In Our Languages: Yurok
Wo-news-leg esee ‘Wah-pew
(Moon and his Wife)
Told by Georgiana Trull
Kue wo-news-leg ‘ee mok’w ‘wah-pew.
The moon had no wife.
Keech ‘o serh-ker-mery.
He was lonely.
‘O skey-wok ‘wah-pew kee ‘wo-‘oh.
He wanted a wife for himself.
Says, Kep’-el ‘o ‘oo-lem’ nue-mee mer-ger-mery we’-yo-no’.
(He) says, At Kep’el there are very beautiful girls.
Tue’ wee’-eeet ‘o so sloy-chok’w.
Then he went down there.
‘We-nahs-chey-wen ‘o hlom’ koo-ra’.
In the evening, he grabbed one (of the women)
Noo kem ‘e-mee wo skey-wok, kem ‘o no-wo-nem’.
He didn’t like her either, again he brought her.
Kem ko-leen ‘o hlom’.
Again he took another one.
Kem ‘o kwom-hlen’.
He returned her too.
Tue’ kem ko-leen ‘ee nue hlom’, keech ‘o mok’w kue wey’-yo-no’.
Again he went to take another, but there were no girls left.
Nee-kee-chyue keech ma hlee’, kem ‘e-mee wo skey-wok, kwe-see ‘o ney-wom’ wey’-yon.
He took them all but didn’t like them, and then he saw a girl.
Kue ‘o ket-‘uel’ weet ‘o chyuuek’-wen’.
She was sitting in the pond.
‘O rue-row’.
She sang.
‘Esee ‘o her-geekw-suer’-wer’y.
And she smiled.
Mos nue-mee noo-rew’, mos nue-mee noo-rew’.
She was not very beautiful, she was not very beautiful.
‘O gem’, Tue’ wee-‘eeet kee ney-ge-mek’.
He said, I’ll bring that one.
Kwe-see ‘o ney-gem’ kue wey’-yon.
And he brought the girl.
Kwe-see paa’ pey-yo-wok’w kue kol’ ‘woh kue wey’-yon.
No, that girl worked.
‘O sloyhl-ke-tom’ kue ‘o’-lehl, koy-poh keech hey-wehl ‘o pew.
And she swept the house, in the morning she got up and cooked.
Nue-mee-chyue soo kol’ hoh.
She worked in every way.
‘Esee ‘ee-ko’hl ‘wahkw-sek’, ‘ee-ko’hl ‘wahkw-sek’.
She was always laughing.
Tue’ wee-‘eeet, ‘o gem’, weet keet ‘nah-pew.
That one, he said, she will be my wife.
Tue’ weet ‘o kooych-kwom’.
He bought her.
‘Ema kooych-kwom’ kue ‘uep-sech ‘o nahch-puem’ kue ‘we-cheeek. Kooych-kwom’ kwe-see kue wey’-yon, kwe-see kue lo-chom’ wee’.
He bought her, he gave her father the money. He bought her, and that girl was the toad.
Tue’ weesh-tue’ ‘wah-pew wo-news-leg.
And that one was Moon’s wife.
Tue’ ‘o ‘oo-le’m kue ‘uueks, keech ‘o ‘oo-lem’ kue ‘uuek-soh.
And they had children, they had children.
Tue’ wee-‘eeet kue hoo-gech weesh-tue’ ‘uuek-soh.
The stars are their kids.
Tue’ mo-cho keech ‘o saa-we-leem’, kee-puen ‘o saa-we-leem’, eet says weet ‘o pel, rey-pee-chom’ kue ‘uuek-soh.
If they get cold, in winter they got cold, it says they fight, she spanks her kids.
Tue’ weet ‘o tey-to-lo-hlehl, tue’ weet keech ‘o ten, tue’ weet teen’ mehl ‘we-ten.
They cry and it rains, that’s why it rains.
Kue ‘uuek-soh rey-pee-chom’ tey-to-lo-hlem’.
She spanks her children and they cry.
And kue kee-shen mos ‘o nue-mee saa-we-leem’.
And in the summer they weren’t cold.
Tue’ weet ’em hlee ten.
So it doesn’t rain.
Moon and His Wife Story Audio:
http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~yurok/PublicRecordings/MP3/GT2/GT2.mp3
Moon and His Wife Story Youtube Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBQLILslG7w&feature=youtu.be
