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Songs of the Girls' Puberty Ceremony, Chiricahua Apache Text

excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes

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40. Songs of the Girls' Puberty Ceremony as told by David Fatty

40.1.

They have made the tipi poles of galena,

40.2.

He will paint you with galena,

40.3.

He is holding up his hand [painted] with sun pollen,

40.4.

He is holding up his hand [painted] with the rays of the sun;

40.5.

The rays of the sun, the sun has come down;

40.6.

Red clay, its power is good,

40.7.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.8.

40.9.

He is singing for red clay,

40.10.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.11.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.12.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.13.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.14.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.15.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them;

40.16.

The sun, the rays of the sun, he is holding up his hand [painted] with them,

Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer

Ethnological Notes Morris Opler

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He will paint you with galena,

(40.2)[2]
K'eeshchíí yeenidleesh,
Bik'ehgózhóní.
Ts'is'ahnaagháí! Bik'ehgózhóní.

Chíí yeenichí,
Bik'ehgózhóní,
Ts'is'ahnaagháí! Bik'ehgózhóní.

Dleeshí yeenidleesh,
Bik'ehgózhóní,
Ts'is'ahnaagháí! Bik'ehgózhóní.

He will paint you with galena,
Its power is good,[5]
Long life! Its power is good.
He will paint you with red clay,
Its power is good,
Long life! Its power is good.
He will paint you with white clay,
Its power is good,
Long life! Its power is good.

[_]

(40.2) Linguistic Notes

1. yeenidleesh' 'he will paint you with it'. yee- 'with it'; ni- 'you'; -dleesh 'to paint white' [imp., act. tr.].

2. yeenichí 'he will paint you with it'. - chí 'to paint red' [imp. act. tr.].

[_]

Ethnological Note 5
"You" refers again to the adolescent and the pronoun "its" refers in each case to the preceding substance for painting mentioned.