Texts

Nutukay Genaro Ramírez Vásquez. Ninesik tik Witzapan tik ne metzti chiknawi ipal ne shiwit 1933, ne ikunew Juana Ramírez wan Catarino Vásquez. Nunan itekiw muchi pal ne kal, wan nuteku itekiw tik ne kojtan. Ne ume ipal Kushkatan.

My name is Genaro Ramirez Vasquez. I was born in Santo Domingo de Guzmán in September, 1933, the son of Juana Ramirez and Catarino Vasquez. My mother was a housewife, and my father worked in the fields. Both were from El Salvador.

Nutukay Genaro Ramírez Vásquez. Ninesik tik Witzapan tik ne metzti chiknawi ipal ne shiwit 1933, ne ikunew Juana Ramírez wan Catarino Vásquez. Nunan itekiw muchi pal ne kal, wan nuteku itekiw tik ne kojtan. Ne ume ipal Kushkatan.

My name is Genaro Ramirez Vasquez. I was born in Santo Domingo de Guzmán in September, 1933, the son of Juana Ramirez and Catarino Vasquez. My mother was a housewife, and my father worked in the fields. Both were from El Salvador.

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.

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:

—Yawi nemi se congreso ipal ne Nawataketza. Nimetzilwia ka su tikneki, weli titechpalewia iwan muchi ne tajtamachtiani.

“There is going to be a conference about the Nawat language. I am telling you because if you like, you can come and help us with all the professors.”

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:

So the brethren told him that the brother who was singing was from Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

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.

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.

That year I went to Honduras; in 1993 I went to Mexico (I was in the state of Campeche); in 1994 I went to Guatemala (I accompanied a junior Tempisque dance group); in 1995 I went to Mexico again (I was in the province of Tlashkala, where we met native-language-speaking craftsmen); and in 2000 I went to Paraguay.

I have done all this with the help of God, and the help of my head!

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.

Father Sun, we thank you for having risen to stay with us all day to give us light and warm us so that we will not suffer cold because without your warmth we could die of cold.

Tik muaw nemi chakalin, michin, tekwisij, sipakti; tejtet, ashal, pulul, pial ipal ne tal; wan muchi tay taja tikpia muchi timunekit. Yajika padiush Tiut Apan.

In your waters live shrimp, fish, crabs and salamanders; stones, sand, mud, and creatures of the earth; and all the things you have are everything that we need. For this we thank you, God of the River!

We ask you, Lord Fire, not to abandon us, because if you are not with us then we shall not be able to cook the food that accompanies our tortillas.

Ipal yaja tesu nemituya kal nemi tzaktuk. Yaja weli kalaki melka nemi tzaktuk.

For him no house was ever closed. He could get in even if the door was locked.

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.

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.

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

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