Texts

Kiunij panuk miak shiwit, wan kwak nikpiatuya 47 shiwit nitekitik tik ne Kalpuli. Né ninemik ume shiwit, wan ka tesu nechtashtawat yek, nikiski wan ninakak nitekiti tik ne kojtan.

Many years passed, and when I was 47 years old I worked for the Town Council. I was there for two years, but as it didn’t pay well, I left and went to work in the fields.

Né ajsiket ne ipal Kulalmumachtiani. Ajsiket inat ka kimatitiwit ka ne tiupan kipia tay yejemet nejnemitiwit kitemuat. Kiunij inak ne Palej:

One day some people came from the Students’ Circle. They said they had heard that the church had just what they had been looking for. The priest said:

Né ajsiket ne ipal Kulalmumachtiani. Ajsiket inat ka kimatitiwit ka ne tiupan kipia tay yejemet nejnemitiwit kitemuat. Kiunij inak ne Palej:

One day some people came from the Students’ Circle. They said they had heard that the church had just what they had been looking for. The priest said:

Achtu nitekitik iwan ne Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades Indígenas de El Salvador (ACCIES). Wan tik ne shiwit 1993, nipejki nitekiti iwan CONCULTURA. Ashta tik ini shiwit nitekitiuk iwan.

First I worked for the Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades Indigenas de El Salvador (ACCIES). And in 1993, I started working for CONCULTURA. I am still working for them now.

Kwak niweli, nikpalewia Alan wan Cecy. Nusan Carlos, melka yaja techanchanej, pero uksan mumachtia Nawataketza. Yejemet tesu nechtashtawat, ka inat ka yejemet tesu kipiat tumin pal nechtashtawat.

When I am able I help Alan and Cecy. Carlos too, although he is a local, but he is still studying Nawat. They don’t pay me, because they say that they don’t have money to pay me with.

Né nechishmatijket ka naja niweli taketza Nawat ka tik ne tiupan ipal Santa Catarina Masawat nitakwikak se takwikalis ka ina “Melka Kwak Taja Tinejnemi, Tesu Musel Tinemi”, wan kikakik ne Palej. Kunij inak:

There it became known that I could speak Nawat, because at the church in Santa Catarina Masahuát I sang a hymn that goes “Though You Walk, You Are Not Alone”, and the priest heard it. Then he said:

Né nechishmatijket ka naja niweli taketza Nawat ka tik ne tiupan ipal Santa Catarina Masawat nitakwikak se takwikalis ka ina “Melka Kwak Taja Tinejnemi, Tesu Musel Tinemi”, wan kikakik ne Palej. Kunij inak:

There it became known that I could speak Nawat, because at the church in Santa Catarina Masahuát I sang a hymn that goes “Though You Walk, You Are Not Alone”, and the priest heard it. Then he said:

Then he said:

—Tay tina? Tiweli tiaw ne domingo ka ne tiupan San Antonio?

“What do you say? Can you come to San Antonio Church on Sunday?”

“Are you the fellow who sang a song that time in the church in Santa Catarina?”

—Ka naja niknekiskia ma shiwi timusenpua nikan iwan tumajmanujwan wan shikinmachti taketzat Nawat. Tiawit timetztashtawat pal metzti ume tzunti tumin. Ken tina? Nemi yek?

“Because I’d like you to come and join our brethren here and teach them to speak Nawat. We’ll pay you 200 colones a month. Well, what do you say?”

They say that when the village started, there were not many houses, only thirty-two, and the houses were surrounded by trees.

Ne techanchanejket tesu welituyat taketzat tik Español, nan welit katka tawawasuat nan amataketzat. Yajika, kwak ajsiket ne takamet istak, yejemet tesu kimatit tay inat ne takamet wan ne siwatket.

The inhabitants couldn’t speak Spanish, and they didn’t know how to read and write. So when the white men came, they didn’t understand what the men and women were saying.

You sustain the flesh on our body because on account of you our body has blood, and flesh, our body is fattened, our bones are hardened.

Kwak se siwat kiwetzi yek kinutza. Wan su te kineki, kunij yawi ka tayua, wan ne kan kuchi ajsi kinapalua wan kichiwa ma isiwaw.

When he fancied a woman he called to her. If she wasn’t interested, then he would come at night to where she was sleeping to hold her and make her his wife.

Muchi tikmatit ka se tutut patani. Pero ken kichiwa pal weya, tesu akaj kimati. U su kimatit ka nesi ipal se teksisti, kaj kitakwaltia? Tay mumati, ka inan kitakwaltia.

Everybody knows that a bird flies. But nobody knows how it grows up. Or if they know that it comes from an egg, who feeds it? What is known is that its mother feeds it.

Achtu ne tutut tapishua ne teksisti, nemanha kipachua ashta ma puni, wan puntuk kenhayuk kipachua. Wan pewa kitakwaltia ne shulut tutut ne inan ne tutuchin, ashta ma weya pal kitzkia iujumiyu wan weli patani pal kitemua itakwal.

First the bird lays the egg, then it sits on it until it hatches, and once it is hatched the mother of the baby bird continues to sit on it. She starts to feed the young bird, until it grows feathers and is able to fly to look for food.

Yajika inan achtu kitakwaltia. Wan kwak kita ka ne tutuchin welia patani, kunij kichiwa ka kiselia mayan, pal pewa patani. Ka su te kichiwa kiunij, ne tutuchin te keman patani, maya kichia ne takwal tik ishumul.

So first the mother feeds it, and when it sees that the baby bird is already able to fly, it makes it go hungry so that it will start to fly. Because if it doesn’t do that, the baby bird will never fly, it will just wait for food in its nest.