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Tlingit Conversation #62b
Yeah.
Speakers are Shak’sháani Margaret Dutson and G̱unaakʼw Fred White. Recorded April 20, 2011 in Juneau, AK, by Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff.
This material is based on work supported by National Science Foundation grant 0853788 to the University of Alaska Southeast with Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff as Principal Investigator, and by National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship 266286-19 to Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or National Endowment for the Humanities.
Tlingit transcription by Naakil.aan Mark Hans Chester. English translation by Shak’sháani Margaret Dutson with Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff. Edited by Naakil.aan Mark Hans Chester and by X̱ʼaagi Sháawu Keri Eggleston.
SYMBOLS: {false start}. (added for clarity). [translator/transcriber's note]. ??? = can’t understand. «Lingít quotation marks» . [Time-aligned text for this video was accomplished using ELAN ((Versions 6.0 (2020), 6.1 (2021), and 6.3 (2022) [Computer software]. Nijmegen: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Language Archive. Retrieved from https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan]
Wé Assembly of God church-t yóo igútgun.
You used to go to the Assembly of God church.
Aaá.
Yes.
I sée ḵa i yéet
Your daughter and your son
has du een wé Juneau-Douglas High School-t yóo x̱waagút
I went to Juneau-Douglas High School with them
1972 áwé aatx̱.
From 1972.
Ax̱ séek' áwé du een áa yéi iya-
With my daughter, you wen-
Yeah, your daughter.
Sherry.
Mhmh.
Sherry Osborne.
She was a cutie.
I was, uh, 1972,
Yeah, you
High school
graduated with her?
in ʼ72.
She got a grant to go away to college. She went 7 years.
Haaw.
Well.
OK.
Wáa sáyá gax̱toosgéet, i toowóoch?
What are we going to do, you think?
Háa yáat'át áyá tsu {ka}
This thing again
Is this yours?
Tsu kagax̱tulaséiḵ'w.
We're going to color again.
A kát x̱at seiwa.x'áḵw kax̱wlis'ég̱u aa.
I forgot the one I colored.
X̱áach ḵu.aa gé kanḵa.áaḵw kax̱wlaséiḵ'u?
Maybe I should try coloring?
Wa.éich.
You do it.
Wáa {s} yáa,
How,
Ch'u shóogu yáat'aa yáx̱ kalaséḵ'w.
Color it the same as this one.
S'agwáat yáx̱.
Brown.
S'agwáat yáx̱.
Brown.
Yá x̱áat ḵu.aa awusháadi, aa wé x̱'aan yáx̱.
The fish though that it caught, (color it) red.
OK.
S'agwáat yáx̱ kakḵwalaséiḵ'w, yáa,
I'll color it brown, this,
yá xóots.
this grizzly.
K'idéin!
Do it well!
Hél ch'a koogéiyi.
Not just any old way.
Dei ch'áakw áyá hél {s} kux̱wlas-
It's been a long time since I've color-
Aaá, ch'áakw áwé. Ax̱ dachx̱ánk'i ax̱latin nuch kalséḵ'w.
Yes, a long time. I always watch my grandchild color.
Aaá.
Yes.
A shóo g̱anúkwch.
He sits and does it.
I dachx̱ánk'?
Your grandchild?
Ahah, daax'oon du katáagux̱ sitee. Aaá.
Yes, he's 4 years old. Yes.
Hú áwé kals'éḵ'w ashigóok.
He's the one who knows how to color.
Du jeetx̱ áwé yéi neeshagúk.
You're learning it from him.
Ahah, [??? x̱latínni]
Yes, [when I watch him ???]
há, yéi áyá du ée x̱wlitóow.
that's how I tlearned it. ???
Yeedát áyá s
Right now
yáa
this
next month áwé, am,
next month, um,
kindergarten tóonáx̱ yakg̱wagóot.
he's going to finish kindergarten.
Graduation du jeeyís yéi gax̱dusnéi.
They're going to give him a graduation.
Ḵúnáx̱.
Really.
Tle gown naa yéi kg̱wa.óo ḵa wé s'áaxw.
He's going to wear a gown and cap.
Ooo.
Ooh.
Ḵúnáx̱ kéi gux̱sagóo!
It's going to be really fun.
Aaá, kéi ḵ'agax̱sagóo! Yá x̱'aan yáx̱ ákwé?
Yes, it's going to be fun! This one, red?
X̱'aan yáx̱ yateeyi wé
The red
Wé x̱áat.
The salmon.
Aaá.
Yes.
Awusháadi yisikóo.
You know, he caught it.
X̱'áakw yáx̱ áyá kakḵwalaséiḵ'w.
I'm going to color it like a freshwater sockeye (red).
Mmm.
Yes.
Tle a koowú.
Just the tail.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
X̱á, ḵúnáx̱ áyá x̱at yasátkw.
Well, I'm really fast.
Aaá.
Yes.
Wa.éich aa kana.áaḵw.
You try one.
K'é,
Hmm,
k'é yá kanat'á yáx̱
purple [like blueberries]
kakḵwalaséiḵ'w,
I'm going to color it,
x̱áach. Wé xóots.
me. That grizzly.
Xóots.
Grizzly.
K'idéin kax̱las'éiḵ'w.
I'm coloring it well.
Ḵúnáx̱ áwé ishigóok
You really know how
kalséḵ'w.
to color.
Kalséḵ'w. Gunalchéesh.
Coloring. Thanks.
Haa, yáax', haa ḵudzitee ágé {yeedát} yeedát i dachx̱ánk'?
Is your grandchild living here?
Ax̱ dachx̱ánx'iyán ḵudzitee, x̱á.
I have grandchildren.
Sherry aayí?
Sherry's?
Ixkéex' yéi has yatee.
They live down south.
Haaw.
Oh.
Samamish-x' yéi s yatee.
They live in Samamish.
Du x̱úx̱ woonaa.
Her husband died.
Oh.
Dleit ḵáa
A white man
California-dáx̱ áwé.
from California.
Ash woosháayin.
He married her.
Mhm.
Yes.
Áwé yeedát
Now
nás'k táakw shuwuxeex aag̱áa woonaawu yé.
it's been 3 years since he died.
{há}
{aáa ah}
Yóox' áwé yéi yee téeyin wé Thane Road shú.
You guys used to live out there at the end of Thane Road.
Wé Thane Road a shóox' áwé yéi yee téeyin.
You guys used to live at the end of Thane Road.
Oh, yeah ???
???
Yeedát ḵu.aa
Right now though
wé X'áat' T'áak.
Douglas.
Wé highway-x' tsú.
On the highway too.
Hít wutusa.oowún.
We used to have a house.
Mm.
Oh.
Yeedát ḵu.aa
Now though
wé airport x̱án áwé áa yéi x̱at yatee.
I live near the airport.
Ah, haa hídi yan wutuwaḵéi de.
Uh, we paid off our house.
Ḵúnáx̱ x̱'awsigóo.
I was really happy.
X̱'aan yáx̱ kakḵwalaséiḵ'w yáat.
I'm going to color this red.
Shé yáx̱
Like blood
???
???
yá x̱áat.
this salmon.
Awusháadi x̱áat.
The salmon he caught.
Áyáx̱ áwé tle shé yáx̱ áwé duwatéen.
That's right, it looks like blood.
Aaá.
Yes.
Du shaayí yáx̱ yatee tle altín. Haaw.
His head is like that, see. Oh.
X̱áach {a} kakḵwa.áaḵw wé xóots wé
Me, I'm going to try that grizzly
{wáa sáyá kawdudlis wáa kals} T'óoch' yáx̱? T'óoch' yáx̱ {k}
like charcoal. Black.
Aaá. T'óoch' yáx̱ áyá kakḵwa.áaḵw yáat'aa áyá.
Yes. I'll try black for this one.
S'eekx̱ áyá gux̱satée kax̱las'éig̱u t'óoch' yáx̱.
It's going to be a black bear when I color it black.
{Why, wé, wé, ix̱wsa} Ix̱wsakoowú yáa i een kax̱anéek.
I'm telling you that I knew you.
Wé Johnson home-x' yéi x̱at wootee yéi {x̱a um,}
I lived at the Johnson home
11 years old x̱at sateeyí.
when I was 11 years old.
Aatx̱ áwé ix̱wsikóo.
That's where I knew you from.
Wé
The
Assembly of God church-x' yóo too.átgin. Mmm.
Assembly of God church we used to go to. Yes.
Aatx̱ áwé ix̱wsikóo.
That's where I knew you from.
Ch'áakw.
Long ago.
A ítx̱ áwé am, ax̱ léelk'w, Yaakwdáatdáx̱ yáat wudlitsóow.
After that um, my grandmother moved here from Yakutat.
Hú tsú át yóo gútgun wé Assembly of God church.
She used to go to the Assembly of God church too.
Wáa sá duwasáakw?
What is her name?
Jenny White.
Oh.
Ḵúnáx̱
Really
wootsaag̱áa téen áwé át nagútjin.
she used to walk around with a cane.
Ahah.
Yeah.
Ḵúnáx̱ i ée wdudlitóow Dikée Aanḵáawu daat át.
They really taught you about God.
Aaá.
Yes.
Hél gé Assembly of God-x̱ eegoot yeedát?
Don't you go to Assembly of God now?
Tlél, tlél áx̱ x̱wagoot yeedát.
I don't go there now.
Ch'as wé
Just
wé tléix' wéit la.aa áwé áx',
the one that sits over there,
kax̱waa.aaḵw.
I tried.
Daaḵw.aasá?
Which one?
Wé Northern Lights.
The Northern Lights.
Oo.
Oh.
Áx' áwé kax̱waa.aaḵw wé at shí, Oo.
I tried singing there, Oh.
áwé Lingít x̱'éináx̱ has at sheeyí.
they sing in Tlingit.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Áx' aadé x̱at wuduwa.éex'.
They invited me there.
Áwé Folk Festival-x' áwés
At that Folk Festival
at wutuwashée.
we sang.
{i} I shát gé?
Your wife?
Yaakwdáatx' yéi yatee, yáax'?
Does she live in Yakutat or here?
Tléik'. Yáax' yéi yatee ax̱ shát.
No. My wife lives here.
Hú ḵu.aa,
Her though,
Alabama, ixkéedáx̱ áwé {ya}
she's from Alabama, down south
Dleit shaawát áwé x̱waasháa. Ixkéedax̱ dleit shaawát.
I married a white lady. A lady from down south.
Mhm.
Yes.
Shéix̱'w yáx̱ {kakḵwasax}
Orange [like red alder]
kakḵwalaséiḵ'w wé x̱áat.
I'm going to color the salmon.
Ḵúnáx̱ dleit shaawát áwé x̱waasháa.
I really married a white woman.
Yaakwdáatx' ḵu.aa ax̱ een yéi wootee dei
She lived in Yakutat with me
jinkaat ḵa daax'oon táaku yáx̱.
for about 14 years.
Oo. Ahah.
Oh. Uhuh.
Yú hél Assembly of God
Not that Assembly of God
yéi too.átk yeedát.
we don't go there any more.
Ch'u gé áx̱ yigóot wa.é?
Do you still go there?
De ch'áakw aax̱ wutudlitsóow.
We left there long ago.
Oh.
Tléix' áwé aa uyéx̱.
One more.
Tléix'.
One.
Tléik', déix̱. Haaw, déix̱.
No, 2. Oh, 2.
Yeah.
Haaw, wáa sá óosh kax̱wliséḵ'w?
Oh, I wonder how I should color it.
Lawúx̱.
Grey [baby seagull]
Lawúx̱. Wáa sá duwasáakw yáat'aa?
Grey. What do they call this one?
Lawúx̱.
Grey.
Lawúx̱.
Grey.
Haaw.
Oh.
Lawúx̱ yáx̱ áwé.
It's grey. [Baby seagull like it is.]
Yáa x̱áat ḵú ax̱ tuwáa sigóo
This salmon though, I want it
ch'u shóogu x̱'aan yáx̱ teeyí.
to be the same, red.
{du} Du shéiyi áwé x̱'aan yáx̱ yatee, yisikóo.
It's blood is red, you know.
Ldakát gé yisikóo wáa sá dutóowu?
Do you know how to count all of it?
Tléix', déix̱, nás'k.
1, 2, 3.
Tléix', déex̱, nás'k,
1, 2, 3,
daax'oon,
4,
keijín,
5,
tleidooshú.
6.
Aaá, yéi áwé yan akaawagéi yáat'át káx'.
Yes, this one is complete.
Katulas'éḵ'wx̱.
We're coloring it.
Likoodzí aadéi ??? Lingít yóo x̱'atángi.
Amazing the way you speak Tlingit,
{wé i dleit ḵáa iwush dleit ḵáa sh} dleit shaawát eeshaayí.
you being married to a white lady.
Hm, ax̱ um,
Hm, my um,
wé ax̱ dachx̱ánk' éex' x̱á tsú x̱latóow.
I'm teaching my grandchild also.
Daax'oon áwé du katáagu.
He's 4 years old.
Dleit ḵáak'w áwé wé ax̱ dachx̱ánk'.
My grandchild is white.
{lingít} Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo x̱'ayatánk.
He speaks Tlingit.
{i,} I dachx̱ánk' gé? Aaá.
Your grandchild? Yes.
{ax̱} Ax̱ sée, X̱at x̱'aya.áx̱ch.
My daughter, He understands me.
Likoodzí. Tle ax̱ ée
Amazing. Just my
ax̱ léelk'wch áwé x̱at wusiwát, yéi áwé
my grandparent raised me, that's the way
ax̱ een kei nawát wé ax̱ dachx̱ánk'.
he's growing up by me, my grandson.
Oo.
Ooh.
{tle,} Tle aadé x̱at uwawádi yáx̱.
Like the way I grew up.
Yóo tléix'.aa tsú {du} du léelk'w
The other one too, his grandparent
ḵúnáx̱ Yaakwdáatdáx̱.
really from Yakutat.
Haa een áa yóo uwa.át wé Lingít aa kdushxit yé.
He went there with us, the (classes for) writing the Tlingit language.
A kát x̱at seiwax'áḵw du saayí.
I forgot his name.
Ḵúnáx̱ Lingít yáx̱ du ée at wududlitóow.
They really taught him the Tlingit ways.
Du léelk'uch.
His grandfather.
Yées atk'áts'ku, gwál,
He's a young man, maybe
gwál yeisú
maybe still
hél tléiḵáa táakw áwé shuwulxíxch.
not even twenty years old.
Ḵúnáx̱ tuli.aan.
He's really kind.
Wé ḵáak'w ágé?
A boy?
Aaá.
Yes.
Héi eet kát shákdé áwé haa een uwagút yáa yagiyee.
Maybe he came with us to that other room today.
Hél yáat hú.
He's not here.
Anchorage,
Anchorage,
Anchorage-x' áwé,
Itʼs Anchorage
college áa yóo yagútk.
he goes to college there.
Áwé shaatk' ákwé?
Was it a girl?
Ḵáa.
A male.
Ḵáa. Hmh.
A male. Hmh.
Du léelk'w ḵúnáx̱ Lingít
His grandpa really
yinaanáx̱ áanáx̱ du ée at wulitóow.
taught him the Tlingit side.
Yaakwdáatdáx̱?
From Yakutat?
Aaá, Yaakwdáatdáx̱.
Yes, from Yakutat.
Kát x̱at seiwa.x'áwḵ du saayí.
I forgot his name.
Ḵúnáx̱ al'eix̱ s'aatí ya,
He could really dance,
Oh, wé Yaakwdáat teen has al'eix̱.
Oh, he dances with the Yakutat dancers.
Aaá.
Yes.
Oh, yóot'aa áwé, Kai.
Oh, that one, Kai.
Kai?
Kai?
{yéi} Yéi kwlisáak'u {ḵáa} ḵáa áwé tall?
A thin guy, and tall?
Ahah.
Yes.
Ahah, Kai áwé yóo duwasáakw hú.
Yeah, Kai is his name.
Du léelk'w áwé ḵaa ée at latóow wé Yaakwdáat.
His grandpa is teaching in Yakutat.
Ḵa wé al'eix̱í.
And dancing.
Ḵúnáx̱,
Really,
ashigóok.
he knows how.
Mhm. Hú s ḵuyaawadlaaḵ wé am,
Yeah. He really beat everyone, that um,
Lingít oratory yéi wdusnee x̱á wé university-x'.
Tlingit oratory they did at the university.
Oo.
Oh.
Ḵuyaawadlaaḵ. Yeedát ḵu.aa yáa, yáa táakw aa
He beat everyone. Now though, the one this winter
du tláak'wch áwé
his aunt
Anchorage-x' ḵuyaawadlaaḵ
in Anchorage beat everyone
wé Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo x̱'atánk áwé.
speaking in Tlingit.
Ḵúnáx̱ sh tóo altóow yáax'.
He was really learning over here.
Mhm. Aadéi kdushxídi áwé áa yéi káx̱ aa yóo x̱waagút.
Yeah. I went through it (class), the way to write it (Tlingit).
Oh, wé University-t. K'idéin, aaá.
Oh, at the university. Really well, yes.
{k'idéin, k'} K'idéin x̱'ax̱aa.áx̱ch Lingít.
I can speak Tlingit well.
Am, ḵúnáx̱ áx' haa yawduwajee.
Um, they really punished us there.
Ahah.
Yes.
X'oondahéen sá kwshé x̱at shawduwax'úl'.
I don't know how many times they pulled my hair.
Yéi áwé wootee tsú ax̱ Ḵa x̱at yadut'ácht.
That's the way it was too And they slapped me.
ax̱ léelk'w wé
for my grandparent at
Sheldon Jackson's-x' áwé. {s}
at Sheldon Jackson.
3rd grade yáx̱ áwé át yóo uwagút.
He went as far as 3rd grade.
Oo.
Oh.
Yéi ax̱ een akanéek.
He told me about it.
Mm.
Yes.
Ách áwé tlax̱ yáa wé yáax', nineteen,
That's why, here in nineteen,
ch'u high school tóonáx̱ yóo x̱wagoodí, wé
when I was still going to high school, that
Sealaska jeeyís yéi jix̱waanéi wé shux'áanáx̱
I worked for Sealaska for the first time
wé kawdujixéedi x'úx'.
that book they wrote.
Áwé {kax̱w}
So
has du éet x̱wadishée, kawtushixít.
I helped them, we wrote the book. [”Haa Shuká”. Dauenhauer and Duenhauer. 1987. Seattle: U Washington Press. Juneau: Sealaska Heritage Foundation. p xiii.]
Ax̱ léelk'w has x̱'éidáx̱ tsú a káwu wé x'úx'.
My grandparentsʼ words too are in that book.
Oo.
Oh.
Wé tape recorder káa yéi wtusinee.
We put it on the tape recorder. [In conversation #20, Fred White and Nora Dauenhauer transcribe/translate a recording for a new volume.]
Ḵúnáx̱ yee likoodzí wé Sealaska.
You guys are amazing, Sealaska.
Mhm. Ahah.
Yeah. Uhuh.
De ch'áakw áyá {t-x̱áa yáa wé} yáa Lingít
For a long time, this Tlingit
ḵóo at litóowu
teaching
daax' yéi jix̱anéi.
I worked on it.
Ch'as wé x̱áat áwé x̱'aan yáx̱ kakg̱ilaséiḵ'w.
You're just going to color the salmon red.
Aaá.
Yes.
Yá du x̱áadi tsú x̱'aan yáx̱ kakḵwalaséiḵ'w, tle.
This fish of his, I'm going to color it red too, then.
Tle x̱'áakw yáx̱ áwé {duwa} duwatéen.
It looks just like a freshwater sockeye.
Aaá.
Yes.
Yaakwdáatx' a shís'ḵ áwé toox̱áa nooch wé x̱'áakw.
In Yakutat we always eat it raw, the freshwater sockeye.
Oo.
Oh.
Ḵúnáx̱ aadé ax̱ tuwatee, Yaakwdáatde.
I really want to go to Yakutat.
Ḵutaanx' áwé sigóo.
In the summer it's fun.
Ax̱ tuwáa s Shákw tsú ldakát yéix' kanat'éich áx'. Oooo.
I want to The strawberries grow all over there. Ooh.
Aadé ax̱ tuwatee.
I want to go there.
Wéi, wéit'aa een shákdé.
Maybe with her. [Alice Taff]
{du yéi l kḵwal s} Du ée sh kḵwadahóon.
I'm going to sell myself to her.
{ku} Dé x̱áa {aa} tléix'dahéen aadéi ḵuwateenín
She was there once
yáa táakw.
this year.
Oo.
Oh.
Tsu shákdé aadéi ḵukg̱watéen.
Maybe she'll go there again.
Wa.é gé?
You?
I donʼt know.
I mean, hél x̱wasakú.
I mean, I don't know.
Yéi.
Thus.
Hél du tuwáa ushgú ax̱ x̱ánaach
My husband doesn't want me to
du náḵ ḵux̱wateení.
leave him behind.
Ch'a ax̱ tuwáa ḵ'asigóo át ḵuwateení.
I just really love traveling.
Wé shúx'aa i x̱ánaa ákwé woonaa ákwé de ch'áakw?
Did your first husband die long ago?
Ch'áakw, 2004.
Long ago, 2004.
X̱wsakóowun.
I knew him.
Ahah.
Yes.
Hél, Musician.
Not, (He was a) musician.
Ahah.
Yes.
Ḵúnáx̱ ax̱ sh Hél ulgéiyi ḵáak'w áwé i x̱úx̱.
Really my He wasn't a big man, your husband.
Ḵúnáx̱ yaa ḵoosgéiyin.
He was very intelligent.
Ldakát uháan áwé high school tóonáx̱ haa yakaawajél.
He put all of us through high school. [All 5. Marge and the 4 kids.]
Wa.é tsú ch'u college-t yóo iyagútk?
Are you still going to college?
Me?
Tléik', dei Wé Lingít x̱'éináx̱ kashxeet sákw ágé? Yeah
No. For writing Tlingit?
Am, business college tóonáx̱ yax̱waagút.
Um, I finished business college.
Ḵa,
And
Bible school-dé tsú ḵux̱waateen Portland, Oregon.
I went to Bible school too in Portland, Oregon.
Oo.
Oh.
Yáax' áwé
And right here
Southeast
University, áa yóo x̱waagút.
University, I went to it.
Tle ḵúnáx̱
Really
89 credits yan shax̱lahéek áwé ḵut has aawag̱éex'.
I completed 89 credits and they lost them.
Há, likoodzí.
Huh, amazing.
Dei ??? [sh x̱wadlis'ées' ???]
???
X̱át ḵu.aa,
As for me,
ḵutaanx' áwé asg̱eiwú yéi daax̱anéi Yaakwdáatx'.
I fish in the summer in Yakutat.
Daa sá?
What?
Asg̱eiwú.
Fishing (with a net).
Ooo.
Ooh.
Ldakát á Ḵúnáx̱ ḵ'asigóo yóo kdunéek.
All They say that's really fun.
Mhm. A tóonáx̱ áwé kéi x̱at uwawát wé asg̱eiwú.
Yeah. I grew up fishing.
Ax̱ léelk'w asg̱eiwú ḵa
My grandfather fished and
ax̱ éesh, ax̱ tláa.
my dad, my mother.
Ldakát has awudzig̱eiwú.
They all seined.
X̱át tsú.
Me too.
Yeedát ḵu.aa áwés wé ax̱ ah,
But now my uh,
áwé ax̱ sée, du,
my daughter, her,
du x̱úx̱.
her husband.
Du x̱úx̱ch áwé akg̱wasgeiwú wé,
Her husband is going to fish with my,
wé ax̱ license, x̱á.
with my license, see.
Ahah.
Yes.
Yáax' áwés yéi jix̱ané.
I work here.
Déix̱ táakw áyá yáat x̱wadlitsóow Yaakwdáatdáx̱.
I moved here 2 years ago from Yakutat.
Daa sá yéi daa.eenéi yeedát?
What do you do now?
Wé Goldbet {her} jeeyís áwé yéi jix̱ané.
I work for Goldbelt (Heritage).
Ooo.
Ooh.
Wuháanch kawtushixídi át áwé.
We wrote that.
Yóot'aa,
That one,
Neely Ann Perasich gé yiskóo?
do you know Neely Ann Perasich?
Mhm.
Yes.
Ax̱ dachx̱ánk'.
My little granddaughter.
Oo.
Oh.
Ax̱ shátx̱ du {s} dachx̱ánk' áwé.
She's really my older sister's granddaughter.
Ax̱ yáa áyá has x̱'awdliyóo ax̱ shátx̱ nané.
They just started calling me (Grandma) after my older sister died.
Mhm.
Yes.
Tle has du léelk'w yáx̱.
Just like their grandmother.
X̱át tsú tléináx̱ áyá x̱at ḵoowatee dé.
Me too, I'm all alone now.
{ch'a} Ch'a aadóo sá
Whoever
de ax̱ náḵ áyá, {yaa}
leaves me now,
yaa ḵushunaxíx x̱áa Yaakwdáatx'.
people are dying off in Yakutat.
Yáax' áyá ḵushuwaxíx.
Here people are dying off.
Ch'as tléináx̱ x̱át áyá {l} déi
I'm just alone here now
Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo x̱'ax̱aatánk de Yaakwdáatdáx̱ x̱á.
speaking Tlingit from Yakutat.
Likoodzí.
Amazing.
Ch'as nás'k shákdé wé yatee Yaakwdáat, am,
There's just maybe three in Yakutat, um,
wudisháni ḵu.oo x̱áa,
elders, see,
Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo has x̱'atángi.
that speak Tlingit.
X̱át ḵu.aa ax̱ family, dei Yaakwdáat ch'a yaa shunaxíx ch'as yáa
Me though, my family, now they're running out in Yakutat, just
ax̱ shát ḵa yáa ax̱ yátx'i áyá
my wife and my children
{ax̱} ax̱ een ḵú s ḵudzitee. Aa, x̱at tsú.
are living with me. Yeah, me too.
Ách áwé ax̱ dachx̱ánk'
That's why my grandchild
tlax̱ áyá ax̱ een
so much with me
áwé dei x̱ánx' yéi yatee.
is staying.
Tléináx̱ has ji.een sh idzinéex̱. Mhm
You saved yourself alone with him. Yes.
Tléináx̱ áyá x̱at yatee {has du} has du jeeyís tsú.
I'm alone with them too.
Ahah.
Yes.
Ḵúnáx̱, Yéi áwé x̱at yatee, x̱át tsú tléináx̱ has du een.
Really, That's the way it is with me too, I'm alone with mine.
Sh x̱wadzinéex̱ ax̱
I saved myself [stayed alive] my
ax̱ shátx̱ du yátx'i
my older sister's children
ḵa du,
and her,
ḵa du yátx'i keijínináx̱ wootee ax̱ shátx̱.
and she had 5 children, my older sister.
Wow.
Yéi áwé, Tle ldakát wé du yátx'i áwé, «Léelk'w,» yóo x̱á has x̱'alyóo.
That's the way, All of her children call me “Grandma”.
Ách áwé ax̱ léelk'w tsú am,
That's why my grandfather too, um,
ldakát du káak
all his uncles
hás saax'ú áwé {ldakát}
their names,
ax̱ léelk'w ldakát du daat.
my grandfather, all of his business.
Ḵaa shuwaxíx ách áwé
People are all gone, that's why
wé ḵáa aayí has du saax'ú,
the men's names,
ldakát ax̱ jeet akaawajél. Oh my.
he gave them all to me.
Ách áyá {át}
That's why
a tóonáx̱ shákdé yáa, ch'u ḵux̱sitee, x̱á.
maybe because of it, I'm still here, see.
Aadéi Lingít
How Tlingit
tundatáani litseeni yé.
thinking is powerful.
Yéi áwé {ax̱ toowú} ax̱ toowóox' yatee.
That's the way I feel.
Likoodzí gwá?
Amazing, huh?
Mhm.
Yes.
Ax̱ yáa ḵut ganeech,
I get amazed,
wé yées yáx̱ yateeyi ḵu.oo,
(at) the young people (new generation),
aadéi
the way
k'idéin yaa s anaskwén yé
they're learning so well
Yeah. {has} haa yóo x̱'atángi.
our language.
Tle ḵúnáx̱ du ée kḵwalatóow ax̱ dachx̱ánk', ḵúnáx̱ du tuwáa sigóo.
I'm really going to teach my granddaughter, she sure wants it (to learn).
Neely Anne.
Mhm.
Yes.
Ahah.
Yes.
Ḵínyóogweik yóo {s s s} shákdé duwasáakw Lingít x̱'éináx̱.
Ḵínyóogweik I think is her Tlingit name.
Ḵúnáx̱ yaa ḵudzigéi.
She's really smart.
Master's degree yeisú ḵúx̱de ḵugux̱datéen.
She's going back to get a Master's Degree.
Portland, Oregon.
Wé Lingít du ée x̱latóowu ax̱ dachx̱ánk'.
I'm teaching my grandson Tlingit.
X̱áwé ldakát át áwé uh, hél du jee uldzée dleit ḵáa x̱'éináx̱.
Everything, he doesn't have a hard time with English.
Tle ax̱ een tsú asg̱eiwú.
He fishes with me too.
You know, ax̱ x̱ánx' yéi teeyí ldakát át áwé ax̱ een yéi daané.
You know, when he's with me, he does everything with me.
Hél yoo x̱wajee
I didn't expect
ch'as, you know, {hél, hél ḵáakwt wus}
just, you know,
{hél ḵáakwt kéi oosgít}
{he doesn't mess up}
hél ḵáakwt
he doesn't
yéi adaané x̱á.
make mistakes.
Ch'a wáa sá ax̱ éex̱ dashee.
He helps me a lot.
Ahah.
Yes.
Tle ldakát át áwé yéi adaané ách áwé
He does everything, that's why
daa sá
what
dleit ḵáa x̱'éináx̱ yéi adaaneiyí, áwé dleit ḵáa
he's doing in English, in English
tóonáx̱ yéi adaaneiyí hél wáa sá utí tle ḵúnáx̱ kéi {ashi} ashigóok.
whatever he does, it doesn't matter, he really knows what he is doing.
Ḵaa yáa ḵut woonee aadé,
He surprises everyone, the way,
Déix̱ yeekaadé yéi ash,
Both ways he,
Aaá.
Yes.
Yéi anashgóok. Wé Lingít áwé wuskoowúch gwá, shákdé wé.
He's learning how. Because he knows Tlingit maybe.
Áwé déix̱ yeekaadé at wuskoowúch shákdé wé.
He knows both ways, maybe that's why.
Yáa
This
shux'áa
in the beginning
college yóo x̱aagóot
when I went to college
yá Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo x̱'atánk
this Tlingit language
ḵa dleit ḵáa aayí
and the English one
hél tsú yan x̱at wookéet'.
didn't cause me a problem.
Tle
Just
ixkéede ḵux̱waatín.
I went down south.
Ax̱ shá, ax̱ shá tlákw yanéekw.
My head, my head always hurt.
A kawdujixít.
They x-rayed it.
Áwé du ??? wé
??? the
doctor.
«Ḵúnáx̱
“Really
ax̱ yáa ḵut woonée.
I am shocked.
Yées ḵáa
A young person's
tlag̱eiyí i jeewú.»
brain you have.”
{wé} Yá Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yóo x̱'atánk ḵa
This Tlingit language and
dleit ḵáa aayí
the English one
ách gíwé k'idéin
maybe that's why
yaa nax̱sakwein yagéiyi át.
I'm learning a lot of things.
Mhm.
Yes.
Wé
The
{yóot'a}
yá dleit ḵáa yoo x̱'atángi áyá ax̱ tuwáa sagóowun ḵaa éex̱ latóowu.
I wanted to teach the English language.
Mhm.
Yes.
English.
High school English teacher sákw.
To be a high school English teacher.
Áwé {ḵutx̱ x̱at wud}
So
ḵut x̱at wudzigéet yeedát.
now I'm lost.
Mhm.
Yes.
Ách áyá ch'as yáat'át áyá yéi daax̱anéi.
That's why I'm working on this.
Mhm.
Yes.
Ách áwé tlax̱ yéi yaa indashán.
That's why you're living to be so old. [ShMD was born in 1925.]
Ahah.
Yes.
{ch'u déex̱ ya}
Ch'u déex̱ yisakoowú, yéi áwé,
Because you know both, that's the way,
yéi áwé x̱aatéen wé ax̱ dachx̱ánk'.
that's the way I see my grandson.
Ḵúnáx̱ kéi agux̱shagóok, x̱á.
He's really going to know how, see.
Ahah.
Yes.
Ách áwé, Kéi yaa ḵukg̱wasgéi.
That's why, He's going to be smart.
Kéi yaa ḵukg̱wasgéi.
He's going to be smart.
Haaw, gunalchéesh áyá yan yóo x̱'awtuwatán.
Thank you for our conversation.
Aaá.
Yes.