Coyote and Quail, Mescalero Apache Text excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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6. Coyote and Quail
as told by Horace Torres
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 | Coyote and Quail, Mescalero Apache Text |  |
6. Coyote and Quail[1] as told by Horace Torres
Coyote, trotting along a road saw Quail and her children walking along the road.
Ma'yeí 'íńtinyá hołdloshgo Dáłdánéí bizháaéͅ yiłch'azhoshgo yiͅiͅłtsáͅná'a.
Then Coyote spoke thus to her:
'Ákoo Nałdlooshéí 'ágoołndíná'a:
1. naałdlooshéí [this form appears in the text as naałdlooshéí--MEC] 'Coyote'. Another of the many nicknames for Coyote. [cf. note 1.1, §1]. naałdlooshé is a relative in -é of, the 3rd person imp. of naa-|...[si- perf.]-dloosh 'to trot about here and there' [act. intr.].
2. The literal translation of the second line of this passage is as follows: " 'In what way / your children / being so well / being strung along after one another / after you / they going about here and there / you keep it so,' / Coyote / he said to her, it is said."
"They follow me around so well because of this rope which is stretched between them."
The literal translation of the first line of this passage is as follows: "'This / rope / that which is strung between them / it being well by means of it / after me / they are going about here and there,' / Quail / she said to him, it is said."
"All right, I too will do so."
Then, pushing a yucca [rope] through the throats of his children, he strung that yucca between their throats.
'Ákoo, 'ágháí 'etł'odéí bizháańne bizoołyá ghádaa'iistsigo, 'ágháí 'etł'odéí bizoołyá 'itahńt'igo 'áíͅlaaná'a.
'Ákoo 'iłkéidaas'ééjná'a.
'Ákoo, kát'égo 'áíͅlaanágo, gháhá yeesháń ch'éńdlooj.
Nágo bizháaí ndiiyá neesndágo sijéná'a.
So he strung them one after another.
Then having done so in this way, he started trotting off in the lead.
But his children lay on the ground, dead.
1. ghádaa'iistsigo 'pushing it through them'. ghá- 'through'; daa-'i- distrib. indef. obj.; plus the 3rd person perf. of -tsé. 'to do with a long pointed object' [act. tr.]. The distrib. daa- causes the si- perf. If ghá- alone is combined with this theme, the ni- completive prefix appears in the imp. and the perf. is of the ni- conjugation.
2. 'itahńt'igo 'áíͅlaaná'a 'he strung it between them'. 'itah 'among them, between them' [in- definite object]; ńt'i, 3rd person ni- perf. of -t'é 'to be strung'. 'áíͅlaa, 3rd person perf. with 3rd person obj. of -lá 'to do to' [act. tr.].
3. 'iłkéidaas'ééjná'a 'he strung them one after another'. 'ił- reciprocal; -ké [also -kéé'] 'after, following'; daa- distrib. obj.; plus the 3rd person si- perf. of -'eesh 'to string [e. g., beads]' [act. tr.].
4. neesndágo 'dead. 3rd person perf. of ni-...[si- perf.]- ndé 'several die' [act. intr.].
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
1. naałdlooshéí [this form appears in the text as naałdlooshéí--MEC] 'Coyote'. Another of the many nicknames for Coyote. [cf. note 1.1, §1]. naałdlooshé is a relative in -é of, the 3rd person imp. of naa-|...[si- perf.]-dloosh 'to trot about here and there' [act. intr.].
2. The literal translation of the second line of this passage is as follows: " 'In what way / your children / being so well / being strung along after one another / after you / they going about here and there / you keep it so,' / Coyote / he said to her, it is said."
The literal translation of the first line of this passage is as follows: "'This / rope / that which is strung between them / it being well by means of it / after me / they are going about here and there,' / Quail / she said to him, it is said."
1. ghádaa'iistsigo 'pushing it through them'. ghá- 'through'; daa-'i- distrib. indef. obj.; plus the 3rd person perf. of -tsé. 'to do with a long pointed object' [act. tr.]. The distrib. daa- causes the si- perf. If ghá- alone is combined with this theme, the ni- completive prefix appears in the imp. and the perf. is of the ni- conjugation.
2. 'itahńt'igo 'áíͅlaaná'a 'he strung it between them'. 'itah 'among them, between them' [in- definite object]; ńt'i, 3rd person ni- perf. of -t'é 'to be strung'. 'áíͅlaa, 3rd person perf. with 3rd person obj. of -lá 'to do to' [act. tr.].
3. 'iłkéidaas'ééjná'a 'he strung them one after another'. 'ił- reciprocal; -ké [also -kéé'] 'after, following'; daa- distrib. obj.; plus the 3rd person si- perf. of -'eesh 'to string [e. g., beads]' [act. tr.].
4. neesndágo 'dead. 3rd person perf. of ni-...[si- perf.]- ndé 'several die' [act. intr.].
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