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Ło' xiyidighine'. They believed in them. Told by Hannah Maillelle with Katherine Hamilton, Feb. 12, 2004, Anchorage, Alaska. |
Transcribed and translated by Beth Dementi Leonard and James Dementi. Reviewed by Donna Miller MacAlpine, Edna Deacon, Lucy Hamilton, and Alice Taff. There are 5 topics below but we have kept them together in this text to present the flow of ideas from topic to topic in the larger notion of "old beliefs". |
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We were talking about beliefs, beliefs of long time ago. |
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What they used to believe in, every little thing. They even believe in what birds do. |
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When, when it, like chickadees fly in the tent or in the house. |
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Sigiggeg, gho nadidilighusr yitdong. |
Chickadees, talking about them long ago. |
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Ło' xiyidighine', |
They believed in them, |
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yuxudz ggagg k'idz yił. |
and all the birds. |
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Xiłdi, |
So, |
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ngitthing sanh qay tr'ididltth'e. |
we were staying down (on the Yukon) at fish camp [lit. summer village]. |
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Dinadadr k'idz xelanh. |
Our little sister was there. |
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Xiviyił itsa'a ye notin dinaghi, dinaghi xinedatl. |
Together two grandmas came to our place. |
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Xiłdi, Mom gho xididltth'e ts'i, |
They sat with Mom, |
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xinaxidilighusr. |
talking. |
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Xiyił sigiggegg xidinat'uq |
Suddenly a chickadee flew |
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yix xodhith yet. |
in the tent. |
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Xiłdi {xiyogh} xiye nitlchet, Mom. |
Then she tried to get it, Mom . |
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Xidonq'ixiniłchet ts'i yuxudz xiyinitlchet ts'i. |
They put down the tent flaps and closed up the tent. |
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Xidigał, yiłchet ts'i yuxudz. |
Finally, she got it. |
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Niłtoyitlch'ił ts'i xitthiyi- {dighił} -ghilo. |
She tore it up and put it in the fire. |
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Yit oghida' 'n at, dinadadr k'idz didiyoq. |
A year later, our small sister died. |
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Ndadz dit'anh tux dina yeg iłzre. |
That's what it does then, takes a person's spirit. |
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Ało ditht'an ts'i xiłne. |
It doesn't do that for nothing. |
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It's off? |
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What else? |
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(KH) What about frog, you know, frog, xiłghiy? |
... frog. |
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Ngido' Swiftwater tr'ididltth'e ts'i. |
Downriver in Swiftwater we were staying. |
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Ngine' qay che ntr'ididatl. |
Upriver that village we came to. [Lower Village of Shageluk] |
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Xiviyił Mildred and Mary, |
Together with Mildred and Mary, |
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yixi q'uxididał vith q'idz. |
around there we walked around on the river bank. |
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Xiłdi Ida yił dinayił dit'anh. |
and Ida (Raymond Dutchman's sister) was with us. |
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Xiviyił xiłghiy chux yixi q'u'ałtlik yixi. |
A big frog was jumping around there. |
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Xiłdi xiyiłchet ts'i yuxudz |
Then they got it and |
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xiditthiłt'ogg, |
on top of her head, |
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Mary tthiłt'ogg dixiyitlt'anh. |
they put it on Mary's head. [If it stays on your head, it means you will live long, but if it doesn't stay you won't live long. JD] |
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Niłq'udz ts'i yit dhido ts'i. |
It stayed a little while on her. |
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Nonałtlik. |
It jumped down. |
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Dina ts'ili'anh ts'i che vughidluq tr'idlighusr ts'i. |
To us it looked silly so we were laughing about it. |
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Xiłdi Ida tthiłt'ogh che dixiyi'itlt'anh. |
They put it on Ida's head too. |
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Gee, yit edo' ts'in'. |
Gee, it wouldn't stay there. |
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Nonałtlik. |
It kept jumping down. |
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Che yit nontr'iłtayh |
We kept putting it back up again, |
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che nonałtlik. |
and it jumped right back down again. |
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Vughidluq tr'idilighusr. |
We were laughing about it. |
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Vantr'atr'ixuneg ndadz dit'anh ts'i. |
We didn't know why it was doing that. |
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Xiviyił sitthiłt'ogh che dixiyitlt'anh. |
Then they put it on top of my head, too. |
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Iy che xiyodluq xidilighusr; xiłdi getiy niłngath ts'in' tth'iłt'ogg dhido ts'i. |
All of them were laughing about it staying on top of my head a really long time. |
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Yit dhido ts'i yit dhido. |
It was sitting and sitting there. |
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Xidigał nixayiłchet, he'? |
Finally they picked it up, eh? |
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Ało lo che ditht'an ts'i iy nonałtlikda'. |
Sure enough, it doesn't do that for nothing when it jumps down off your head. |
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Xidigał che yuxudz Ida yitot a didiyoq. |
In the end, Ida didn't last long. |
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(KH) Giłixi che, she say edodz ntr'ididał. |
One time she said we came up from Swiftwater. |
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Sanh xelanh. |
It was summertime. |
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Ngi'egh ntr'ixiniłghon ts'in'. |
We were playing around outdoors. |
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Xiłghiy yixi chux iy, |
A frog around there, a big one, |
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yixiy q'u'ałtlik che xichet. |
around there it was jumping and we picked it up. |
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Eliza, Dorothy, and me, |
[Eliza is Jeannie Benjamin's mom. Dorothy is Dorothy Workman.] |
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Diva go che dinayił q'u'edoyh? |
And who else was walking around with us? |
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Yuxudz, yuxudz che ditr'eloq. |
We did like that. |
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Yix tthegh q'idz di'uxłtayh tux yuxyił idiyinh dina xi'ne. |
While it's on your head it's making medicine people say. |
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Sughiligik dina tr'iłt'ogg, Eliza tthiłt'ogg ditr'itlt'anh. |
Poor person, on her head, on Eliza's head we put it. |
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Iy. Yit che edo' ts'in'. |
Oh, no. It never stayed. |
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(?) |
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Di'ne, di'ne tux che gits'in', gits'in' xiłne lo che. |
When it makes noise it's a bad sign they said sure enough. |
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(HM) Didithne' ts'in'. |
It didn't say anything. |
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(KH) Didaghine' xiye vitthiłt'ogg diyiłt'anhdi, that's what I... |
It made a croaking sound when they put it on her head. |
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Viyetr xitithdlal ts'in'. |
She's not going to live long. |
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(HM) Viyetr xitithdlal ts'i tux an, he'? |
She's not going to live very long, eh? |
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Xivitthiłt'ogh diyedo' ts'in'. |
It didn't stay on her head. |
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Yuxudz xiyan' che yuxudz vaniginiyh anh, Ida. |
That's all I remember about her, Ida. |
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And ah, sitthiłt'oghdi xeyitlt'anhdi getiy sughidluq xidilighusr. |
And ah, when they put it on my head they were sure laughing about me. |
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Getiy niłngath ts'i iłt'e yuxudz, sitthiłt'ogg dathdo ts'in'. |
A really long time it was sitting on my head. |
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(KH) Che yił, |
And also, |
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(HM) Uxutiy yił yuxudz, |
Even those ones, |
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axa dughinek I mean xiyan nughinek, |
they pay attention to them, |
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ggagg k'idz ine' iy. |
even birds. |
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Giyixi'ogh, |
A year ago, |
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xiday te divan xiveloq hin Grayling, niłyił. |
where those people who drowned in the river in Grayling, together. |
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Five boys xit'anh, Lillian and Archie. And |
They had five boys, Lillian and Archie. And |
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in the springtime she call me and she tell me she just worried. |
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(KH) Deg Xit'an, deg xiq'i. |
Local people, local language. [KH is prompting HM to speak in Deg Xinag.] |
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Xulegg, |
In the spring, |
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soqo xinayh Lillian. |
Lillian called me. |
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Xiyo dił'anh, "Auntie, |
She's worried, "Auntie, |
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vinixiłyigg tux, {ggiy} gidint'ey |
early in the morning, a camp robber, |
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window xidalning'," yiłne, |
is pecking at the window," she said, |
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"yolq'a ngi'os ts'in'. |
"outside the window. |
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Iłt'e che yuxudz dit'anh," yiłne. |
It keeps doing that," she said. |
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"Ndadz xo'in dit'anh?" siłne. |
"Why is it doing that?" she asked me. |
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"Ngo xantr'ixusneg," vidisne. |
"Well, I don't know," I told her. |
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"Ało an a dit'anh," vidisne. |
"It's doing that way for nothing," I told her. |
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Edi yuxudz sanh, sanhdi yuxudz disiłne. |
All that summer, all summertime she's telling me that. |
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Xiłdi, xiyhts'in' che xits'an xitithidhit xiyiłdi soqo xinayh. |
It started to get falltime when she called me. |
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"Gee, that gidint'ey yuxudz, |
"Gee, that gray jay, |
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iłt'e yuxudz yalq'a xidalning'," yiłne. |
it's always pecking at the window," she said. |
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"Gil' gho xiyodidhił'an iy detsan' tlagg. |
"Well, don't worry about it, maybe it's hungry, bum thing. |
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Ithe ngi'egh gho gidhuxlo ts'i at," vidisne ts'i yił. |
You should leave food outdoors for it," I said to her. |
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Iłt'e yuxudz yigixe'izrisr ts'i. |
They were always drinking. |
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Yuxudz, ts'an a yit? |
Everyone, is it true? |
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Xiyh an a yuxudz niłyił yuxudz dixidiyoq. |
That winter all together they died. |
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Diva go itr'atoneł. |
We have nobody to tell it to. [Stories] |
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(KH) Vandhiginik ts'i daxasneł. |
I forgot what I was going to say. |
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Xiday that um, xiyixonet che. |
Where's that... I don't know what's up above. |
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Nda' ts'i xi'ezre' che yuxudz? |
What do they call that place? |
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(HM) Ndagh? |
Where? |
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(KH) Yukon Slough. |
Yukon slough. [Edna Deacon says the name is this slough is Tse Yiq.] |
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(HM) Vantr'ixusneg. |
I forget. |
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(KH) (?) Ne dhi'onh. Yukon Slough. |
An island, Yukon Slough. |
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Yit, a... |
There's... |
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Edna xogh xinayh. |
Edna was talking about it. |
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Viq'idz nihol, nihol an iy, ngo yitdong. |
On it no camping, no camping there, from long time ago. |
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Dong, dong go, tthingił tidolningh. |
Long time ago, an axe fell in the water. |
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Yit iy an a gho. Vits'i. You know. |
There. And that's why it's that way (formed the island). |
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Ngan' ndalningh. Yeah. |
That's how that island is there. |
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(HM) Diggadhi'oy chux, xi'ne. |
A big knife, they say. |
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(KH) Tthingił... |
An axe... |
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(HM) Vits'i diggateł chux xiy. |
The biggest knife there is. |
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Diggadhi'oy yuxudz qay yuxudz, yuxudz xiy axa dit'anh hiy xiłne. |
The whole village used that knife they said. |
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Viq'a xethtrix xiłdi |
Everybody was crying then |
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iy diggadhi'oy chux |
(because) that big knife |
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tighiłqadi, xi'ne. |
went in the water, they said. |
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Xiq'i xethtrix ts'i xiłdi, |
They cried for it then, |
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viq'a che gitidlyo xiłne che. |
they had a parka feast they said. |
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Diggadhi'oy chux a gitidlyo, xi'ne. |
They had a parka feast for the big knife, they said. |
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Dangan ndagh che q'a che gitalyayh? |
For that iron, why did they want to have parka feast? |
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Xunik itl'e iy. |
(I wonder if) it's a true story. |
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(KH) Spirit camp, what that ah... xiday [hard to hear] 4-mile xi'ne di tthoggiqay xelanh? |
Up across 4-mile there was a spirit camp. |
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That diyin dathonhdi. |
Is that where that shaman's grave is? |
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Xiye xingo che spirit camp {dihath} ixitltsenh yixi. |
They made the spirit camp right across from there. |
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And Edna, had, what they call Spring Camp? |
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(HM) Gan? |
What? |
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Gidonik donixi, aa, q'eyh dithtitht'onh hiy. |
Lots of birch trees in a row. |
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Dinato' yixi qidhi q'u... [hard to hear] ogh xitr'idal, tr'ine, anh hin ałine, she say, cause, |
Our father told us not to walk around there. |
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Giłixi ts'i qay xadila ts'in'. [hard to hear] |
Once there used to be a village there. |
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Yuxudz iy che didltth'en, I guess. |
They were all living there, I guess. |
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Yuxudz imo axa. |
They all got sick. |
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Dixidiyoq. |
Everyone died. |
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"Yixi q'udhuxdidal," hin dina iłne, eh? |
"Don't walk around there," he told us, eh? |
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Imo didiyoq ts'i yuxudz. |
Sickness happened. |
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(HM) Yuxudz donxidiyoq, yit xadixi'inedi. |
Everyone died there, that place where everyone died. |
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Ngido' yoxodo' xiłdi thuxididltth'en, |
Down there where they're staying by themselves, |
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nq'ołdałin yan' iy, he', iy? |
only women is that the one? |
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(KH) No, that's another one. |
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That, aa, what's that Niłti'ileyhdi? |
Lower Village? |
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Lower Village xoq'odz qay xixilidi. |
Lower Village, across from it, there used to be a village. |
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Yit an at xi'ne. |
That's the place they're talking about. |
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(HM) O, yit'egh. |
Oh, there. |
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Ginadhingonhdi. |
That's where everybody died (from sickness or starvation). |
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(KH) Yit an at giłigginh chel |
That's where one boy |
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baby viyetr xelanh. |
baby was alive. |
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Tr'ałtth'et gitthing yan', gitthing ngohon yan' ntidlghusr. |
In the kashim only blowflies, there was only blowflies buzzing. |
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(HM) Xiyiłchet ts'i xiłdi xeyitlyonh anh chel k'idz. |
They took him and they raised him that little boy. |
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Dredluq gidighedhit. |
He barely survived. |
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Che, vonh didiyoq xingo |
His mother was dead while |
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yima' ghiłtet. |
he was drinking her milk. |
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Xiłdi xivito' nda sre' diyaghił'an ts'i. |
I wonder what his father did (to help the child recover). |
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Xidigał xełedz dondiyoq. |
Finally he got well. |
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Anh nq'ołdałin xivito'. |
The girls' father. [He was the one who blew on the baby to help him get well.] |
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Dan an xivoda' xiłdi yinitlyo. |
The older sister raised him. |
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"Q'a'ididhit ts'i xiłdi nginixi q'utasdoyh," ine', |
"I'm grown up (and) I'm going to go back there and walk around," but, |
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"Ngine' tigheyo," an xiłne iłt'e. |
"Don't go upriver," they told him all the time. |
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Xiłdi, ngichux ts'i didiyoq ts'i xiłdi, |
Then he grew bigger, then, |
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"Ndadz goxo ningine' tigheyo an sixi'ne?" inedhinh. |
"Why not go upriver do they tell me," he is thinking. |
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Ngine' qay xighelidi. |
Up river there used to be a village site. |
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Neyo xiyił didiggixalnek. |
Walking then he found himself there. (In that village.) |
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Voxo ndadz sre' |
He didn't know anything |
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dixi'et'adi. |
about that place. |
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Ts'an at edo' n'idiyo. |
So he went back downriver. |
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Singonh yiłne anh xiłdi, |
The one he called Mother, |
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nughił dighene. |
he told her. |
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Iy givitsiy ghiluq xiłdi, |
His poor grandpa then, |
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itrix, tr'ine. Tatthtrax. |
he was crying, it is said. He started crying. |
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Xitl'ogh xiłdi yi nughił didighine', tr'ine. |
But after that he told him, it is said. |
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"Ngine' ginadhingonh dan at, |
"Upriver, where everybody died, |
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ngidithinqay yił yuxudz. |
your parents and everyone. |
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Tr'ałtthet, tr'ałtthet ngq'iholnek go dan," yiłne. |
The kashim, (in) the kashim, they found you right there," he told him. |
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"Dred xiłdi gidagh ngidhit," xiłne, tr'ine. |
"You barely made it," they said, it is said. |