Texts

Nipejki niaw ka tamachtiluyan kwak nikpiatuya majtakti shiwit. Maya nimumachtij ume taksaya.

I started going to school at the age of ten. I only studied up to second grade.

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:

—Kia, nikan tikpiat se tuikaw ka yaja weli taketza Nawat. Su te ankinekit techishtiliat, kunij kia welit antaketzat iwan, wan su amejemet kinekit mumachtiat, welit anwitzet pal annemit tuwan.

“Yes, we have a brother here who can speak Nawat. If you don’t take him away from here, then you can talk to him, and if you want to learn you may come and study with us.”

Panuk ka nechilwijket ma niajsi ka Kulalmumachtiani pal nechishmatit. Kiunij panuk, pejki niajsi pal nechishmatit, wan kwak nechishmatket, ne nantzin Vicky de Amaya nechilwij:

Then they invited me to visit the Students’ Circle. So along I went, and when they met me, Mrs. Vicky de Amaya said to me:

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 nipanuk nitekiti iwan ne Kulalmumachtiani. Nemanha, tik ne shiwit 1987, nitekitik wan ASID ne nitekitik yey shiwit. Wan kwak nipejki nitekiti ka né, pejket ajsit ne ipal CONCULTURA pal nechilwiat su nikneki niaw tik se muputzuat miak tamachtianit ka kinekit mumachtiat Nawat.

I went on working for the Students’ Circle. Then, in 1987, I worked for ASID for three years. And when I started working there, the people from CONCULTURA came and invited me to a meeting of a number of professors who wanted to study Nawat.

Né nipanuk nitekiti iwan ne Kulalmumachtiani. Nemanha, tik ne shiwit 1987, nitekitik wan ASID ne nitekitik yey shiwit. Wan kwak nipejki nitekiti ka né, pejket ajsit ne ipal CONCULTURA pal nechilwiat su nikneki niaw tik se muputzuat miak tamachtianit ka kinekit mumachtiat Nawat.

I went on working for the Students’ Circle. Then, in 1987, I worked for ASID for three years. And when I started working there, the people from CONCULTURA came and invited me to a meeting of a number of professors who wanted to study Nawat.

You are responsible for the cooking of chicken soup, beef soup, chipilin soup, loroco and tomato rice, opossum pinole, venison pinole.

Yajika, mupanpa ne tuweyka mumati yek ka ne tuelishku nemi tentuk wan tiwelit tikchiwat tay tejemet tiknekit. Yajika timetzilwiat padiush, Teku Sinti.

Therefore, thanks to you our body is content because our stomach is full and we can do what we wish. Therefore we say: thank you, Father Corn.

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!

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.