Texts

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

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.

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.

Mother Rain, we thank you for making the fruit grow, for you irrigate the land so that the grass will germinate and the trees will grow green and blossom.

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.

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?

Ne ikal ne tzikat tentuk iwan takwal. Yaja tesu keman musewia kitemua takwal. Yaja kitemua iswat wan takil ipal ne kwajkwawit.

The ant’s home is full of food. It never stops looking for food. It hunts for the leaves and fruit of trees.