Kutenai Tales/30

by Franz Boas, Alexander Francis Chamberlain

"tsukᵘa′tenʼ łuk!." tsukᵘa′te· łoᵤk!s. ta′x̣as nʼitkι′ne·· aₐʽk.ła′x̣we·k!s (skιk.łax̣wι′k!ᵢne·). łu′ᵤnte· tsa′hałs neᵢ pa′łkeᵢ. tsukᵘa′te· no′kᵘe·s. tsukᵘa′te· łoᵤk!s. ta′x̣as nʼitx̣o′mek e·′ka. ta′x̣as nʼιtkιnłι′sᵢne· a′m·a·ks. yunamok!o′ᵤne· neᵢ pa′łkeᵢ. nʼιłkoʼx̣ᵤne·. ta′x̣as qake′ᵢne· e·′ka: "ιskuku′ ιskuku′ ιskuku′." ta′x̣as łaqatsx̣a′n·e· e·′ka. ta′x̣as nʼι′pᵢne·. łats!ιna′x̣e· neᵢ pa′łkiᵢ. qake′ᵢne·: "tseᵢka′tkeᵢł hunʼιpι′łne· e·′ka." ta′x̣as.

31. The Two Tsa′kap^[1]

Qaosaqa′ₐne· tsa′kaps asma′łne· ałιtskι′łʼe·s. qak.ła′pse·: "maₐts ałqa′nam."^[2] qałwi′yne· neᵢ: "ho′yas neᵢ hułqa′nam." ts!ιna′x̣e·. qa·na′x̣e·. qaₐwιtsq!nu′se· aₐʽkιts!ła′e·ns ta′k!ats. mι′tx̣ₐne·, qaₐłak!o′ᵤne·. tsukᵘa′te· nυpι′k!as a′ₐʽk!e·s. mι′tx̣ₐne·. nʼιsk!o′ᵤne·. nʼipι′łne·. nʼιtskι′łne· sakq!nu′kse· qa′hₐłin qayaₐqa′wos łoᵤkwι′n·e aₐʽkoqła′ʼnt!e·s. ts!ιna′qne: qaox̣a′x̣e· k!ułe·etnana′se· to′hołs. nʼonoq!oyata′pse·.

Qaosaqaₐ′ne· ałιtskι′łʼe·s. ło′ᵤne· tsa′kaps. qałwi′yne· neᵢ pa′łkeᵢ: "qa′psin kseᵢ′ł·o· tsa′kaps?" ts!ιna′x̣e· neᵢ pa′łkeᵢ neᵢs aₐʽko′q!noᵤks. tseᵢka′te· aₐʽkuqłₐwu′t!e·s. nakunkι′n·e·. nʼυpkaqu′x̣ₐne· to′hołs. tsι′k!qₐne·. tsx̣a′ne· tsa′kaps. qake′ᵢne·: "tsιk!kι′ne·nʼ." ta′x̣as tsι′k!qₐne· tsι′k!qₐne· aₐ′ʽkwums. nʼukᵤnox̣a′mne· tsa′kaps. łats!ιnakιkma′łne· ałιtskι′łe·s tsa′kaps aₐʽkιt.ła′e·s. qak.ła′pse·: "maₐts neᵢ qa′nam." qałwi′yne·: "hułts!ι′nam." ts!ιna′x̣e·. swιtsq!nu′se· ta′k!ats. mι′tx̣ₐne·. qałak!o′ᵤne·. tsukᵘa′te· nυpk!aka′e·s. mι′tx̣ₐne·. nʼιsk!o′ᵤne·. nʼιtskι′łne· aₐ′k!e·s. qa·na′x̣e·. snit.łanamι′sne·. tιnax̣a′mne·. snakna′kse· pa′łkiᵢs. qak.ła′pse·: "qa′psin." qakι′łne·: "husłitskι′łne· kaₐk!." qak.ła′pse·: "hułts!ιnax̣a′ła hułha‵wιskax̣uktsia′ła." qak.ła′pse·: "ho′ya." qakι′łne.: "ho′pak nι′nko." nʼιsakmu′n·e·. qakι′łne·: "ho′pak nι′nko." qak.ła′pse·: "nι′nko ho′pak." ta′x̣as nawιskax̣o′ᵤktsek tsa′kaps. qaomitse′ᵢse·. ła.unax̣a′mne· tsa′kaps. qakι′łne· neᵢs pa′łkeᵢs:. "ła·ts nι′nko nawιskax̣o′ᵤktsek." nʼomitse′ᵢse·. nʼι′pᵢne· neᵢ pa′łkeᵢ łats!ιna′x̣e· tsa′kaps. łałax̣a′x̣e· aₐʽkιt.ła′e·s.

Qak.ła′pse· ałιtskι′łʼe·s: "maₐts at na słqa′nam." ts!ιna′x̣e·. nʼu′px̣ₐne· nυpι′k!a·s. słιtski′łse· sι′n·as. yunaqa′pse· aₐʽqłsma′kᵢnιk! nυpι′k!as. qake′ᵢne·: "hułtsu′kᵘat sι′n·a." nʼipiłι′sᵢne·, tsukᵘa′te·. łats!ιna′x̣e·. mιtyax̣na′pse· tsa′kaps. qak.ła′pse·: "pιskι′nenʼ, ka′min nʼι′n·e·. hιnsłʼayniła′pin." qake′ᵢne·: "maₐts ka′min nʼι′n·e." łałax̣a′x̣e· aₐʽkιt.ła′e·s. qakι′łne· ałιtskι′łʼe·s: "ke′łoᵤʼs katitunała′e·s.?" qak.ła′pse·: "ło′ᵤse·." qałwi′yne·: "ła′kakati′tu." kanmi′yιt.s qakι′łne· ałιtskι′łʼe·s: "słutske′ᵢne·.

"Cook me." The woman said: | "Bring wood." He gathered wood. Then she made | a pit (it was a pit for cooking). The woman pulled out grass. | She took stones. She took wood. Then the Giant lay down. | Then soil was taken. The woman threw it on top. || She set fire to it. Then the Giant said: "Iskuku′, iskuku′, " Then the Giant spoke no more. Then he was dead. The woman | started to go back. She said: "Look! I killed the Giant." Enough. |

31. The Two Tsa′kap

There were two Tsa′kap, brother and sister. (The brother) was told: | "Don't go there!" He thought: "I will go there." || He started. He went along. There was a squirrel sitting on a tree. | He shot at it. He did not hit it. He took his manitou arrow and shot | and hit it. He killed it. He watched. There was a lake. Just | in the middle he took off his clothing. He swam. | A little ways out in the water there was a charr. It swallowed him. ||

There was his sister. The Tsa′kap had disappeared. That woman thought: | "Why is there no Tsa′kap?" The woman started to | the lake. She looked at the fish-line. She pulled it up. | She pulled the charr out of the water. She cut it open. The Tsa′kap spoke (inside). He said: | "Split it." Then she split it. She split the belly. || The Tsa′kap arose. They two, the Tsa′kap brother and sister, went back together | to their tent. She said to him: "Don't go there." He thought: | "I will go." He went. There was a squirrel on a tree. He shot at it. | He did not hit it. He took his manitou arrow and shot. He hit it. | He looked for his arrow. He went along. There was a tent. He entered. || A woman was sitting there. She said to him: "What is it?" He said to her: "I am | looking for my arrow." She said to him: "Let us go! We'll go swinging." | He said to her: "Well." She said to him: "You first." | He sat down. He said to her: "You first." She said to him: "You | first." Then the Tsa′kap swung. (The rope) did not break. || The Tsa′kap went down again. He said to that woman: "Now you | swing!" (The rope) broke, and the woman was dead. | The Tsa′kap went on and arrived at his tent. |

He was told by his sister: "Don't go that way." He started. | He saw a manitou looking for beaver. There were many || manitou people. He said: "Let me take a beaver." He killed it. | He took it. He started back. The Tsa′kap was pursued. He was told: | "Put it down, it belongs to me; you stole it from me." He said: "No; | it is mine." He went home to his tent. He said to his sister: | "Have we no father?" She said to him: "No." He thought: || "Oh, if I had a father!" On the following day he said

1. Chamberlain translates this word by "ghost." My informant did not know the word.
2. Throughout this story the forms used by a man talking to his sister, and vice versa, are used.