Texts

Ne techanchanejket tesu welituyat taketzat tik Español, nan welit katka tawawasuat nan amataketzat. Yajika, kwak ajsiket ne takamet istak, yejemet tesu kimatit tay inat ne takamet wan ne siwatket.

The inhabitants couldn’t speak Spanish, and they didn’t know how to read and write. So when the white men came, they didn’t understand what the men and women were saying.

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.

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.

Ella es una mujer.

Esta es una mujer.

¿Qué hace la mujer?

La mujer trabaja en el patio.

Una mujer.

Una gallina y un gallo están en el corral.

Tikita nikan (nian) se kawayujchin, se mistunchin ne kijkitzkia (kitkijkia) se kimichinchin; ka ne ume peluchichin ka mutalua sin ke tzutawa ishpan inan? Ka nikan (nian) se tukat kenha nemi kicha ivavayu pal kitzkia ijijkwich iwan sayulin; ka ne se taltusan iwan ne weweyak iwan wan kwekwelna ijistit kwilewa ne tal, kitemua sijsikat pal kikwa; mas ka ne se takatzin ke musewia itan ne tunal chichinawi kipupua ne kojtan pal tik yaja kituka: tawiyal, shishikama, et, kamu, kanyash, ayu, talkamu, pula, kinia iwan teya muchi yaja ne tik techan timunekit; tik ini lado, se siwatuchti wan ume ipilawanchichin kinma' inchichit; tik ne seuk se at ka tzikwini wan wetzi ka patak kojtik pak wejwey wan tzijtzitzintik talpetat ka yaja ne at patak kutzajtzi saya mukwepa istak pusu iwan ini iwan mukwepa senpa pal yawi tik ne weya ujti; at tik wejwey ustut muitat panut mijmiak clases mijmichin, chakalin, tekwisi, ajayutzin iwan majmayankamet akukemet.

Ves aquí un caballito, un gatito que cazó un ratoncillo; allá dos perritos que corren sin cansarse cerca a la madre? Acá una araña que parece estar haciendo su tela para cazar moscas y mosquitos; allí un topo, que, con sus largas y corvadas uñas escarba la tierra, buscando hormigas para comérselas; más allá un hombre que sin descansar bajo el ardiente sol limpia el campo para en él sembrar maíz, jícama, frijoles, yuca, caña, oyama, batata, plátano, guineo y de todo lo que en el pueblo hace falta; en este lado, una coneja con sus dos conejuelos al pie dándoles de mamar; en ese otro, un río que salta y cae de muy alto sobre grandes y duras peñas, por lo que el agua hace mucho ruido volviéndose blanca y ésta, aquella otra vez, para seguir su largo camino, río que en sus profundas pozas vense pasar muchas clases de peces, camarones, cangrejos, tortugas y hambrientos caimanes.

When they say there is going to be a big storm, so they say, in the wind that comes by there come men and women in the wind such that they come to carry off ears of corn for them to eat. Thus the milpas were left broken, quite flattened, with many ears of corn disfigured with a look like pustules. Those were the ears of corn that the Chilteopaners took, according to my grandfather and my grandmother.

On the third day after the storm had passed and they had eaten the turkey, there came two men and a woman to look for it. They arrived at the house of the man who had caught it because they more or less already knew who had caught it.

In a little while the woman came out.

He saw clearly that the woman was coming but at that time he recognized her, (thinking that) he saw a woman named Leonarda.

Kwikak ne siwat ichan neyuk siwat itukay Lionaj. Wan Lionaj kichiwtuk sentir sujsul sesek, yajika muketztuk peyna bien tayua; kitatia tit pal panu isesek.

He took the woman to the house of the other woman named Leonarda and (this) Leonarda had been very cold. So she had gotten up late at night to light the fire to get over being cold.