Texts

Since they couldn’t read and write, I only spoke Nawat.

Teaching Nawat

Senpa nipejki niajsi ka ne tiupan San Antonio ne nitamachtia Nawataketza, tik ne kojtantechan San Ramón. Ne palej kimakaket chupi tumin pal kinmaka ne tajtakamet pal kikuat abono ipal ne mil, wan né kishtij chupi pal nechtashtawa pal nitamachtia Nawat tik ne kojtantechan.

Then I started going to San Antonio church, in San Ramón, where I taught Nawat language. The priest received money to distribute to the men to buy fertilizer for their fields, and from that he set aside a small amount to pay me for teaching Nawat there.

Senpa nipejki niajsi ka ne tiupan San Antonio ne nitamachtia Nawataketza, tik ne kojtantechan San Ramón. Ne palej kimakaket chupi tumin pal kinmaka ne tajtakamet pal kikuat abono ipal ne mil, wan né kishtij chupi pal nechtashtawa pal nitamachtia Nawat tik ne kojtantechan.

Then I started going to San Antonio church, in San Ramón, where I taught Nawat language. The priest received money to distribute to the men to buy fertilizer for their fields, and from that he set aside a small amount to pay me for teaching Nawat there.

Nechilwij ne tunal keman yawi muchiwa ne congreso pal naja niajsi. Wan kiunij kichiwket pal nechishmatit ne ishmatijket. Kitaket ka naja niweli nitaketza Nawat wan nusan nitawawasua. Anka yajika ka ne nawi congreso nechilwijket ka yawit nechmakat nutekiw.

She told me the date of the conference so that I would come. And that is how the specialists met me. They saw that I could speak Nawat and write it too. Maybe that is why they told me I would have work in four conferences.

Singing for God

Né nitaketzki ne taketzalis ipal ne Tiut. Nusan nitakwikak takwikalis ipal ne Tiut.

There I spoke the language for God. I also sang for God.

Né nitaketzki ne taketzalis ipal ne Tiut. Nusan nitakwikak takwikalis ipal ne Tiut.

There I spoke the language for God. I also sang for God.

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:

“Call him over, I want to speak to him.”

So they called me over and I went to talk to him, and he said to me:

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

Kunij walajtuya se nawataketza ipal Meshikal pal tamachtia ne Nawataketzalis, wan kenhayuk kinetuya kaj kipalewia iwan muchi ne tajtamachtiani. Né ninemik kashtuli tunal iwanmet. Né nechishmatijket ka naja niweli nitaketza Nawat, wan kwak nemik ukseseyuk senputzuat teya nechajkawket ma te niu.

Then a Nahuatl speaker from Mexico came to teach the language, and once more he wanted somebody to help him with the teachers. I was there with them for two weeks. There I was recognised for my knowledge of Nawat, and afterwards I got invited to all the meetings.

How We Prayed

Yejemet tesu kimatit, ken an tejemet tikmatit, ka nemi se Tiut ka te tikishmatit. Yejemet kishmatit katka tay kitat, ken ne tunal, ne at, ne tal, ne tawial, ne kwajkwawit, ne kojtan: ipal itakwal, ipal ne tapewil, wan ne kwajkwawit pal kisaluat itakil pal tikwat pal te tikseliat mayan.

They didn’t realise, as we now know, that there is a God whom we didn’t know. They recognised the things they could see, such as the sun, the rain, the land, maize, trees, and nature, which provided their food, game, and fruit-bearing trees for food so as not to endure hunger.

Therefore everybody prayed when they saw the sun rising and asked it to protect us through the day until dark.

We also thank you because the trees blossom on account of you in order to bear fruit which grows, then ripens and when ripe is picked for eating.

For this we thank you, Father Sun, because you make the trees bear fruit.

We ask you, oh Tlaloc! when you see that Father Sun is very angry with us, to come and spray us so that he doesn’t kill us in his anger,

You, Mother Rain, do not see who is good, and who is evil; you flood all the earth so that the fields and the trees will flourish.

Padiush, Nan Tal, ka taja tikitak kwak ninesik, tikitak kwak nipejki niweya, kwak nimuchiwki takat. Mupanpa naja niwelik nikchiwa muchi tay niwelik tik ne tunal, ninemik wejwey takapiltzin, nechmunekiket pal nitekitik iwanmet. Panu sujsul tunal wan nimuchiwki chulet, kunij teya akaj nechneki kwak nikukuya, maya nuiknuwan, kenhayuk nechnekit pero ajsi keman teya akaj nechneki, nan nuiknuwan, ajsi se tunal ka naja nimiki, kunij nan nusiwaw nan nupilawan nechnekit, yawit nechmimat ken kimimat ne kupajsul tik ne kupajsultal, maya taja, Tunan Tal, ashta kwak timikit titechneki ka kunij tiktapua mumajmajkul pal titechnamiki. Yajika timetzilwitiat padiush, Tunan Tal!

Thank you, Mother Earth, because you saw when I was born, you saw when I began to grow, when I became an adult. Thanks to you I was able to do everything I did today, I had a long youth, I was needed for work. After many days I grew old, then nobody wants me when I am ill, only my brothers, they still love me but the day will come when nobody wants me, not even my brothers, the day will come when I die, then not even my wife and my children will want me, they will throw me out as they throw out rubbish, only you, Mother Earth, want us even when we die, for then you open your arms to receive us. For that I thank you, Mother Earth!

Wan su se takat kimujmuchteki, yaja kiejtakua wan kimiktia. Yaja kitalia isala wilisnaj, pal su se kimujmuchteki nemanha kimiktia.

And if anybody tried to rob him, he destroyed and killed them. He put on his torn trousers so that if anybody robbed him he could kill them straight away.

Pejkia ne shupan! Pejkia wetzi ne at! Muchi ne jaral yawi mulini wan ne tal yawia shushuknajkisa. Ne takwalmet yawita kipiat itakwal, yawit mutaliat tumawak wan te yawit kiseliat mayan. Yajika ne tushupan yaja techtakwaltia muchi tay tinemit ijpak ne tal, wan kichiwa ka tuweyka mutetzilnajkisa, tumawaya wan weya. Yajika, kaj kenka Tiut? ka yaja techtuktia ne at; kituktia ne shalnaj ejekat pal tikijiukwit; ne tunal pal techtawilua ne tal kan tiktaliat tujtukshi pal weyat ne kwajkwawit pal tikutunat wan iwan yaja tiketzat ne tukal kan tinemit; nusan ne kan nemit ne tukujkunew, kan te techmaka ne tunal, kan tesu tisekmikit. Yajika kaj weliskia kichiwa tay Tiut kichiwa tuwan?

Winter has begun! The rain has begun to fall! All the fields will sprout and the land will turn green. The animals will have their food, they will grow fat and will not go hungry. Therefore our winter feeds us all who are upon the earth, and makes our body grow full, healthy and strong. Therefore, who is like unto God? for he sends us rain; he sends us air to breathe; the sun to cast light on the earth on which we tread so that the trees will grow and we can cut wood with which to build our homes where we live; where our children also live, where we shelter from the sun, where we do not feel the cold. Therefore who else could do what God does for us?

The ant, when there are other animals about that can eat it, does not go out to look for food. It waits until nightfall to start going out to look for its food.

An tikitakan ne tzilintuk. Yaja panu muchi ne tunalku takwika. Yajika kwak witz ne shupan miki ipal sesek wan mayan.

Now let’s look at the cicada. It spends the whole summer singing. So when winter arrives, it dies of cold and hunger.

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.

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.

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.

At the foot of a hill where the flowers grow, I saw a girl carrying water.

And when I saw her alone I went to talk to her, smiling she said: What do you want from me?

In my village we make pottery, kumals are for sale, and we come to buy our food and other things too.