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Tlingit Conversation #66
-kwé dusáagun, sʼáaw?
-was it called, dungeness crab?
Speakers are Kaxwaan Éesh George Davis and Kinkawduneek Paul Marks, I. Recorded June 8, 2011 at the home of Kaxwaan Éesh George Davis in Juneau, Alaska, by Naakil.aan Hans Mark Chester and Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff. [This conversation is continued from #65.]
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 Shag̱aaw Éesh Devlin Anderstrom. English translation by Kaxwaan Éesh George Davis with Alice Taff. Edited by X̱ʼaagi Sháawu Keri Eggleston.
SYMBOLS: Brackets = {false start}, [translator/transcriber's note]. (added for clarity). ??? = canʼt understand. «quotation marks for Tlingit text». 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
Dei yaa ḵux̱wlig̱át.
I have forgotten it now.
Dungeness.
Dungeness.
Oh, sʼáaw. Aaá.
Oh, dungeness crab. Yes.
Wéit x̱á haa kʼéx̱ʼ nuch, x̱á.
They always gaff us there, you know.
Aaá.
Yes.
Héen táaxʼ.
In the water.
Ḵúnáx̱ clear sitee x̱á wé héen.
The water is real clear, see.
Chʼas shallowx̱ sitee x̱á.
It's shallow, you know.
Aaá.
Yes.
Yéi kg̱waatsʼáan.
It's shallow.
Mhm we see it x̱á on {wé} wé bottom káxʼ.
Mhm we see it, you know, on the bottom.
Yáaxʼ áhé haa hook-off sateeyín.
Right over here is where our hook-off used to be.
Ah, Jim Marks, Willie Marks,
David Williams
chʼa násʼk uháan áwé, adáx̱
just the three of us, from there
haa atsg̱eiwóon nuch x̱á.
that's where we seined, you see.
Woosh daséixʼán.
Taking turns.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Shallowx̱ sitee, x̱á.
Itʼs shallow, you know.
Yagéi ḵu.aa adáx̱ has naheen nooch x̱á,
But there are a lot that always swim from there, you know,
g̱aat.
sockeye.
Adáx̱ {wu} haa sháat nuch x̱á.
That's where we catch all our (sockeyes).
Chʼas
Just
g̱aat.
sockeye.
Aaá.
Yes.
Latseeni aa
Strong ones
x̱áat áhé.
fish those are.
Yáat áhé haa toosg̱eiwóon nooch x̱á.
This where we seine them, you know.
Ax̱ éesh,
My father,
yóodáx̱ haa naḵúx̱ nuch.
he used to come from there.
Wáa sá duwasáakw ʼblinkerʼ yéi dusáagun x̱á?
How do they call what they used to call ʼblinker,ʼ you know?
Chʼa yéi áwé x̱wsakoowún x̱á.
Thatʼs just the way that I remembered it, see.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Low tide-dáx̱,
From low tide,
adáx̱ has áa haa wusg̱eiwóon nooch.
from there we would always seine there.
Chʼa násʼk sets, gwál yé, gwál déix̱.
Just three sets, maybe so, maybe two.
Wáang̱aneens tléixʼ
Sometimes one
set {haa w} toolyéix̱ nuch x̱á.
set we always make, you know.
Adáx̱ áwé,
From there,
yáat {a i d} yóode haa naḵóox̱ nuch.
we would take off toward here.
Anchor
gwál four hours, five hours.
maybe four hours, five hours.
High tide-dáx̱ áhé, yáat haa toosg̱éiw nooch.
From high tide, we seine here.
Chʼáakw, yayáchʼ nooch x̱á haa coffee time yóo x̱á.
Long ago, it is always too short, our coffee time, thatʼs how it is you know.
Gwál,
Maybe,
Eleven oʼclock xáanaaxʼ áwé yax̱ tooḵoox̱.
We come in at 11:00 in the evening.
{kei chʼu aa}
Sixty skates áwé tle limit-x̱ nasteech.
Sixty skates is always the limit.
And uh,
eleven oʼclock áwé yax̱ tooḵoox̱.
we come in at eleven (stop for the night).
Two oʼclock áwé tsu shaax̱danookch.
At two oʼclock (in the morning) I get up again.
Tsʼootaat ḵaa x̱ʼeis at gax̱as.ee nuch.
In the morning I always cook for everyone to eat.
Mhm.
Oh.
Tle yéi kwshé wé {r}
Then thatʼs perhaps the way
ruin-x̱ x̱waliyéx̱ ax̱ health-i.
I ruined it, my health.
Mmm.
Oh.
Daa,
Cripes,
hél tsu two hours áwé x̱wateix̱. [At shooḵ]
I don't even sleep two hours. [Laughter]
Oh.
Shaax̱dagootch.
I jump right up (ready to go).
Tlél kʼidéin x̱wateen x̱á.
I don't see it too well, you know.
Yáat tsú cháatl haa sháat nuch x̱á.
We fish for halibut here too, see.
Pleasant Island, tsu Glacier Bay.
Pleasant Island, and Glacier Bay.
{wáa sá} Strawberry Island, yisakóowun gé?
Strawberry Island, did you know it?
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Yáat áhé
Right over here at
Strawberry Point.
Strawberry Island, it used to be here
tsú x̱á.
too, you know.
Yóo ayáx̱
Like that way
tusaxát nuch x̱á wé cháatl.
We always drag them around, you know, those halibut.
Yagéi {a káwu x̱} nooch x̱á.
Thereʼs always a lot, you know.
Medium size
haa nasháat nooch x̱á.
we always catch, you know.
Aaa.
Yes.
Gwál tléixʼ
Maybe one
yagiyee
day
gwál three thousand pounds.
maybe 3000 pounds.
Wé
The
Baranof shore áwé áa atoostʼeix̱.
shore of Baranof, we would set hooks there.
Ten thousand pounds a day áwé.
It was 10,000 pounds a day.
Wow.
{kei ktoos} Four, daaxʼoonínáx̱,
Four people
roller man-x̱ áwé x̱at nasteech.
I'm always the roller man.
Oh.
Woosh daséi yaa ktuda.átch.
We always take turns.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Roller man-dáx̱ áwé tle butcher.
From the roller man then is the butcher.
Aaá.
Yes.
X̱altlʼéiláḵw, adáx̱ áwé
I gut them, then from there
x̱alatʼíxʼ nuch tsú.
I always ice them, too.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Aax̱ áwé tle tsu
From there then again
baiter-x̱ x̱at nasteech.
I become a baiter.
X̱adanáḵwsʼ.
I bait hooks.
{it ju}
Race yáx̱ áwé yatee.
It's like racing.
Mhm.
Got to keep up with, with the winch. Ahah, ldakát át x̱á.
Uhuh, everything, see, uhuh.
Aax̱ áwé tle coiling.
From there, then itʼs coiling.
Winch.
Next set áwé tle tsu
On the next set, then again
roller man-x̱ x̱at nasteech.
I've become a rolller man.
Ax̱ húnx̱ tin áwé woosh daséi yaa ktuda.átch.
With my older brother, we take turns.
Oh, yáadu á, Point Adolphus.
Right here is Point Adolphus.
Oh, yeah.
Áa ax̱wdzig̱eiwú.
I seined there.
Yées atkʼátskʼu tlenx̱ x̱at sitee.
I was a teenager. [literally, ʼI was newly a large childʼ]
Atoox̱áa nuch.
We would row the boat.
Goosú wé x̱á, wé shaawdáx̱,
Where was that, you know, from the gumboots,
too.in nooch x̱á.
we used to pick them, you know.
Gwál yáat áhé.
Maybe it was here.
Shaaw a káwu x̱á.
There are gumboots on it (the beach), you know.
Á too.in nooch x̱á, yá éeḵdáx̱.
We pick them there, you know, from this beach.
Wéit, ah, yóo tliyaa,
There, uh, the other side,
Three Hill Island áwu, yáadu á x̱á.
Three Hill Island is there, itʼs here, you know.
Yisiteen ágé?
Did you see it?
Aaá, áwé áa atoosg̱eiwú nuch.
Yes, we always seine over there.
Aaá.
Yes.
Aa, laaḵʼásk áwu.
Ah, there is black seaweed there.
Yóo tliyaanax̱.áa.
On the other side.
Yóo tóode nagut nooch x̱á.
It always goes in there.
Aaá.
Yes.
Tlél héen a káwooxʼ nasteen nooch x̱á.
You don't see much water around here.
Aaá.
Yes.
Low tide-x̱ sitee.
Itʼs low tide.
Adáx̱ {haa wu}
From there,
took'ít nooch x̱á.
we pick there, you know.
Wé, ah, laaḵʼásk.
That, uh, black seaweed.
Tsu shaaw tsú.
Again gumboots too.
Yéi wulgeiyín x̱á.
There were a lot of them, you know.
Wé shaaw.
Those gumboots.
Éitskʼ, fresh haa sa.ee nooch x̱á ax̱ éesh.
Yum, he cooks them fresh, my father.
Tsoo dzigeidí yéi áwé gé duwasáakw?
Again *beaver is that how itʼs called?
Sʼigeidí.
Beaver.
Seagull.
Seagull?
Yeah.
Wáa sá duwasáakw Lingít x̱ʼéináx̱?
How is it called in Tlingit?
{sʼ} Sʼigeidí?
Beaver?
{hél} Hél x̱wasakú {a x̱}
I donʼt know it,
a x̱oo.aach «kéidladi», yóo
some people, ʼseagullʼ thus-
Kéidladi, yéi áwé.
Kéidladi, thatʼs the way.
Aaá.
Yes.
Kʼwátʼ.
Eggs.
Dax̱ {woo} ḵootkʼít (ḵutookʼít) nooch x̱á.
We used to gather them.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Marble Island.
Jé, yaa ḵux̱wl(ig̱át).
Darn, I have forgotten it.
{yéi tle chʼa}
{yaa x̱at nada}
Kʼidéin yaa x̱at nadasháni yáx̱ áwé eeti yáanáx̱ ldakát át kaadé yaa x̱at sanaxʼáḵw.
I am starting to forget things more than before as if I am getting really old.
Oh.
Ḵaa saaxʼú tsú yaa ḵux̱wlig̱át,
People's (Tlingit) names also I have forgotten,
ḵa yá áa atoosg̱eiwú nuch yé ḵa áa atoostʼeix̱ nuch yé.
and the places where we always seine and the places where we always set hooks.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Shayadihéini yé, a saaxʼú yaa ḵux̱wlig̱át.
Numerous places, their names I have forgotten.
Áwé ldakát x̱wasakóowun yées ḵáax̱ x̱at sateeyí ḵu.aa.
I used to know all of them when I was a young man, though.
Ax̱ húnx̱ hás x̱ʼéidáx̱ áwé x̱a.áx̱ch noojín.
I always used to hear them from my older brothersʼ mouths.
Aa, hás, hásch áwé ax̱ ée has at latéew noojín, {ax̱}
Yeah, them, they were the ones, they always used to teach me things,
ax̱ húnx̱ hás.
my older brothers.
Mhm.
Yes.
Ah, ax̱ éesh ḵwá chʼa atkʼátskʼux̱ x̱at sateeyí áwé woonaa.
Uh, my father though, he died when I was just a young child.
Hél ax̱ ée at ux̱litéewu ḵáa ḵoostí.
There wasnʼt anyone to teach me things.
Áyá,
So,
oldest brother áwé teacher-x̱ sitee, hú áwé ldakát át ax̱ ée altéew nuch.
(my) oldest brother is a (school) teacher, he's the one who teaches me everything.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Has aadé adustʼeix̱ nuch yé ḵa goo sáwé adustʼeix̱.
The way that people fish and where people fish.
Ḵa wáa
And how
yei naléini, shayadihéini yé {daaḵ as} daaḵ nadéini dustʼeix̱.
when the tide is going out, many places are fished when the tide is coming in.
Yeedát ḵwá tlél yéi at utí.
Now though, things arenʼt that way.
Ldakát yé áwé
Everywhere
tlax̱ áa kei at nadayáshḵ,
things are getting very scarce there,
{áa} chʼáakw áa atoostʼeix̱ nuch yé.
in the places where we would fish long ago.
Mhm.
Yes.
Hél daatx̱ sá yaa unastéen yeedát.
It is becoming nothing now.
Aaa.
Yes.
Wáa sá kḵwasáa ʼtake a breakʼ x̱á?
How am I going to say ʼtake a break,ʼ you know?
Gé? [Recording break]
[question particle]
Frederick Sound.
Oh, {ḵéi} Ḵéex̱ʼ neejí.
Oh, the shores of Kake.
{yéi} Yéi ákwé dusáakw gé?
Is that how it is called?
Aaá.
Yes.
Frederick Sound.
Kʼeeljáa áwé áa litseen.
The storm wind (southeast wind) is strong there.
Kʼeeljáa.
Storm wind.
X̱wasikóo wéitʼát.
I know that thing.
Woosh yanáade óoxjaa;
There are differents types of wind;
yánde át,
westerly,
Oh.
ḵa sáanáx̱, ayawdateeyí,
and southerly, when itʼs stormy,
áwé ḵúnáx̱ áa litseen.
it is very strong there (in the Kake area).
Oh.
Uh, Ḵéex̱ʼt ḵuyeeteení,
Uh, when you travel to Kake,
yá aas shakéet eelg̱ín.
look at the treetops.
South
they're all pointing to the north.
Yá
These
north yinaadé lukla.át a shakée.
toward the north the tops are all pointing. [Frequent strong southerly winds influence Kake treetops to grow toward the North.]
Oh.
Wé aas gé?
The trees?
Aas, aaá.
Trees, yes.
Ax̱,
My,
áwé kei x̱at wusiwádi,
well, the one that raised me,
ax̱ éesh,
my (step) father,
alʼóon ax̱ ée altéewu,
when he was teaching me to hunt,
«Chʼu l dáḵde neegútji xʼwán,
“Before you go up into the woods, be sure to
wé aas shakéet eelg̱ín.
look at the treetops.
Aadé lukla.at yé.
Which direction they are pointing.
Aaá, l yéi át aa yisateení ḵwá,
Yes, if you donʼt see something like that,
ḵut kei kg̱eegóot, a káx̱ áwé
you'll get lost, that is why
yakʼéi duskweix̱í.»
it is good to know this.”
Mhm.
Yes.
Yeedát ḵwá,
Now, though,
ldakát át áwé modern.
everything is turning modern.
Compass,
chʼáakw ḵwá hél yéi át ḵoostéeyin.
long ago, though, there was nothing like that.
Adáx̱ áwé tlél kʼidéin has du tundatáani isitee x̱á.
Because of that, they donʼt think well, you know.
Aaá.
Yes.
Tlél has asateen nuch x̱á.
They donʼt ever see it, you know.
Ah,
Uh,
bad weather haat yaa nagwéin x̱á.
bad weather is coming here in boats, you know.
{Ttél át} Tlél has wusikóo x̱á.
They donʼt know, see.
Chʼa ldakát át áwé áa
Everything there
hél
not
hél moose áa yéi utéeyin, Ḵéex̱ʼ, áa yéi x̱at teeyí.
there were no moose there, Kake, when I was there.
Aaá.
Yes.
Ḵa elks.
And elks.
Hél x̱wasakú a saayí.
I don't know the name.
Moose, gwál dzískʼw.
Moose, maybe moose.
Dzískʼw.
Moose.
Yéi áwé, dzískʼw.
That's it, moose.
Elk ḵwá, hél x̱wasakú a saayí.
Elk, though, I donʼt know its name.
L x̱wasakú x̱á.
I donʼt know it, you know.
Á tsú aadé wsidaaḵ, Ḵéex̱ʼ neejídei.
That also migrated toward there, to the shores of Kake.
Wé Canadian side-dáx̱.
From the Canadian side.
{át át} Át wusidáḵ.
They migrated there.
Tliyaatatgé,
The other day,
last week,
yá éeḵt woo.aat áxʼ.
they walked on the beach there.
Elk gé?
Elk?
Uh, moose.
Oh, dzískʼw.
Oh, moose.
Dzískʼw.
Moose.
Yá éeḵt woo.aat.
They walked on the beach.
Every year áwé aax̱ yaa shudutánch yeedát.
Every year it (moose season) gets opened now.
Kʼidéin kei ndax̱ít.
They are really multiplying well.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Uh, xʼoon sáwé wduwajáḵ last year, seventeen.
Uh, how many were killed last year, seventeen.
Something like that.
Seventeen dzískw. Wow.
Seventeen moose. Wow.
Tsoo Dundas Bay tsú áwu x̱á.
They're also in Dundas Bay too.
Dzískʼw.
Moose.
Aa, ḵaa x̱'éide x̱a.áx̱ch nuch.
Yeah, I hear people say that.
Wé iyasáayi yé.
The place that you named.
Mhm.
Yeah.
{wé tléix} Tlél Dundas Bay, aa,
Not Dundas Bay, ah,
wáa sá dusáa nuch? Am.
how do people call it? Um.
G̱uwakaan aaní yéeyi áwé Ḵéex̱ʼ.
It used to be deer country, Kake.
{yee} Yeedát áwé tsu áa kei ndax̱ít.
Now they are starting to multiply again.
Gustavus.
Isnʼt that Gustavis by Glacier,
Ahah.
Yes.
Yéi áwé.
That's it.
Moose
áwu x̱á.
are there, you know.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Ldakát át áwé a déini yéi yatee wé yé.
There are a lot of things in the vicinity of that place.
Flat country.
Hél, hél,
Not, not
hél shaa.
no mountains.
Yéi áwé yatee, wé
That's how it is, that
Ḵéex̱ʼ tsú.
Kake, too.
Déix̱ yatee a saayí,
There are two names for it,
Kake.
Ḵéex̱ʼ,
Kake,
ḵa L Oox̱éxʼx̱w Aan.
and The Village that Never Sleeps. [the village itself]
Mhm. Haaw, yéi x̱waa.áx̱ x̱á.
Mhm. Well, thatʼs how I heard it, you know.
Ax̱ yéet ax̱ een (a)kawlineek, x̱á.
My son told it to me, you know.
Chʼáakw áwé át, át at uwatée.
Long ago it (the name L Oox̱éxʼx̱w Aan) was put there. [The name was given to the place long ago.]
{pa}
Wáa sá dusáakw nuch potlatch?
How do you call it, potlatch?
Mhm.
Yeah.
Ḵu.éexʼ.
Potlatch.
Ḵu.éexʼ.
Potlatch.
{át át át uwa} Át uwatée.
It got that name.
{ax̱ ax̱ ée} Ax̱ éeshch áwé x̱aan aklaneek.
My father tells me about it.
{aadé}
Aadé l yaa ḵudushgéiyi yé yéeyi áwé a káx̱ áwé akawlineek.
The way that people used to not be smart is why he tells it.
Wáanáx̱ sáwé yéi wduwasáa, L Oox̱éxʼx̱w Aan.
The reason it was named that way, The Village that Never Sleeps.
Hm.
Yú át, x̱ʼaan tlen kát wuduwa.ák.
At that place, they built a big bonfire.
A daa ásíwé áa adulʼeix̱.
It seems that they were dancing there around the fire.
Hm.
Tle taat kaanáx̱.
Through the night.
Taat kaanáx̱ a daa adulʼeix̱.
Through the night they were dancing around it.
{hél} Without resting.
Wudzigeedi aa áwé tle
The one that falls, then,
woonaax̱ dujée nuch.
they thought they died.
Tle wé x̱ʼaan káx̱ dux̱ich nuch.
Then they throw them right on the bonfire.
Wow.
{aadé} Aadé l yaa ḵudushgéiyi yé yéeyi áwé.
Thatʼs how stupid people used to be.
A káx̱ áwé x̱aan akawlineek.
That's the reason why my step father told me this story.
Wow.
Ḵúnáx̱ li(dzée.)
Thatʼs very difficult.
Á ch áwé yéi wduwasáa,
That is why it was named thus,
{áa,oo} «Hél Áa Oox̱éxʼx̱w,» x̱á.
“Nobody Ever Sleeps there,” you see.
Mm.
Yeah.
«L Oox̱éxʼx̱w Aan' yóo wduwasáa.
“The Village that Never Sleeps” it was named.
Ḵéex̱ʼ.
Kake.
Lingít saayí áwé Kake.
That is a Tlingit word, Kake.
Angoon tsú, Aangóon.
Angoon too, Angoon.
Xunaa.
Hoonah.
Ḵa Sheetʼká, Sitka.
And Sitka, Sitka.
Klawock,
Lawáak.
Klawock.
Craig ḵwá Sháan Séet, yéi áwé {yaa} dusáakw noojín.
Craig, though, Sháan Séet, thatʼs how it used to be called.
Sháan Séet.
Craig.
Wrangell
ḵwá «Ḵaachx̱an.áakʼw».
though is ʼLittle Lake Accessible to Peopleʼ.
Petersburg,
Séet Ká.
On the Channel.
Há!
Oh!
Séet Ká.
On the Channel.
Wé séet, áx̱ ḵuyawlisít, Wrangell-dé. Wrangell Narrows gé ee.áx̱ch nuch?
That channel, there is a channel there [lit. ʼit is channeled along thereʼ], toward Wrangell. Do you ever hear Wrangell Narrows?
Lukaax̱.
Duncan Canal.
Mhm.
Yeah.
Tlél
Not
yáaxʼ áhé adáx̱ {woo} haa kawdayaayín x̱á,
here, from there we would go,
wé Stikine
the Stikine
héen yíkdáx̱ x̱á
from inside the river
uháan.
us.
Oh, oh, oh.
Tsoo wé
Again that
éilʼ káx̱,
on the salt water,
a tuwasheeyín x̱á.
we reached it, you know.
Aax̱ ákwé yee wsidaaḵ?
Is that where you all migrated from?
Aaá.
Yes.
Shtaxʼhéen.
The Stikine River.
Tsu
Again
Lukaax̱.
Duncan Canal.
Wrangell Narrows.
Duncan Canal, x̱á.
Duncan Canal, you know.
Aaá.
Yes.
{yéi} Yéi áwé haa yaheinín x̱á chʼáakw.
That is how we claimed it long ago.
Tsu
Again
Taalḵunáx̱kʼu Shaa,
Devilʼs Thumb Mountain (in Thomas Bay),
Devilʼs Thumb Mountain, Petersburg káxʼ x̱á.
Devilʼs Thumb Mountain, on (over) Petersburg, you know.
Oh, Devil Thumb, {a daa ḵuya}
a daa ḵuyax̱waatín, airplane.
I went around it on an airplane.
Ahah.
Uhuh.
Gosh. They took us on a
Petersburg-dé {yaa} haa in yaa ndaḵín wé jet plane.
The jet plane is (was) flying with us to Petersburg.
{he seem uh}
He was way ahead of times.
Ách áwé
That is why
tour a daa haa in yawdiḵín.
he flew a tour around it with us.
Mmm.
Oh.
Chʼa hél x̱wasakú wáa sáwé a daa kei akg̱wagóot wé Devilʼs Thumb.
I just donʼt know how one would climb it, that Devilʼs Thumb.
Ah, tléináx̱ yateeyi ḵáach áwé kaawa.aaḵw, ah,
Uh, this one person tried it, uh,
daak wudzigít aax̱.
he fell down from there.
Tlél ayawudlaaḵ {áa kei wu a déin} a daa kei wugoodí.
He didn't succeed at climbing up that mountain.
Haa yaheinín x̱á wé
We used to claim it, you see, that
Taalḵunáx̱kʼu Shaa {yéi} yéi dusáagun chʼáakw x̱á.
Taalḵunáx̱kʼu Shaa is how it was called long ago, you know.
Devilʼs Thumb.
Ah,
Uh,
góon,
gold,
a x̱ándáx̱
close by it
wudutʼeiyín, góon,
it used to be found, gold,
dleit ḵáaxʼwch.
by white men.
A daat story akawshixít.
He wrote a story about it.
Wé, yú át áwé du déin, {du}
That, that thing, in his vicinity,
kooshdaaḵáa.
land otter man.
{du du} Du daat uwa.át áxʼ.
They came around him there.
Wé Devilʼs Thumb x̱án.
Right by Devil's Thumb.
Áxʼ, ah, góon,
There, uh, gold,
g̱aa has ḵusheeyí, a káx̱ has ḵoowashee.
when they were searching for it, they found it.
Tle du toowú ḵut kei ag̱íxʼch wé ḵáa, wé
Then he loses his mind, that man, that
{aax̱ aax̱}
Thomas Bay-dé woogoot.
to Thomas Bay he went.
Thomas Bay-xʼ áwé
It was at Thomas Bay
dig up-x̱ wududliyéx̱.
they dug it up.
Aax̱ ḵúx̱de, Séet Kaadé yaa galéet, yaa gaḵóox̱ áwé,
From there returning, boating quickly toward Petersburg, as he is going along by boat,
daa sáwé, kooshdaaḵáa du shakát áa.
what do you know, there is a land otter man sitting on his bow.
Uh, "The Strangest Story Ever Told"
yóo duwasaagú.
it's called.
Ax̱ jee yéi téeyin, tle ḵaa jeet kax̱waajél.
I had it, then I gave them all to people.
Wow.
Wé books, kooshdaaḵáa daat shkalneek. Áwé dleit ḵáach kawshixít.
Those books, a story about land otter men. It was a white man that wrote it.
[At shooḵ]
[Laughter]
Kooshdaaḵáach x̱at shawudzóowun.
A land otter man threw rocks at my head.
Hmh.
Uh, Sumdum Bay.
Wa.é gé?
You?
{áxʼ áxʼ aa}
Xʼáatʼ Séet áwé náaḵwg̱aa áwé ḵutooshée.
In Rocky Pass, we are searching for octopus.
Octopus.
{and} Xʼáatʼ Séet áwé,
In Rocky Pass,
xʼáatʼ káa áwé, g̱án, chʼa aan wé núkt aadé wuduwa.áx̱.
on an island, you see, even still, a male grouse was heard toward it.
Tle yáa ax̱ x̱án, núkt.
Just right next to me, a male grouse.
Át ax̱walg̱eení, daa sáwé,
When I looked there, what in the world,
tle yéi áwé ax̱ kaadé yaa naxíx wé té!
just like this a rock was coming at me!
Té teen áwé x̱at shaawadzóo.
It throw a rock at my head.
Wow.
{yá left}
Sʼátnax̱.aadé
To the left side
yóot x̱wajixíx, aag̱áa áwé tsá dáḵde wé héen táadáx̱.
I took off running, and then up into the woods away from the water.
{n dei}
{aax̱ daat} A ḵoowú tóodáx̱ daak nashḵáḵ dei wé náaḵw.
Then the octopus was coming out of its den.
Yú át,
That stuff,
Clorox áwé átx̱ tulayéix̱.
Clorox is what we use.
Mm.
Oh.
{a tóo} We blow it in and it (octopus) will come right out.
When he threw a rock at you. Sumdum Bay.
When he threw a rock at you. Sumdum Bay.
Jé, tle át x̱ahani yé.
Gee, right at the spot where I was standing.
Át áwé uwaxíx.
Thatʼs where it landed.
And, ax̱ húnx̱ hás ḵwá, xʼoonínáx̱ sáwé,
And my older brothers, though, how many of them,
{fou} daaxʼoonnáx̱ has yatee, hás ḵwá,
there are four of them, but them,
ah, ax̱ náḵ áyú has woo.aat.
uh, they walked away from me.
Hél x̱wasakú wáanáx̱ sáwé chʼa tléináx̱ x̱át.
I don't know why I am alone.
Hah.
Huh.
Áa s x̱at jeewanáḵ.
They left me there.
Aax̱ kei ayax̱wdihán.
I fled up from there.
Yú át,
That thing,
{merid} Meredith yée ax̱asg̱eiwú,
when I was seining aboard the Meredith,
{ah point gard na no}
Wáa sá duwasáakw wé Saginaw Bay x̱án?
What do they call that place near Saginaw Bay?
Á áwé,
So,
áa shawtudziyaa.
we moored there.
Ah, two oʼclock tsʼootaat áwé shax̱wdinúk at gaḵas.eet.
Uh, I got up at two oʼclock in the morning so I could cook.
Daa sáwé, wé ax̱ skipper-í ḵwá nadáakw yaax̱t áa.
What do you know, my skipper though is sitting at the table.
X̱at x̱ʼeiwawóosʼ,
He asked me,
«Iya.áx̱ gé wé
“Did you hear that
haa tʼaḵkát uwaḵúx̱u yaakw?»
boat that pulled up next to us?”
«No. {hél hél} Hél x̱wa.aax̱, tléikʼ.»
“No. I didn't hear it, no.”
«Shaawát a yíkde kdag̱áax̱,» {yóo sh} yéi akanéek.
“A woman was crying aboard it,” so he tells me.
Hmh.
Oh.
Seiwa.átʼi yáx̱ kadag̱áax̱.
She is crying out like she is cold.
Clear reflectors wé deck káa yéi (yatee).
(There are) clear reflectors on the deck.
Sʼeenáa kát ashakawsitán, wé switch.
He turned on the lights, that switch.
Hél yaakw á.
Thereʼs no boat there.
Ách áwé tle wé pilot house yeedé wjixeex.
That is why he ran into the pilot house.
Search light, tle yóo áwé haa daa ax̱ʼayaawatee. {hél}
The search light, he shined it all around us like that (hand motion).
Nothing.
Áa ax̱astʼeix̱ nuch, {hél}
I always fish there,
tlél daa sá x̱wa.áx̱ nuch.
I never heard that before.
Hmh.
Oh.
Tlákw x̱á ḵaa x̱ʼéide x̱a.áx̱ch nuch,
I always hear people say that,
tlákw áa at du.áx̱ch nuch.
people are always hearing things there.
Jée, ax̱ tóox̱ ḵoowatee.
Gee, I was terrified.
Tle hél áa shawtoosyaa.
Then we didnʼt moor there (again).
Tle hóochʼ áwé, chʼa g̱óot yéi shatoosyéix̱ yan g̱atooḵoox̱.
That was the last of it, we would always moor somewhere else when we were done moving (for the day).
Dei yaa ḵux̱wlig̱át a saayí.
I have forgotten itʼs name now.
Saginaw Bay x̱án áwé.
It is near Saginaw Bay.
Saginaw Bay.
Ah, wé Kake-xʼ?
Uh, there in Kake?
Ḵéex̱' x̱án.
Near Kake.
Ḵéex̱ʼ x̱án, Port
Near Kake, Port
Charden?
Saginaw Bay,
ah,
uh,
tlél kʼidéin x̱wateen x̱á.
I donʼt see well, you know.
W, Wash, Washington? Seew, Seek,
Jée, yaa ḵux̱wlig̱át a saayí.
Gee, I have forgotten the name of it.
G̱eey Kʼáchkʼu áwé.
That is Little Bay.
Ah. Ḵéex̱ʼ. Oh. Haaw. Point Ellie. Rowan Bay. Washington Bay.
Uh.
Oh. Thatʼs way along the line.
See-ku-wi-tee. Siwikuwitee.
[reading place names on the map]
Tlél kʼidéin x̱watóow.
I can't read it too well.
Kuiu Island?
Yaasha Island. Yaasha Island.
No.
Point Gardner.
Áa atoosg̱eiwú noojín.
We always used to seine there.
Tlákw chʼas á áwé áa atoosg̱eiwú.
All the time we just used to seine there.
Ellie. Eleia Harbor.
[reading place names on the map]
Alec Harbor?
Yeah.
.
Itʼs in, itʼs in Saginaw Bay.
Saginaw Bay ká áwé.
Itʼs right on Saginaw Bay.
Oo. Tléikʼ. {they tlél}
Oh. No.
A x̱ʼaká áwé blinker áa yéi yatee.
At the mouth of it there is a blinker there.
Saginaw Bay yáadu.
Saginaw Bay is right here.
Áwé a x̱ʼaká áwé blinker áa yéi yatee.
At the mouth of it there is a blinker there.
Tlél a káwu.
Itʼs not on there.
Há!
Oh my!
Ḵéex̱ʼ áyá yáadu, Saginaw Bay.
This is Kake, itʼs here, Saginaw Bay.
Lingít x̱ʼéináx̱,
In Tlingit,
Skanáx̱ yóo áwé duwasáakw, Saginaw Bay.
Skanáx̱ is how it is called, Saginaw Bay.
Cape Ben
Cape Bendel.
Bendel. Yeah. Cape Bendel. Point
Áa ax̱astʼeix̱ nuch, á tsú.
I used to set hooks there, there also.
Point McCardner? McCardie?
Aaá.
Yes.
Deikeenaa Xágu yóo duwasáakw Lingít x̱ʼéináx̱.
Sandbar of the Haida is how it is called in Tlingit.
Deikeenaa Xágu.
The Sandbar of the Haida.
Deikeenaa áxʼ ḵutx̱ shuwdudlixeex.
The Haidas were all killed off there. [The ones that were raiding Ḵéex̱ʼ Ḵwáan.]
Chʼáakw
For a long time
tle {haa yi} haa yinaadé s akawsiháa.
they have held it against us.
School yoo too.átgi Wrangell-xʼ,
When we were going to school in Wrangell,
wé Deikeenaa kʼisáani x̱á yán.
all of those young Haida boys.
Chʼu l ḵux̱toosteejí áwé yéi at woonei.
Before we were born this thing happened.
Chʼa aan áwé,
But even so,
tle tleix̱ haa yinaadé s akawsiháa.
they still hold it against us forever.
{hél}
{tlél} Hél a daat át wutusakú, uháanch ḵwá. Hásch ḵwá, {has}
We didnʼt know a thing about it, us, though. They did though,
a daat át has awsikóo, kʼidéin.
they knew something about it, very well.
Ax̱ jeewú ḵwá wé recording.
I have that recording, though.
Stories .{kawd}
Record-x̱ wududliyéx̱, ax̱ jeewú á.
They were made into a recording, I have it.
Mmm.
Oh.
Ḵéex̱ʼdáx̱ ax̱ jeet ách awdudziwóo.
It was sent to me from Kake.
Woosh yanáade.
All kinds of things.
Wé Tebenkoff át ḵaa shuwuxeexí tsú, ax̱ jeewú á.
When the people all died at Tebenkoff too, I have that one.
A daat shkalneek.
The story about it.
{íx̱} Íx̱tʼích áwé áx̱ has jikawligéiḵ.
The shaman had forbidden them to do it.
Oo.
Oh.
Wé g̱aat.
Those sockeyes.
Áwé {ha} has du tugéi wsitee.
They really didn't like it.
Tle wé íx̱tʼ géi has ayawdi.át.
They turned against the shaman.
«Aadóoch sá has du x̱ʼéix̱ at gug̱ateex̱ yá haa yátxʼi?
“Who will it be that will feed these children of ours?
Haa yátxʼi x̱ʼeis áyá x̱á.»
This is so that our children can eat.”
Xákw kaadáx̱ ḵwáawé du éet uwaxíx wé íx̱tʼ.
From nowhere it came to the shaman.
Du een kadunéek,
It is told to him,
{tlél} «Tlél áx̱ has oosheeyíḵ wé x̱áat.»
“Do not let them touch those fish.”
Yú g̱aat. G̱aat héeni áwu.
Those sockeye. There is a sockeye stream there.
A x̱án áwé áa ḵuduwa.óo.
The people live there right next to it.
Mmm.
Oh.
Á áwé,
So then,
yú át, tle, «Sháal g̱atulayeix̱.»
that thing, then, “Letʼs build a fish trap.”
Áwé tle, tle wé héen yíx̱ has ayaawatsúw.
So then, then they placed them inside of the stream.
{has} Has aksaxʼóo x̱áayá,
They are staking them, you know,
ah, asyátxʼi.
uh, small trees.
Kaanáx̱ yan has awliyéx̱ tle.
Then they built it all the way across.
Daaḵ nadéin áwé kaanáx̱ yaawahín.
When the tide was coming in, they swam over it.
Yei galáa áwé tle
When the tide was going out, then
a tʼéit wuliḵóo wé {shá} s du sháali.
it overflowed behind it (on the upriver side of it), their fish trap.
Áa yeiḵ has uwa.át wé sháa,
They went down to the water there, the women,
has du lítaxʼu tin.
with their knives.
Shóogu aa axáash,
Sheʼs cutting the first one,
awuxaashí áwé, wé shaawát,
when she cut it, that woman,
kawdig̱aax̱i yáx̱ yaawaḵaa,
it spoke like it was crying,
tle áa wdzigeet.
then she fell there.
Wé du x̱úx̱ch awsiteen.
Her husband saw it.
Tle yaḵatí teen áwé
Then with scolding words
kaawayíkde, kaawayík,
into the sky, the sky,
du gwálayi {yík} aax̱ kei aawax̱útʼ.
he pulled out his dagger.
Hm.
Oh.
Tle yóo kaawayíkt áwé aksagóo yaḵatí tin.
Like this he was thrusting his knife in the air with scolding words.
Tle hú tsú tle áa wdzigeet.
Then he also fell there.
Tle ldakát áwé ḵuyakdu.ákxʼ.
Then all of the people were staggering around.
Tle áwé,
Then,
a saayí {x̱}
its name
Lingít x̱ʼéináx̱,
in Tlingit,
Kag̱átx̱waa yóo duwasáakw.
Kag̱átx̱waa is how it is called.
Tle ldakát chʼas ḵaa naaxʼúx̱ sitee.
Then they were all just dead people.
Hmh!
Oh!
Áx̱ yax̱waagút wé eeḵ
I walked through there, that beach,
g̱aatáa áxʼ yéi daatooneiyí.
when we were trapping there.
Hél x̱aan akawuneek ax̱ stepfather-ích.
He didnʼt tell it to me, my stepfather.
Át ḵaa shoowaxíx yé ásíwé.
It seems that is the place where the people died off.
Kag̱átx̱waa yóo duwasáakw.
Kag̱átx̱waa is how itʼs called.
Ah,
Uh,
«At ya.eetí áa yéi teeyí yáx̱ x̱aan kananeek,» {ax̱}
“Tell me if thereʼs anything like animal sign there,”
{ax̱} éeḵnax̱.áx̱ {yaa áx̱} yaa nx̱agút.
Iʼm walking along the shore side of it.
{ax̱} Chʼa ax̱ x̱ánx̱ yaa nalít rowboat yík.
He was sliding along right next to me in a rowboat.
Ḵa tsu kalsʼáak ya.eetí tsú tlél á. Nothing.
And even squirrel signs were not there. Nothing.
Aadé animals-ích wuskóowu yé.
Thatʼs the way the animals knew it. [Even the animals knew not to go there.]
Hm.
Oh.
Hél tsu at ya.eetí á.
There is no sign of any animals there.
Wow.
Wé yaakw
The canoes
a káx̱ kadux̱útʼxʼ nuch át x̱á a káa {yei}
would be pulled onto it, onto something (to store their canoes)
{yeiḵ yei dul}
á ḵwá chʼu áwu á.
but they are still there.
Hmh!
Oh!
Há.
[Expression of mild surprise]
Hél tsú wudanaaḵw. Itʼs not even old.
It (the canoe rack?) is not even rotten. Itʼs not even old.
Há.
[Expression of mild surprise]
Ax̱ leitóox̱.
My throat.