Texts

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, Lord Fire, we need you so that we will not eat all our food raw, and suffer from indigestion.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tay techmachtia ne tutut, ma tejemet tikchiwakan iwan tupijpilawan. Ne tutut, yaja se tamachtiani, ka techmachtia ken weli mupewa tiktemuat ne tutakwal pal te tikseliat mayan.

What the bird teaches us, let us do with our children. The bird is a teacher indeed, for it teaches us how we should start looking for our own food in order not to go hungry.

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