Monday, September 13, 2010

A KARUK MYTH & "pikiavish"

Coyote went upriver long ago to bring back fire.
They had stolen the fire, the upriver people.
And people were all just freezing,when it was gone here, the fire.
“Let me bring it back, the fire.
“I know how I can retrieve it.”

The Karuk speaker, Julia Starritt, telling this story used these words, “pa ni (kupa—) p ûukeev ish” in the last line of the above. 

And he saw there were fires, there were forest fires, up in the mountains.
And he went in a house.
And he saw only children were there.

And he said:“Where are they?
“Where are the men?”
And the children said,"They’re hunting in the mountains.”

The men were using fire to drive game in the mountains, this seems to say...
 Whole story: http://wakinguponturtleisland.blogspot.com/2010/09/coyote-steals-fire-karuk-myth.html

No comments :