Coyote Marries His Own Daughter, Mescalero Apache Text excerpted from Chiricahua Apache Texts, with Ethnological Notes |
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7. Coyote Marries His Own Daughter
as told by Horace Torres
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 | Coyote Marries His Own Daughter, Mescalero Apache Text |  |
7. Coyote Marries His Own Daughter[1] as told by Horace Torres
When the earth had been made, at the very beginning of time, there were just animals.
They spoke like human beings.
dáma'ye 'there were just animals'. dá- just' ma'ye 'animals'. This word is ordinarily applied to Coyote but, in this instance as well as in numerous compounds, it has the wider meaning.
Coyote did wrong.
He did wrong everywhere on the surface of the earth.
doo'ee'áíͅlaadaná'a 'he did wrong'. The negative of the 3rd person perf. with 3rd person object of áá-...[? perf.]-lá 'to do so to' [act. tr.] preceded by the prefix ee-. I cannot give an exacter definition for 'ee-.
He had sexual desires toward his daughter.
Bizháań yaabóóndiiná'a.
Bich'ee'ń yaabóóndiigo 'ándiná'a.
He said this because he had sexual desires toward his daughter.
1. dá'íłtsé nahdáńyáń 'the first person that you meet'. Literally 'the first one that meets you [pl.]'.
2. 'it'édeheetsaaye 'the oldest girl'. 'it'éde 'girl'; -heetsaaye 'oldest', cf. ni-...-tsaa 'to be big'.
Then, the worms having fallen, they started out.
'Ákoo, ch'osh noͅóͅtłizhgo, ts'ideeskaná'a.
nDásá ch'akaná'a.
'Áń bizáͅáͅyéń t'áͅyá nádeesgalná'a.
They were going along some distance off.
The smallest [child] looked back.
"My little one, do not speak so. We have long ago left him."
But his father had jumped down.
From there, in a roundabout way, he came to meet them.
Then they were going along over yonder.
doo'ádashíͅgo 'in a roundabout way'. doo-... -da negative; 'á- 'there'; -shíͅ; 'from'; -go subordinating enclitic.
"What did he say to you?"
"'Give the oldest girl to the very first person that you meet,' he said to us."
Then he married his oldest daughter.
He did not go away.
Then she was searching for lice on him.
'Ákoo yaa káhách'intaaná'a.
Góńtł'ashíͅ soͅoͅs si'áͅná'a.
'Ákoo 'áń biłnaach'i'aashń yaa káíkántaaná'a, bíńtł'ashíͅ soͅoͅs si'ání.
A wart lay on the side of his head.
Then his wife was searching for lice on the side of his head on which the wart lay.
"They are again running to this side."
Then that girl went back to her mother.
'Ákoo 'áń ch'eekéͅń bimáń yaanách'íńt'iná'a.
'Ákoo bimáń 'áiłndíná'a:
And she spoke thus to her mother.
Then her mother spoke thus to her.
'Ákoo gomáń 'ágoołndíná'a:
Then she put him to sleep.
'Ákoo bits'iyiͅiͅłhaajná'a.
'Ákoo 'áíí soͅoͅsí baach'iͅiͅłtsáͅná'a, 'iͅiͅłhaajgo.
'Ákoo bitsiií gháhá béch'íńghił.
And she saw that wart on him while he was sleeping.
Then she pushed his head away.
She picked up a small axe.
Bee'itseeł bizáͅáͅyé náshn'áͅná'a.
'Ákoo bich'iͅiͅbił'édeeshneestaná'a.
'Ákoo goch'áͅ'édeeneestaná'a.
Then she ran toward him with it.
And he ran away from her.
1. bee'itseeł 'axe'. Literally 'one chops by means of it' .
2. bich'iͅiͅbił'édeeshneestaná'a 'she ran toward him with it'. bich'iͅiͅ 'toward him'; bił- 'with it'; plus the 3a person perf. of 'éd-ee-ni-...['si- perf.]-d-tá 'to run' [act. intr.]. 'éd- reflexive; ee- 'by means of'; ni- terminative; -d-tá 'to start, jerk, move quickly'. See note 5.27, §2.
Linguistic Notes by Harry Hoijer
dáma'ye 'there were just animals'. dá- just' ma'ye 'animals'. This word is ordinarily applied to Coyote but, in this instance as well as in numerous compounds, it has the wider meaning.
doo'ee'áíͅlaadaná'a 'he did wrong'. The negative of the 3rd person perf. with 3rd person object of áá-...[? perf.]-lá 'to do so to' [act. tr.] preceded by the prefix ee-. I cannot give an exacter definition for 'ee-.
1. dá'íłtsé nahdáńyáń 'the first person that you meet'. Literally 'the first one that meets you [pl.]'.
2. 'it'édeheetsaaye 'the oldest girl'. 'it'éde 'girl'; -heetsaaye 'oldest', cf. ni-...-tsaa 'to be big'.
doo'ádashíͅgo 'in a roundabout way'. doo-... -da negative; 'á- 'there'; -shíͅ; 'from'; -go subordinating enclitic.
1. bee'itseeł 'axe'. Literally 'one chops by means of it' .
2. bich'iͅiͅbił'édeeshneestaná'a 'she ran toward him with it'. bich'iͅiͅ 'toward him'; bił- 'with it'; plus the 3a person perf. of 'éd-ee-ni-...['si- perf.]-d-tá 'to run' [act. intr.]. 'éd- reflexive; ee- 'by means of'; ni- terminative; -d-tá 'to start, jerk, move quickly'. See note 5.27, §2.
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