí 'that there was no one'. do-...da negative; ha'iyáa 'someone', a combination of the two pronoun stems ha'- and 'iyáa; -í relative enclitic.
6. gózhóͅgo biłkégoyaazíͅíͅłgó 'having learned about it for certain'. gózhóͅgo has been analyzed in note 1.6, §3. Here it means 'certainly, for certain'. biłkégoyaazíͅíͅł [third person progressive mode of O-ł-Oé-go-...-ziͅiͅ 'knowledge about something comes to someone' [act. intr.]. -ł- 'with, to' [pp.]; -é 'about' [pp.]; go- deictic prefix referring to knowledge(?).
7. 'áńdeeda 'then, now' [part.].
8. goch'áͅ'ináhadááłná'a 'he was going away from her again, it is said'. goch'áͅ 'away from her'; cháͅ independent postposition, go- 3a object pronoun. 'ináhadááł 'he is going off again' (third person, prog. mode). Prefixes: 'i- off; away'; ná- [sometimes heard náá-] 'again'. Stem dááł, -d- form of -yááł, progressive stem of -yá 'one moves' [act. intr.]. ná 'again' requires the -d- form.
1. koͅdasikáͅí 'the fire that lay there'. koͅoͅ 'fire'. dasikáͅ, third person of dah-.-káͅ something in a container lies upon' [si- perf. neut. intr.]. dah- 'on, upon' unites with the si- perfective prefix to form dasi-. -í relative enclitic.
2. bitł'áhyá under it'. -tł'áh 'under' [indep. pp.]; bi- third person possessive; -yá indicating the relation between the verb following and koͅoͅsikáͅí bitł'áh-
3. bá'gojóóch'iiná'a 'she had dug a hole for him, it is said'. Third person continuative hi- perfective of 0á-'i-go-.[hi- perf.]-ch'ii 'to dig a hole for someone' [act. intr.]. á- 'for' [pp.]; 'I- and go-, meanings unknown.
4. ákaa 'there'. An invariable demonstrative.
5. 'inájiłteená'a 'she customarily put him away, it is said'. 3a person iterative mode of 'i|.[hi- per.]-ł-tee 'to put an animate object away' [act. tr.]. The theme alone means 'to handle an animate object'; 'i-| 'away, off'.
6. jinsáná'a 'she reared him, it is said'. 3a person imperfective mode of ni-...-ł-yá 'to rear, cause to grow' [act. tr.]. See note 1.9, §5.
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.
1. kadi 'now, soon' [part.].
2. naaghá silíͅná'a 'he became able to walk, it is said'. naaghá 'he walks about here and there' [see note 1.6, §1]: silíͅ, thirdperson perfective mode of -laa 'to become' [act. intr.].
1. hanáájóółtíͅná'a 'she had taken him out again, it is said'. 3a person perfective mode of ha-náá-...[hi- perf.]-l-tee 'to take an animate object out again' [act. tr.]. Theme: 'to handle an animate object'; prefixes: ha- 'out'; náá- 'again' [requires the -1- class]. Cf. note 1.12, §3.
2. 'áń bizáͅáͅyéń 'that little one'. 'áń, demonstrative stem 'á- plus the relative enclitic -ń [see Grammatical Sketch, §3]. Note that bizáͅáͅyéń is here translated without the possessive [see note 1.5, §7].
3. biłgózhóͅgo 'he, being happy'. gózhóͅ 'there is good, happiness', third person place subject of ni- -zhóͅ 'to be good, happy' [imp. neut. intr.; ni- adjectival prefix]. Cf. note 1.6, §3. gózhóͅ is prefixed by the object pronoun bi- 'him' and the postposition ł- 'with, accompanying'.
4. tsíbáͅáͅee 'at the side of the fire'. tsí [also heard tsídí] 'fire, glowing coals', followed by the independent postposition -baͅaͅ 'border, edge, and the postpositional enclitic -ee 'at'.
5. 'ákaa hikék'ená'a 'there [were] his tracks, it is said'. This is the same type of verb-less sentence remarked in note 1.4, §1. 'ákaa 'there' [demonstr.]; -kék'e 'trail, tracks', a compound of -ké- 'foot' [non-possessed form] and -k'e occurring only in this compound. The prefix hi- is a variant third person possessive which is apparently of commoner occurrence in the speech of the older people.
1. dásí 'ákaa 'ináázhóółtíͅgo means, literally, 'just as she had put him away again there'. 'There' refers to the hole under the fire. dásí 'just, exactly' [part.]; ákaa 'there' [demonst.]; 'ináázhóółtíͅ, 3a person perfective mode of 'i-náá-...[hi- perf.]-l-tee 'to put an animate object away again' [act. tr.]. See notes 1.11, §5 and 1.12, §8.
2. kaanáánádzáná'a he had come to her again'.
Third person perfective mode of Oaa-nááná-,,,[ni- perf.]-dá 'one person
comes again to someone' [act. intr.]. -dá is
the -d- form of the theme -yá 'one moves'. The
prefix nááná- 'again' requires the -d- form of
the theme -yá. Since this theme 'one moves' is
so irregular in stem form, it may be useful to list the stems.
| Mode | Zero classifier | -d-class | ||
| Sg. 1 | Sg. 2 | Sg. 3 | ||
| Imperf. | -shá | - ndá | -ghá | -dá |
| Perf. | -yá | -yá | -yá | -dzá |
| Prog. | -shááł | -ndááł | -gááł | -dááł |
| Iter. | -dá | -dá | -dá | -dá |
| Opt. | -sha' | -nda' | -ya' | -dza' |
3. 'áiłndíná'a 'he spoke thus to her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of 'á-0ł-di-...[hi- perf.]-ndí 'to speak thus to someone' [act. intr.]. 'á- 'thus, so'; ł- 'with, to'; di- a prefix used with verbs of speaking etc. di- drops out in the third person sometimes causing the pronoun yi- [in this form, reduced to -i-] to lengthen its vowel ['áyiiłndí]. See note 1.16, §7.
4. ''ádíídíí 'these'. This is apparently the demonstrative stem di- plus the relative enclitic -í reduplicated and with the proclitic 'á-. Reduplication is very rare in Chiricahua, this form and dídíń 'these [referring to persons]' being the only examples.
5. 'iyádí' 'what'. Interrogative stem 'iyádí plus the relative enclitic -í.
6. bich''iyoołkaͅaͅni 'something good to eat'.An unanalyzable noun used, according to the informant, only in myths having to do with the Giant.
7. koyá 'here'. ko-, demonstrative stem, plus the postposition -yá. ko- refers to places within the neighborhood of the speaker and listener and is probably best translated by the English 'hereabout, thereabout'.
8. bikék'e 'his tracks'. The compound -kék'e 'trail, tracks' with the third person possessive pronoun. See note 1.14, §5. Note that this sentence also lacks a verb--see note 1.14, §1.
9. goołndíná'a 'he said to her, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode ndí 'he says' [see note 1.6, §7] prefixed by the 3a object pronoun go- referring to White Painted Woman and the postposition ł- 'with, to'. go- is lengthened to compensate for the loss of the prefix di-; cf. gołdishndí 'I said to her'. See also §3, this note.
The verb 'to say' requires the prefix 'á- 'thus, so' [see §3] except when it is preceded by a quotation.
1. The significance of word order in Chiricahua is well illustrated by comparing the first line of this passage, i. e., 'Ákoo 'Isdzánádleeshéń Ghee'yeń 'áiłndíná'a: 'then White Painted Woman spoke thus to the Giant', with the first part of the second line of passage 15: 'Ákoo Ghééyeń 'Isdzánádleeshéń 'áiłndíná'a: 'then the Giant spoke thus to White Painted Woman. This order--subject, object, verb--is rarely violated.
2. díídíí'? 'these?' See note 1.15, §4. Here the proclitic is lacking. The interrogative connotation is given by the sentence tone.
3. béńdaashtsaago 'I, longing for it'. First person imperfective mode of 0éń-daa-|...[si- perf.]-tsaa 'to long for, yearn after' [act. intr.]. I cannot define theprefixes. Cf., however, daa-|...[si- perf.]-tsaa 'to die' [act. intr.].
4. ánágosh'iͅiͅ 'I customarily make them so'. First person iterative mode of 'á-...[? perf.]-lá 'to make, to do' [act. tr.]. Prefix 'á- 'thus,so'. go- is the 3a object pronoun referring to the tracks. The iterative theme of this verb is irregular not only in stem form but also in the fact that it requires the -ł- classifier whereas the other paradigms have the zero classifier.
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.
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.
1. bich'idenáhí 'those blankets of his'. ch'ide 'blanket'; bi- third person possessive; -náhí apparently a demonstrative enclitic. It is possible, however, that I misheard - náhí for - náí, the emphatic enclitic -ná plus the relative -í.
2. cháͅáͅná'át'égo 'they, being so [with] excrement'. cháͅáͅ 'excrement'; -ná emphatic enclitic; 'át'é, third person of 'to be so' [imp. neut. intr.]. Prefixes: 'á- 'thus, so; ni- adjectival.
3. kaanááyiiłtsáͅná'a 'he saw them from her also, it is said'. kaa- > go- 3a object plus aa- 'from, to, about' [pp.]. nááyiiłtsáͅ, third person perfective of náá-hi-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsé 'to see again, to see also' [act. tr.]. Prefixes: náá- again, also'; hi-| ?. náá- should require the -l- class but it does not in this verb. The perfective is irregular.
4. iyáahee 'what'. Should read: iyáahee. iyáa, interrogative pronoun plus the interrogative enclitic hee [also heard hé].
5. ch'iyoołkaͅaͅ 'something good to eat'. Cf. note 1.15, §6.
6. bicháͅáͅne 'his excrement'. -cháͅáͅne is the possessed form of cháͅáͅ 'excrement'. See Grammatical Sketch, §5. This sentence is another without a verb. See note 1.4, §1.
1. díídíí'áͅáͅ 'these?' díídíí 'these' [see note15, §4] plus the interrogative enclitic -'áͅáͅ.
1. 'ánáágołdihndíná'a 'he spoke thus to her again, it is said'. Third person imperfective mode of 'á-náá-Oł-di-...[hi- perf.]-d- ndí 'to speak thus to someone again' [act. intr.]. Prefixes. 'á- 'thus'; náá- 'again'; ł- 'with, to' [pp.]; di- noise. The -d- class, signified by the -h- before the stem [see Grammatical Sketch, §7] is required by the prefix náá- 'again'.
2. 'ágháláshaͅ 'do so, make it so'. 'ághálá is analyzed in note 1.17, §2; -shaͅ exclamatory enclitic
1. náinłtsoozná'a 'she had picked up a faric-like object, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of ná-di-|...[ni- perf.]-ł-tsóós 'to pick up a fabric-like object' [act. tr.]. The theme alone 'to handle a fabric-like object' [act. tr.]. ná-di-| 'upward'. náinł- > ná-yi-di-ni-ł-. yi- third person object loses its vowel and becomes -i-; di- becomes -n and combines with the -n- and combines with the -n- of the ni- perfective prefix. The low tone in the third person of the ni- perfective is irregular.
2. 'ináshtł'izheí .'wild honey' plus the relative -í. The noun cannot be analyzed.
3. yéisjoolná'a 'she smeared it on it, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of 0é-...[si- perf.]-ł-joł 'to rub, smear on' (act. tr.). -é onto, against' [pp.]. yéis- > yé-yi-si-ł-. yi- third person object becomes -i-; si- becomes -s-; and -ł- assimilates to the preceding -s-.
4. dásí 'ghát'éná'a 'it was just exactly so, it is said'. That is, the blanket she smeared with honey looked just like the one smeared with excrement. dásí 'just, exactly'. 'ghát'é, third person of 'ághá-ni-...-t'é 'to be so' [imp. neut. intr.]. ághá- 'thus, so', ni- adjectival.
5. 'oosdlaͅaͅná'a 'he had believed it, it is said'. Third person perfective mode of ho-|...[si- perf.]-dlaͅaͅ 'to believe' [act. tr.]. 'i- indefinite pronoun plus ho- plus si- perfective gives 'oos-. See note 1.17, §4.
| The Child of Water, Chiricahua Apache Text | |