037. Tom Gives His First Wolf Ritual

Dictated by Tom Sayachapis, Nov. 18, 1913, immediately after the preceding text. Notebook XV: 7-8.

Tom Sayachapis discusses giving his first Wolf Ritual potlatch.

37.1
ʔaħʔaaʔaƛitaħ 
ʔaħʔaaʔaƛ 
and then 
-(m)it 
former 
-(m)aˑħ 
1s.IND 
and then I did 
ƛuukʷaanaƛ 
ƛuukʷaana 
Wolf Ritual 
-ˀaƛ 
NOW 
a Wolf ritual 

Then I gave a Wolf Ritual.

37.2
ʔuun̉ak̉aƛsi 
ʔuun̉akʷ 
dance 
-ˀaƛ 
NOW 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
I danced  
t̉iick̉in 
t̉iick̉in1 
Thunderbird 
Thunderbird 

I performed a Thunderbird imitative dance.

37.3
ʔaayeʔinɬʔaƛsiƛaa 
ʔaya 
much 
-ˀinɬ 
distribute [L] 
-ˀaƛ 
NOW 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
=ƛaa 
also 
I also distributed much property 

I also distributed much property.

lit. "I feasted with much" (text meaning not literal one).

37.4
ʔaƛp̉itšiʔaƛsi 
ʔaƛp̉it 
twice 
-šiƛ 
PRF 
-ˀaƛ 
NOW 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
it was now the second time 
n̉uššiƛ 
n̉uššiƛ 
distribute property 
distributing property 

It was now the second time I had distributed property.

i.e. this was Tom's second potlatch.

37.5
saaƛsaayasi 
saaƛsaaya 
do a crawling dance 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
I did a crawling dance 
ʔuʔuyaqħsi 
ʔuʔuyaqħ 
sing 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
I sang 
nunuuk 
nunuuk 
singing 
singing 
saaƛsaayač̉akʔi 
saaƛsaayač̉akʷ 
crawl-dance song 
=ʔiˑ 
DEF 
crawl-dance song 

I performed a crawling dance and sang the crawling dance song,

He gave this in last part of Wolf Ritual when distributing wealth. saaƛsaaya dance, which is exactly same as qʷayacin̉ak , is used only in distributing wealth. saaƛsaaya/saaƛsaač dance is considered hard to do, because it is very hard on one's back to crawl around without hunching or sinking back. Do not keep time except at haiyau, when they suddenly get up and whirl around quickly and then continue. At second part of song, when they step in time, they should hop squatting, not stand up. Tom was good for saaƛsaaya in his day. Would always prepare for it by eating only four mussels at noon for four days, swim, and drink medicine. Two or three hours becore dance he would eat meal.

Words are not Nuuchahnulth

37.6
|| 
waɬ 
liːxciyaʔeˑy 
ƛaʔana 
qʷaliˑyi 
qamaʔeˑƛa 
kiˑqamaʔaaay 
ʔo 
hayyaaa 
hayyaaay 
ʔeeʔoo 
... 
ʔaahiiyaaʔaʔaa 
... 
hii 
hii 
hii 
hii 
... 
yoo 
hayyaw 
hayyaw 
hohoooo 
||. 

wahl lihtsiyaey kamaetla kikomaay o hayya hayyay eo ... ahi yaaa ... hi ... yo hayyaw hayyaw ho ho.

The words of this song are apparently Kwakiutl. The meaning is unknown. A crawling dance is one representing a wolf and is used in connection with the Wolf Ritual when wealth is to be distributed.

37.7
wawaasi 
wawaa 
say 
-siˑ2 
1s ABS 
I said 
saaƛsaaya 
saaƛsaaya 
do a crawling dance 
doing a crawling dance 

(Thus) I said this in the crawling dance.

37.8
muup̉it 
muup̉it 
four times 
four times 
saačiƛ 
saačiƛ 
dance a crawl dance 
dance a crawl dance 

Four times (I) danced it.

pg. 8 begins below

37.9
ʔaƛp̉iiɬ 
ʔaƛa 
two 
-p̉iˑɬʷ2 
...songs 
there were two 
nuukʔii 
nuuk 
song 
=ʔiˑ 
DEF 
songs 

The songs were two, (the preceding and the following.)

37.10
|| 
haaheeyaa 
... 
heeʔahiiyaa 
... 
haˑʔahiiii 
... 
heeyaa 
... 
hii 
hii 
hii 
hii 
... 
hayyaw 
hayyaw 
hohoo 
||. 

hahiya ... heahiya ... haahi ... heya ... hi ... hayyaw hayyaw hoho.

This second song, accompanying the last two circuits of the Wolf dancer, consists apparently of burdens only. It belongs with the preceding song. saaƛsaaya song.

37.11
k̉imƛk̉imƛa 
k̉imƛk̉imƛa 
be sway dancing 
doing sway dane 
naʔuw̉aʔatħiic 
naʔuw̉aʔatħ 
Na'uwa'a people 
-iic 
belong to 
of the Na'uuwa'ath tribe 
;. 

(I) danced a sway dance of the Na'uwa'ath tribe:

Only the second and third lines contain meaningful syllables. -mot-s is a poetic analogue of -it-aħ past time, first person singular. This and the two following songs make a set of three, of the type known as kimtlkimtla. They accompany a masked dance in which the dancer steps as though about to fall first on one side, then on the other, as though balancing himself. The left foot is kept in front of the right, the two hopping together in time to a fairly rapid beat. At the same time the hands, which are held out to the sides and covered over with a blanket, sway up and down. At the beginning of the dance there is a rapid continuous beat, to which the dancer steps quickly.

37.12
|| 
yayaʔeheheeˑ 
... 
ye 
... 
hoŋoo 
... 
we 
ʔahaaqisʔaŋaaqƛ 
ħaaqk 
ƛokʷanaa 
... 
c̉ayxšiƛʔaaqƛ 
... 
||. 

What are you going to do, (you of the) Tlukwana? are you going to spear?

This and the two following songs make a set of three, of the type known as kimtlkimtla. They accompany a masked dance in which the dancer steps as though about to fall first on one side, then on the other, as though balancing himself. The left foot is kept in front of the right, the two hopping together in time to a fairly rapid beat. At the same time the hands, which are held out to the sides and covered over with a blanket, sway up and down. At the beginning of the dance there is a rapid continuous beat, to which the dancer steps quickly.

-mot-s is a poetic analogue of -it-aħ past time, first person singular.

37.13
ʔaqisʔaaqƛħak 
ʔaqis2 
how? 
-ʔaaqƛ 
INTENT 
-ħaˑk 
2s.INTERR 
what are you going to do? 
ƛuukʷaana 
ƛuukʷaana 
Wolf Ritual 
the Wolf Ritual 
c̉axšiƛʔaaqƛħak 
c̉axšiƛ 
spear 
-ʔaaqƛ 
INTENT 
-ħaˑk 
2s.INTERR 
are you going to spear? 

what are you going to do? you of the Wolf Ritual are you going to spear?.

37.14
|| 
yaˑʔaỷaʔee 
... 
ʔaʔaaʔaa 
... 
hiiyaʔ 
hiˑyaʔ 
... 
c̉awaacħaatmuts 
wiinat 
qišmaʔaʔee 
... 
||. 

37.15
ƛaʔuuʔaaqƛ 
c̉aawacħaanitaħ 
c̉awaˑ 
one 
-cħa 
go in connection with [L] 
-ˀat 
PASS 
-(m)it 
PAST 
-(m)aˑħ 
1s.IND 
they came to me alone 
wiinaat 
wiina 
visit 
-ˀat 
PASS 
being visited 
qeešim 
qiišim 
Wolf Ritual craziness 
Wolf Ritual craziness 

I alone was visited (by) the spirit of pretended clownishness, craziness i.e., the Wolf Ritual Spirit comes to me alone.

37.16
ʔuukʷispitap 
ʔuukʷispitap 
set up 
set up 
hayaaɬin 
haayaaɬin 
Crazy Spirit 
Crazy Spirit 
ʔuħukʔi 
ʔuħ 
is 
-uk 
POSS 
=ʔiˑ 
DEF 
his was  
ʕimtii 
ʕimtii 
name 
called 

They were setting up the thing called the Crazy Spirit.

37.17
|| 
yaaŋaŋaaŋaw 
... 
haheew 
... 
hohoʔoŋo 
... 
yiiʔii 
... 
we 
yaaŋaaŋaa 
hoʔooksoħtaaks 
totooħsoħtaa 
maħt̉aaʔaayiiʔi 
ʔaanays 
ƛakiimyiɬook 
č̉iħaa 
č̉iħaa 
ghost 
ghosts 
maħt̉aayii 
ʔaanays 
qiišiim 
waaʔiiyayaa 
hiʔiiyayaa 
... 
||. 

37.18
ʔuʔuksuħtakaħ 
ʔuʔuuksuħta 
be fear-inspiring 
-ˀak 
POSS 
-(m)aˑħ 
1s.IND 
what gives mine such a fear-inspiring appearance 
tutuuħsuħta 
tutuħsuħta 
fear-inspiring 
appearing frightful 
maħt̉ii 
maħt̉ii 
house 
house 
ʔanis 
ʔanis 
1s.SUB 
that I 
ƛakimyiɬuk 
ƛakiiš 
stand 
-imyiɬ 
move about on the floor 
-uk 
POSS 
walk around in my house 
č̉iħaa 
č̉iħaa 
supernatural being 
supernatural being 
maħt̉ii 
maħt̉ii 
house 
house 
ʔanis 
ʔanis 
1s.SUB 
that I 
qiišim 
qiišim 
Kiishim spirit 
Kiishim spirit 

"My house is fear-inspiring because it has something supernatural walking about in it, for I am a Wolf Ritual Crazy Spirit."

37.19
c̉aw̉aqƛỷak 
c̉aw̉aqƛỷakʷ 
spear-piercing song 
spear-piercing song 
hiiɬtaqỷak 
hiiɬtaqỷakʷ 
song for self-torture 
song for self-torture 

‎‎ It is a song for self-torture, for having a spear stuck into one.

Tome had medicine (hiiɬtaqsỷi) which has herb chewed up and applied to any such would. Cut would be cured in four days.