Texts

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

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.

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.

Yajika kwak naja nichikitik maya niksajsajsaka kumal pal niknamaka. Iwan ipatiw chupi naka pal nikua tay nimuneki, wan chupi pal nimukwepa nikua senpa kumal.

So when I was a boy I just carried kumals to sell (in the market). What I earned was hardly enough to pay for what I needed and to buy more kumals.

Niktaya ne tal pal niktuka ne mil, pal tik nukal muchi nupijpilawan wan nusiwaw te kiseliat mayan. Kiunij panuk sujsul shijshiwit.

I worked the land and grew corn so that my children and wife wouldn’t go hungry. So the years went by.

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:

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:

“Who is that brother who sings like that?”

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

—Ka naja niknekiskia ma shiwi timusenpua nikan iwan tumajmanujwan wan shikinmachti taketzat Nawat. Tiawit timetztashtawat pal metzti ume tzunti tumin. Ken tina? Nemi yek?

“Because I’d like you to come and join our brethren here and teach them to speak Nawat. We’ll pay you 200 colones a month. Well, what do you say?”

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.

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.

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

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,

and we also ask you never to abandon us for if you leave us Father Sun may kill us in his anger.

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

Father Corn, we ask you never to abandon us in our home, for if you are absent from our home we shall endure hunger.

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.

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!

Kwak yaja kinekituya mukwepa asumati, mukwepa. Mukwepa maya kwak yaja kineki tamutia.

He could turn into a monkey whenever he wanted to. He only did so when he wanted to give someone a fright.

Kwak se siwat kiwetzi yek kinutza. Wan su te kineki, kunij yawi ka tayua, wan ne kan kuchi ajsi kinapalua wan kichiwa ma isiwaw.

When he fancied a woman he called to her. If she wasn’t interested, then he would come at night to where she was sleeping to hold her and make her his wife.

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.

Ne tzikat techmachtia ken muchiwa pal te tikseliat mayan. Yejemet ashta ne mas chikitik ashta ne mas tumak tekitit. Ne tesu nemi kaj kintuktia; muchi tekitit.

The ant teaches us what we should do in order not to go hungry. From the smallest to the largest, they work. There is nobody there to give orders; everybody works.

Ne tzikat techmachtia ken muchiwa pal te tikseliat mayan. Yejemet ashta ne mas chikitik ashta ne mas tumak tekitit. Ne tesu nemi kaj kintuktia; muchi tekitit.

The ant teaches us what we should do in order not to go hungry. From the smallest to the largest, they work. There is nobody there to give orders; everybody works.

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.

Kiunij panu iwan miak takamet wan siwatket. Kiseliat mayan ka tesu kinekit tekitit.

So it is with some men and women. They go hungry because they don’t want to work.

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.

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.

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.

And with this my song ends here where we meet, don’t forget, dark one, I carry you in my heart.