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Tlingit Conversation #6
Speakers are Neish Archie Cavanaugh, Sr. and Kaaxwaan Éesh George Davis. Recorded January 31, 2008 at George Davis’s house in Juneau, Alaska, by Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff and Daaljíni Mary Foletti. This recording is continued from #5.
This material is based on work supported by National Science Foundation grant BCS-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 Hans Chester and by Jooteen Jessica Isturis. English translation by Kaaxwaan Éesh George Davis with Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff. Edited by X̱ʼaagi Sháawu Keri Eggleston with Ḵaachku.aak’w Helen Sarabia. Also by Shaag̱aw Éesh Devlin Anderstrom.
SYMBOLS: {false start}, (added for clarity), [translator/transcriber's note]. ??? = can’t understand, «Lingít quotation marks» Time-aligned text entry was accomplished using the software, ELAN (Versions 6.0 (2020) and 6.1 (2021)). Nijmegen: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Language Archive. Retrieved from https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan
Yáa atyátx'ix̱ haa sateeyídáx̱ áwé start-x̱ wusitee haa daat át shkalneek. Yeah.
Our life story started from when we were children. Yeah.
Tle {a too} a tóox̱ haa yakaawasóos wé teenage stage. Áwé.
Weʼve just made it into the teenage stage. Yeah.
{ldakát} Yáax' áwé summertime-t ḵug̱ahéin áwé,
Whenever summertime would come here,
{daaḵw.aa yá} woosh yaax̱ atoost'eix̱ nuch.
we would fish alongside one another.
Yáax' áwé fall time-t ḵug̱ahéin áwé,
Whenever fall time would come,
wóoshtin atudal'óon nuch. Yeah.
we've always hunted together.
Ch'u atyátx'ix̱ haa sateeyídáx̱ áwé haa ée wdudlitíw. Mhm.
It was taught to us from the time we were just kids yet.
Daaḵw.aa yaakw yíxʼ sá yéi jikg̱eenéi,
In whichever boat youʼre going to work,
daaḵw.aa yaakw yíxʼ sá yéi ikg̱wateeyí, x̱át tsú tle a yíx' yéi x̱at nateech.
whichever boat you were going to be aboard, I was always aboard it as well.
Yeah.
{chʼa wé}
Tle yéi áwé kei haa uwawát. Yeah. Yeah.
That's just how we grew up.
Ldakát át,
Everything,
al'óon haa ée wdudlitíw
we were taught to hunt
chʼu atyátx'i sáanix̱ haa sateeyídáx̱. Duck hunting.
from the time we were young kids. Duck hunting.
Yeah. Duck hunting. Duck, yea.
G̱uwakaan l'óon, ldakát át.
Deer hunting and everything.
Yeah.
Aa,
Uh,
Falltime, Falltime-x' áwé atool'óon noojín.
(In the) falltime, We'd go hunting in the falltime.
aadé ḵunalgásʼjin.
people would move there.
{tsu y} Tléix' yateeyi át
The one thing
the only thing that separated you and I is
you got married and I got married.
Awtooshaayí áwé tle wóoshdáx̱ haa wdzidaaḵ.
After you and I got married, we moved away from each other.
Yeah.
Ch'a aan ḵwá, wáag̱eens
Even still, sometimes
everyday I'll call up
Lingít x̱'éináx̱ yoo x̱ʼax̱tula.aat.
so we can speak in Tlingit.
Yeah.
A daa yoo x̱'atula.átk nuch, ákwshéwé yeedát yáax',
We would talk about (these things), like here now,
yáax' record-x̱ dulyéix̱.
they're recording it here.
Áwé, a káa daak x̱at sahéich nuch yá schóol-x' yéi haa wuteeyí tsú tsu
So, I would be recall when we were at school, too, at
Wrangell Institute.
Yáax' áwé wé schóol,
At the time in school,
schóol-i yoo too.átgi,
when we were going to school,
the only thing that separated us
I left and I went into the military.
Hóochʼ áwé. Aax̱ ḵux̱ ḵutudatéen áwé tle tsu woosh x̱án.
That was it. When we came back from there, we (were back) together.
Yeah.
Chʼu g̱unáa awtuwasháa, ch'a aan {woosh x̱áni} woosh x̱ánx̱ tuda.at nuch.
Even though we had gotten married to women, we always managed to come back together again.
A daa yoo x̱'atula.átk nuch
We're always talking about
atyátx'ix̱ haa sateeyí aadé yaa ktoosgitch yé yéeyi.
what we used to do when we were kids.
Sháal daaxʼ
???
[At.shooḵ]
[Laughter]
Áwé ax̱ yáa yéi yoo neik nuch.
It always comes back to my mind. [lit., ʼIt keeps appearing in front of me,ʼ As if he can see it happening right in front of him.]
Tle yáa yax̱ haa yawulshaaní,
When we all got old,
tlél yéi x̱wajéeyin
I never thought
x̱át tsú {yéi} yéi shaandé x̱at gug̱awáat yóo. Yeah. Yeah.
that I, too, would grow to be so old. Yeah. Yeah.
Yéi áwé {yan} yan shuwjix̱ín haa ḵusteeyí.
This is how our life (story) came to the end.
Ḵáax̱ haa nastée áwé tle tsu
When we became men
black cod, halibut yéi daatoonéi nooch. Aaá.
we're always working on black cod and halibut. Yes.
Aadáx̱ áwé,
From there,
Séet Kaadé yantoox̱éich haa halibut-í.
weʼd haul our halibut to Petersburg.
Three, three or four,
seven days shung̱axíxín áwé tle tsoo
After seven days would pass, then
áa ḵux̱ tudaḵoox̱ch.
we'd go back there again.
Áwé oil up yéi ntusaneich.
Then weʼd oil (fuel) up.
Atx̱á tsú.
Food too.
Tle tsu daak tooḵoox̱ch.
Then we'd go out again.
Yéi áwé yaa yanaxíx.
Thatʼs how it went.
Halibut fishing over-x̱ nastée áwé,
When halibut season is over,
salmon fishing
start-x̱ nasteech, asg̱eiwú.
would start, seining.
G̱eiwú tooḵéis' nuch.
We always mend the net.
Warehouse yíx'
In the warehouse
g̱eiwú tooḵéis' nuch.
we always mend the net.
Aax̱ yan g̱aneinín áwé,
When the net is finished and ready,
wé g̱eiwú {daak du}
the net
daaḵ dusxeexch
would be run up.
Ha gooxʼ sá fish áa yéi yatee áwé,
Wherever there is fish,
aadé ntooḵúx̱ch asg̱eiwú.
we'd go there to seine.
Two, three days aax̱ shooshx̱ínch.
It would be open for two or three days.
Everybodyʼs uh,
Ḵux̱ ḵuwoodagóoch
The boats would return
aanx'.
to town.
Yéi áwé yaa yanaxíx.
That's how it went.
Yáa, ax̱ yáa yéi yoo neik nuch.
It comes to my mind.
Yei daatoonéi nuch át yéeyi ch'áakw.
The things we used to do years ago.
Chʼa káa lidzéeyi yáx̱ yatee. You know, áwé
It seems to be difficult
village-x' yéi ḵuteex̱í tle ch'as
when you're living in a village then just
sh x̱'adaa yoo kooda.átk áwé yaa yagaxíxjin.
putting up food is the only thing going on.
Daaḵw.aa ḵáa sá oodzikaa áwé láxwx̱.
The lazy man starves.
L oodzikaayi ḵáa ḵwá atx̱á du jee yax̱ kadagaa.
The person that's ambitious will have a lot of food.
Á áwé haa ée wdudlitíw haa, haa in.aax'w hásch.
That's what we were taught by our relatives.
Ldakát fish daa yéi jiné.
Working on all the different kinds of fish.
Aaá, haa tláach ḵa haa éesh hásch.
Yes, by our mothers and our fathers.
G̱aat yan yadusḵoox̱ch. A daa yéi jidunéi nuch.
They would bring sockeye ashore. They would work on it.
Tlél, tlél "oil stove" ḵoostí ch'áakw,
They didn't have “oil stoves” years ago,
yeedádi yáx̱.
like now.
Gán áwé duxash nujín
They used to cut wood
yá táakwt ḵuwuhaayí yís.
for when winter comes.
Á áwé a káa daak tux̱datánch nujín.
This is what I always think back on.
Yóo át tsú, tle ch'u Pillar Bay-x' yan shoowatán.
That thing too, it ended in Pillar Bay.
Seagull eggs yéidaané
Putting up seagull eggs for their food
Deikee Noow daadáx̱.
from Hazy Island.
Hazy Island.
Yeah.
Áyá tle áx' áwé yan shuwjix̱ín. Tle every spring x'oon, x'oon táakw sáwé
That's where it ended. Every single spring (for) so many years
áa yéi jiwtuwanei.
we worked there.
Áyá June yát áwé alk'wát'.
They lay their eggs in June.
Seagull,
a eggs-i áwé yéi kakwdigéi.
their eggs are this big.
Áwé aax̱ yan yadusḵoox̱ch
That's what they used to bring in
Deikee Noow daa. Ldakát woosh jeedé yéi daadunéi nuch.
from Hazy Island. They used to distribute them to everyone.
Hóoch' áwé. {tlél} Tlél tsu a káx̱ {aa} yoo aa toox̱datánk.
That's all. I canʼt think of anything else.
Á áwé a daadé teeshch yaa x̱at gajáḵch. Jée, de x'oon táakw sáwé aax̱ ḵux̱waateen?
This is what I really miss. [Lit. loneliness for it kills me] Gee, how many years since I left there from there?
Ḵéex̱' yáade.
From Kake to here.
Oh yeah.
A daa yoo tux̱atánk nuch áwé a daadé x̱at g̱alteeshch áwé yéi daatoonéi nuch átx' yéeyi.
I think about it a lot and I really get lonely for the things we used to do.
Ldakát át al'óon.
Everything, hunting.
Yeah.
{tlél, tlél tlax̱} Tle ch'as wé sh x̱'adaa yoo kooda.átk áwé yaa yagaxíxjin.
Putting up subsistence food is the only thing that used to happen.
{atyát} Yá yées ḵáax'wx̱ haa sateeyí.
When we were young men.
Yá yeedát ḵwáayá {haa} haa wdashaaní ḵwá ch'as {haa} haa x̱'éix̱ áwé at duteex̱.
Now that weʼve gotten old though, people just feed us.
Yéi áwé tle chʼa káa a daadé yei x̱at g̱altíshch.
That's how I really miss it sometimes.
Jé, x'oon táakw sáwé aax̱ ḵux̱waateen Ḵéex̱'?
Gee, how many years has it been that I left Kake?
{tlél, tlél} Tlél kanḵwalineegi át ḵoostí yeedát.
Thereʼs nothing else that I can tell right now.
A káa daak isawuhaayí,
When you remember it,
ch'áakw haa inx̱ satéeyi aaxʼw yeedát ḵwá yax̱ has yawsix'áḵw.
all those relatives that were with us years ago are now gone.
A eetí áwé yeedát,
In place of it now,
Yeah.
a daa yoo x̱'atuli.átk.
we talk about it.
X'oon táakw sáwé wa.é?
How old are you?
80 years.
80?
80.
March 31st I'll be 80.
Yeah, I always, a káa daak x̱at sahéich nuch.
I've always remembered that.
March 31. February 22 áwé ax̱ aayí ax̱ yageeyí.
March 31. My birthday is February 22.
One month ásíwégé ax̱ shukát ḵeetstee?
You were born one month before me, right?
Aaá.
Yes.
Yeah.
One year older, 1927(xʼ) ḵux̱wdzitee. 1928.
One year older, I was born in 1927. 1928.
Yéi áwé.
That's it.
Yéi ák.wé kaawagei?
Is that all there is?
Aahá.
Yes.
Yeah.
Thatʼs all. Thatʼs the end.