Translated by Barbara Levy,
George Bryant, and Amy Miller
Notes and synopsis
This story was told to Abe Halpern by Jessie Webb Escalante on April 22, 1980. Halpern later reviewed his transcript of the story with Ernest Cachora.
The main character in this story is a person who has a habit of annoying ants by poking their nest with a stick. Eventually an angry ant pulls both the man and his horse into the nest. Man and horse are held captive for such a long time that the man’s family and friends begin to mourn his death. Finally, the man and his horse are released and return home. The horse, once pure white, is now covered with red spots which are the handprints of ants.
In some ways, this is a simple story explaining a fact of nature: how the appaloosa got his spots. At a deeper level, however, the story is revealing about Quechan literature, culture, and worldview. It takes place at the beginning of time, and its characters are among the First People. It features a theme favored in Quechan oral literature: the main character’s love of his home and people. No explanation is given for the man’s behavior, and none is needed: in Quechan culture, people are the way they are, and others around them accept this. In the end, the man understands that what has happened to him is the consequence of his own actions.
Pa'iipáats suuváat. |
Someone was over there. |
Pa'iipáats nyaváyk suuváa. |
Someone was living over there. |
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Pa'iipáats 'atáyk nyaváyk viivák, |
A lot of people were living here, |
athúus |
but |
athótk |
it happened |
aváts 'ashéntək alyuuváapətəka. |
that this (person) was the only one (who did it). |
Tsam'athúlyəm éevtək uuváat. |
He bothered ants. |
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'Anyáayk viithíim, |
When the sun came up, |
amanək, |
he got up, |
tsam'athúly nyaványa, |
and as for the ants’ nest, |
tsam'athúly kéek a'ét. |
he was going to stir up the ants. |
'Anyétsəts nyuu'ítsk. |
We say that. |
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Tsam'athúly kéek uuváak. |
He went about stirring up the ants. |
Nyaványa ka'ák viiwáam |
He went along kicking their nest, |
uukakyáav. |
going all around it. |
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Awétk uuváat. |
That’s what he was doing. |
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Nyáavəm éevtək, |
He bothered these (ants), |
'ashéntək alyuuváak awétk uuváa. |
and he was the only one who did. |
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Tsam'athúly 'avá xalykwáak awétk, |
He looked for ants’ nests, and so, |
uuváat. |
there he was. |
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Vuuváam, |
Here he was, |
uuyóov va'árək, |
and they always watched him, |
tsam'athúlyavats, |
those ants, |
uuyóovk vuunóotsáa, |
they watched him, but |
nyamuuév aly'émətək vuunóo. |
they didn’t bother him. |
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Vuunóom, |
Here they were, |
vuuváatk, |
and here he was, |
vatháts, |
this (person), |
'anyáa atspák viithíim, |
and the sun came up, |
nyáanyəm éevtək, |
and he bothered them, |
nyáanyəm éevtək uuváat. |
he kept on bothering them. |
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Uuyóovt, |
They watched him, |
avuuváak, |
and there he was, |
nyáavəts, |
this (person), |
'axátt-ts siiv'áwəm, |
and there was a horse over there, |
atháwk alyvák viiyáa. |
and he took it and went riding on it. |
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Makyéely aakwíink aváatk a'étk athúm. |
He was planning to turn around somewhere and come back. |
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Xátt xamáaly nyiipáq kwa'ítsənyts. |
It was a pure white horse. |
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Uuváak, |
There he was, |
kór alynyaayémək uuváa. |
he was there for a long time. |
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Nyaawínyəm'áshk viiyáak. |
He went along doing it once again. |
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Viiyáaxáyəm, |
He went along, and suddenly, |
tsam'athúlyənyts atspákəta. |
an ant came out, they say. |
Ayúutka. |
And he saw him. |
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Siiv'áwt. |
He stood there. |
Aváts 'axáttəny alyta'ór alyaskyíik a'éxaym, |
This (man) was still on top of the horse, and suddenly |
nyiiv'áwtk viiv'áwt. |
(the ant) was standing there. |
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“Móo, |
“Okay, |
maapa'iipáa, |
you person, |
máanyts mawíi va'árək viimuuváak, |
you are the one who is always doing that, |
ammawíim, |
that’s what you do, |
'ayúutk 'awétkítya,” |
I’ve seen it,” |
a'íi, |
he said, |
a'ávəks, |
and (the man) heard it, or |
a'étk uu'áv lyavíitəm, |
he heard something like that, |
a'ávək siiv'áw. |
and he stood there listening. |
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Kórəly nyaa'ím, |
After a while, |
'axáttəny ayáak nyiktaxpályk, |
(the ant) went after the horse and pulled him, |
nyavály alyaakxávət. |
and he took them into the nest. |
Tsam'athúly nyavály alyaakxávək, |
He took them into the ants’ nest, |
iiwáa. |
all by himself. |
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Nyaaiiwáamk, |
All by himself, |
vanyaawáam, |
he took them away, |
'avá alyaakxáva. |
and he brought them into the nest. |
'Amátt maxák aakxávətəm. |
He took them under the ground. |
Nyaváyapátk siivák athúm, |
(Other ants) were living there too, and so, |
alyaakxáv. |
he took them in. |
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Ayúutk siiv'áwət. |
(The man) stood there looking. |
'Amáttənyts 'axwétt-tək. |
The ground was red. |
Pa'iipáavəts 'axwétt-tək athótəm, |
The (ant) people were red, and so, |
ayúutk siiv'áw. |
he stood there looking. |
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Pa'iipáats athót, |
They were people, |
'axwéttk, |
and they were red, |
pa'iipáanyanyts. |
those people (were). |
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Athúm, |
So, |
pa'iipáanyts vaathíik apák, |
those (ant) people came, |
'axáttəny uuyóovək vuuv'ótsk, |
and they stood there looking at the horse, |
séx a'étk vuuv'ótst. |
they stood there in a crowd. |
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'Axáttənyts xamáaly nyiipáq a'étum. |
The horse was pure white. |
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Viithíik, |
(One of them) came, |
'axáttəny apásk a'áv. |
and he touched the horse with the palm of his hand. |
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'Axátt-ts athótəm ayúutk, |
He saw that it was a horse, |
apásk a'ávək a'étk uuváat. |
and he wanted to touch it. |
Tsam'athúly 'ashéntəts nyiivapáay. |
One of the ants leaned on it. |
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Iisháalya — |
His hands — |
athúts, |
he did it, |
nyiitsáam. |
he put them down there. |
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Axtátt nyiitsáam, |
He put them down on the (horse’s) back, |
sharéq, |
he took hold of him, |
avík atsáam, |
he put (his hands) down there, |
awím, |
and so, |
awétk suuváat. |
he went about doing it. |
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Suuváam, |
There he was, |
vatháts ayúuk suuváa. |
and this (man) was watching. |
'Amáttəvats xáam athúum ayúuk suuváatk, |
He saw that the place was different, |
amétk suuváat, |
and he was weeping, |
kaathóm takuuvékxats athúulyemtəm. |
(because) there was no way he could return. |
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Suuváam, |
There he was, |
pa'iipáanyənyts shataméevək vuunóok. |
and the people (back home) were missing him. |
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“Pa'iipáanyts kaathómtan 'anyéwk athómúm?” |
“How could that person have disappeared?” |
a'étk vuunóo. |
they were saying. |
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Uuyóov alyém, |
They didn’t see him, |
shatmatháav. |
and they didn’t know what had happened to him. |
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“Apúykəm athótkitya,” |
“It must be that he has died,” |
a'étk vuunóo. |
they were saying. |
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Matsats'étk vuunóot. |
They were weeping. |
Apúyk a'étk awítya. |
They thought he was dead. |
Matsats'íi vuunóo. |
They were weeping. |
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Vuunóok, |
There they were. |
kór alynyaayéməm, |
and after a while, |
pa'iipáats 'atáytan mattaaévk, |
a lot of people got together, |
matsats'íim viitháwk, |
and they were weeping, |
níimtək viitháw. |
and they got through it. |
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“Móo, |
“Okay, |
nyamáam, |
that’s all, |
apúytək athútya,” |
he is dead,” |
a'ét. |
they said. |
“Kaathómək uuváaxats athúulyəmk,” |
“There’s no way he will be here again,” |
a'étk viitíiv. |
they were saying. |
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'Anyáats vanyaathík, |
Time lay here, |
kór alynyaayémk, |
a long time passed, |
vanyaatháwəm, |
and while they were there, |
takavék — |
he came back — |
uukavék. |
they brought him back. |
Tsam'athúlyənyts atháwk uukavék. |
The ants took him and brought him back. |
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“Móo, |
“Okay, |
nyamáam. |
that’s all. |
Kayémk,” a'ét. |
Go on back,” they said. |
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Uukavék vuuthíik, |
They brought him back, |
nyavány 'avuuyáanyəm shapíittk awét. |
and they closed the door of their house. |
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Atspákt. |
He reappeared. |
'Axáttəny uunaxwíly alyaskyíik atspákt. |
Still leading the horse, he reappeared. |
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Atspák, |
He reappeared, |
avathíim. |
he came (back), |
'axáttənya |
and as for the horse, |
tsam'athúly nyiisháalya nyiitháawətk, |
the ants’ handprints were here and there on his back, |
'axwéttk, |
and they were red, |
'axwéttk athót, |
they were red, and so, |
xamáalyətk 'axwétt. |
(the horse) was white and red. |
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Takavék viithíit. |
He came back. |
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Vatháts apúyk a'étk athúm, |
They thought he was dead, and so, |
nyaashtamatháavk viitíivt. |
they sat here without recognizing him. |
Viitíivxayəm, |
They sat here, and suddenly |
nyiiv'áw a'ét. |
he was standing there. |
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“Ta'axánək athúuk kaathúu?” aaly'étk, |
“Could it really be him?” they wondered, |
ayóovxayəm, |
and they looked, and suddenly |
ta'axánək — |
it really was him — |
aváamək athót! |
he was back! |
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Ayóovət, |
They looked at him, |
matsats'étk siitháw. |
and they were weeping. |
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'Axáttəny láw a'ím ayúuxayəm; |
They turned their heads and looked at the horse; |
'axwéttk, |
they were red, |
iisháalya nyiitháaw, |
the handprints were here and there, |
'axwéttk, |
and they were red, |
'axwéttk a'ét. |
they were red, they say. |
Ayúutk viiv'áw. |
(The people) stood there looking. |
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Anák, |
He sat down, |
mattkanáavək vuunóot. |
and he went about telling his story. |
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Vatháts pa'iipáava xalykwáak vuunóok, |
This one went looking for people, |
aaéevək vuunóok. |
and he gathered them together. |
'Atáytank viivám, |
A lot (of people) were here, |
nyuukanáavək vuunóot. |
and (the man) went about telling them. |
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“ 'Anyáats 'athúu 'ayáaxayəm, |
“I went along doing (that), |
tsam'athúlyəm 'éevək 'uuváam, |
I bothered ants, |
vanyawítsəm 'athúum nya'thúuva,” a'í. |
and this is what they did to me,” he said. |
'Atsuuyúuny kanáavək vuunóot. |
He went about explaining what he had seen. |
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'Axáttəny atháw, |
They took the horse, |
tasháttk uuyóovək vuunóot. |
they stood it there and looked it over. |
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'Axwéttk. |
It was (marked with) red. |
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Axtátt nyiitháaw, |
They were here and there on its back, |
'axwéttk athót, |
and they were red, |
iisháalyənyts. |
the handprints. |
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Athúum, |
So, |
uuyóovək vuunóo. |
they were looking at it. |
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Móo, |
Well, |
nyamáam. |
that’s all. |
Takavék aváak a'étk. |
He came back, they say. |
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Vuunóok athúuk a'étk, |
Here they were, and so, |
nyaamáam. |
that’s all. |
Apáyəx. |
That will be the end. |