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Singonh sinughił didighene', Mother's teachings. Told by Ellen Savage at her home in Anchorage, AK, October 2002. |
Recorded by Alice Taff and Donna Miller MacAlpine. Transcribed and translated by Donna Miller MacAlpine, Ellen Savage, Edna Deacon, and Alice Taff. |
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What I'll explain, the spirit and how our Lord made the world? |
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Ok, how my Mama tell me. |
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(AT) Deg xiq'i. |
Around here like. (In the local language.) |
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Yeah, deg xiq'i, what my Mama tell me. |
Yeah, in the local language. ... |
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How the world was done. Ok. Ok. Ok, you can start it. |
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Yah. Gogidet. |
Yeah. Here it is. |
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Singonh neg, sito' neg yił sixinitlyo. |
My nice mother and my nice father raised me. |
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Iłt'e xiłdik {siyi, si} singonh neg anh, |
Always then my nice mother, that one, |
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siyił xinaxidilighusr. |
would always talk with me. |
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Sraqay k'idz itl'anh ine', |
I was a little kid even so, |
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sinughił di'ne. |
she talked to me. |
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"Engthidong, |
"Long ago, |
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Dina Xito' neg, |
Our dear Father, |
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Anh 'n at, |
He's the one, |
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nq'oxdina' ye |
the people, |
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dhiłtsenh," |
He made them," |
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dina iłne. |
she'd tell us. |
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"Yitots'i yuxudz che ngi'egh |
"And everything outside (in nature) too, |
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ggagg tux xiyił, |
and animals, |
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ggagg k'idz tux xiyił, |
and birds, |
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tritr yił, |
and trees, |
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yuxudz, te yił, |
everything, and water, |
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izre yił, |
and cold, |
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divaxa xidetr'iyh iy tux xiyił. |
and with the wind. |
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Yuxudz uxitiy yił yi'eghonh," yiłne, |
All those things also he made," she'd say, |
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"Anh Dina Xito'. |
"That One, Our Father. |
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Yitots'i diyeg xiłdi che yughin ni'elayh. |
And then he put his spirit in them. |
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Yuxudz uxitiy, |
All those things, |
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yuxudz vav yił, |
and all the food, |
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Viyeg gila xidela. |
His spirit surely it has. |
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Yux, che Dina Xito', |
You also, Our Father, |
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iy yeghonh ts'i yitots'i, |
these He made and, |
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iy Diyeg iy axa diyał'an' xiy. |
His spirit, with it he did it. |
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Got go q'odet, yuxudz vav tux xiyił, |
Here right now, in all the food, |
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tritr tux xiyił, |
in the trees, |
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didlang ngi'egh, |
the spruce trees outside, |
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yuxudz giyeg it'anh," yiłne, singonh anh. |
they all have a spirit," she'd say, my mother, that one. |
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"Yitots'i yuxudz xo'in xiłdik, |
And so for that reason then, |
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xełedz xineg |
really nicely |
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xiyan' duxt'anh. |
only, you guys should behave. |
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Ngho vaxa gits'i duxt'anhda', q'anyixitili'eł. |
When you do something wrong, it will pay you back. |
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Ggagg chux xiyił, |
And big animals, |
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uxitiy ggagg chux xiyił, |
those things, even big animals, |
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Viyeg xelanh. |
His spirit they have. |
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Yitots'i xingo tlughidixilighusrda', |
And even when you laugh at others (in ridicule), |
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yixitidhiłts'ił. |
He will hear it. |
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Yitots'i a xiłdik |
So then |
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q'anyixitili'eł. |
it will pay you back. |
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Yitongo xełedz xineg di'uxł'anda', |
Meanwhile when nicely you treat others, |
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xełedx xineg diyixtił'eł," dina iłne. |
very nicely you will be treated," she'd tell us. |
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Yuxudz xiłdi yitots'i, |
So everything then, |
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yuxudz xiłdik, |
everything then, |
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xiłdi, |
thus, |
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sinughił didighene xiy yuxudz, |
everything that she told me, |
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gogidet. |
here it is. |
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Axa 'n go didisne. |
With it (the spirit) I'm saying it. |
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Che singonh sinughił di'ne ts'i, "Engitthidong, |
And my mother would tell me, "Long ago, |
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Dina Xito' {ng} ngan' anh itltsenh dong. |
Our Father made our land long ago. |
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Yuxudz xiy geghonh xiy. |
He made everything. |
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Yuxudz {yi} uxitiy yi yeghonh iy, |
Everything that He made, |
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yuxudz Viyeg noxidelanh. |
everything, His spirit, they have it. |
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Iy Viyeg xiłdik iy |
(It's) His spirit therefore, |
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xaxa gits'i ditr'ighilał ts'i qul," yiłne. |
we can't do anything bad to it," she'd say. |
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Vav tux xiyił, |
With food, |
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łegg tux xiyił, |
with fish, |
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xełedz xineg xiyan' |
very nicely only |
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dasrił'eł. |
we treat them. |
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Uxitiy xiłdik, |
Those things then, |
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q'andinatili'eł ts'i yitots'i. |
in time they'll pay us back. |
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Nighan gighitonek |
Something will watch over us |
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xełedz xineg |
(if) very nicely |
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xiyan' tr'atołtth'eł," |
only we behave," |
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dina iłne. |
she'd tell us. |
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"Gogide xo'in go yuxnughił didisne," |
"That is why I am telling you this," |
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dina iłne, singonh. |
she'd tell us, my mother. |
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Yuxudz sinughił di'ne deg iy. |
This is everything she tells me |
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Yitots'i gogide q'odet yuxudz. |
And here it all is right now. |
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Gogide yuxudz idisne. |
Right now I am saying it all. |
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Singonh q'i didisne. |
Like my mother I'm saying it. |
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Xiłdi yuxudz dighene dixigho'in, |
That's why she told us everything like this, |
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Yuxudz Viyeg gidixidelanh. |
Everything has His spirit. |
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Q'ontr'idiłqon' xiyił, vav tux xiyił, |
With sewing, and in food, |
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yuxudz Viyeg nixidelanh ts'i xiyan' ngi'egh, |
everything (has) His spirit only outside (in nature), |
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tritr tux, didlang tux, |
in the wood, in the spruce, |
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q'iyh tritr, |
birch wood, |
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yuxudz Viyeg nixidelanh. |
everything, His spirit, it has it. |
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Gag tux xiyił, |
In berries too, |
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gan yeg ngi'egh yiggiy. |
that spirit is there outside (around us in nature). |
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Nanhdal tux xiyił, yuxudz Viyetr, Viyeg nixidelanh. |
With ducks too, everything His breath, His spirit, they have it. |
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Yuxudz an at dixidighene' yidong. |
All that's what they used to say long ago. |
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Yuxudz {din} singonh ye, singonh yuxudz sinughił didighene'. |
All that my mother, my mother told all that to me. |
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Yuxudz xo'in an go xiłdik |
All that is why |
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go dadz didisne. |
this is how I'm telling it. |
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Xiłdik, |
So then, |
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engtthi xodhił xingo, |
a long time in the future when they are old enough, |
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go sittheyqay, |
my grandchildren, |
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divało |
I hope |
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got sixidhitltth'onh. |
they will hear this from me. |
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Go gil, |
Now, |
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{gilegiq'i} gilegik xidhiq'idz xiye diniłdikda', |
if it's written on paper, |
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xiye tixitoxał. |
they will read it in there. |
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Yuxudz xo'in an go xiłdik oqo dadz didisne. |
That's why I'm saying this. |
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Agidet. |
There it is. |