The Mountain Spirits and the Cripples, Chiricahua Apache Text excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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23. The Mountain Spirits and the Cripples as told by Duncan
Belacho
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| 23.1. |
| 23.2. |
| 23.3. |
| 23.4. |
 | The Mountain Spirits and the Cripples, Chiricahua Apache Text |  |
23. The Mountain Spirits and the Cripples as told by Duncan Belacho
Long ago, [there was] a big boy [who] had no eyes.
'Iłk'idáͅ, 'icheeshkéntsaań binndáa 'édiͅ.
Ła'ń 'icheeshkéń bijáde 'édiͅ.
Bich'áͅ'nádaazáͅ.
'Ákoo bindáa'édiͅí gaghééł. Ja'ash dziłá.
Another boy had no legs.[1]
They had been abandoned.[2]
And that one who had no eyes was carrying [the other].
The two were travelling to the mountains.
bich'áͅ'nádaazáͅ 'they had been abandoned'. bich'áͅ 'from them' plus distrib. perf. of 'i-ná-...[hi- perf.]-zé 'there is a movement of people away' [act. intr.]. i- 'away'; ná-...- zé 'there is a movement of people'. The text form has the si- perf. because of the distrib. -daazáͅ > -daazáͅ.
This story is usually told of a boy and his sister. The former was blind; his sister was legless.
Due to the rigors of a nomadic, hunting, and gathering life, and the insufferable handicap which a crippled member placed on a family, the helplessly deformed were sometimes disposed of or abandoned as described. [See also Chiricahua text 21.]
A Gray One came to them.
Łibáyé kaahíłgho.
'Ákoo dziłá goł'inóóka.
Then they went back to the mountains with him.
Then the Mountain Spirits prayed.
'Ákoo Jaazhááda daagosíͅ.
'Ákoo k'os gołnihéń nda'.
Dooháńga'íͅda silíͅ.
'Ákoo Jaazhááda daagosíͅ.
'Ákoo k'osí ghahá'ádzaa.
Then a cloud surrounded them.
No one could see them.
Then the Mountain Spirits prayed.
And the clouds spread apart.
1. Jaazhááda another word denoting the Mountain Spirits; synonymous with Gáͅhé. No analysis.
2. gołnihéńnda' 'it surrounded them'. Analysis uncertain. goł- 'with them' plus a 3rd person ni- perf. with prefix complex ni-hi-ni- and a stem -nda'. This may be related to the theme nda [perf. stem -nda'] 'to a stream [of water, sand]; to flare, blaze [of fire]' [act. intr.].
Then he had eyes.
Nágo gondáa gólíͅ.
Ła'ńdo, bijáde gólíͅ.
Kát'égo, gojáde gondáa ká'ánágoyaaná'a.
'Iłk'idáͅ, dziłá nndéí 'ágoł'íͅná'a.
Kát'égo, 'itanájít'áázhná'a.
The other one also, he had legs.
In this way, his eyes [and] his legs were made again for them.
Long ago, the people in the mountains did so to them.
In this way, they returned to [their people].
'itanájít'áázhná'a 'they returned to them'. 'ita 'among' plus 3a person perf. of ná- ni-...[ni- perf.]-d-'aash 'two go back, return' [act. intr.]
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
bich'áͅ'nádaazáͅ 'they had been abandoned'. bich'áͅ 'from them' plus distrib. perf. of 'i-ná-...[hi- perf.]-zé 'there is a movement of people away' [act. intr.]. i- 'away'; ná-...- zé 'there is a movement of people'. The text form has the si- perf. because of the distrib. -daazáͅ > -daazáͅ.
1. Jaazhááda another word denoting the Mountain Spirits; synonymous with Gáͅhé. No analysis.
2. gołnihéńnda' 'it surrounded them'. Analysis uncertain. goł- 'with them' plus a 3rd person ni- perf. with prefix complex ni-hi-ni- and a stem -nda'. This may be related to the theme nda [perf. stem -nda'] 'to a stream [of water, sand]; to flare, blaze [of fire]' [act. intr.].
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