Northern Pomo Stories and Texts: Dinner Blessing

Dinner Blessing

This is an excerpt from a longer recording, in which Mrs. Guerrero describes how people would traditionally hold a dinner to give thanks for the safe return of a loved one. (She did this when her son came home from the war.) In this recording, she recites the prayer that would be said to ask blessings for the dinner.

Speaker:

Edna Campbell Guerrero

1

mamu:l

You,

ma: you
-mu:l: -that

You,

2

yaʔma-ʔenamo:w

our Father,

yaʔma-ʔe: our father
-nam: -the
-mo:w: -he

our Father,

3

ʔal maʔa xa:pʰit'ayatilnamu:l dashadiʔim

accept this poor, humble food.

ʔal: this
maʔa: food
xa:pʰit'ayatil: pitiful
-nam: -the
-mu:l: -that
dashadiʔi: accept
-m: -command

accept this poor, humble food.

4

t̪o: xa:pʰit'am

Have pity on me,

t̪o:: me
xa:pʰit'a: pity
-m: -command

Have pity on me,

5

xa:pʰit'ayakʰe ʔa: na

I am to be pitied.

xa:pʰit'a: pity
-ya: -passive
-kʰe: -future
ʔa:: I
na: be

I am to be pitied.

6

jaʔ masan t̪ʰin

I am not a rich person.

jaʔ: person
masan: rich
t̪ʰin: not

I am not a rich person.

7

k'o sho:w

I do not have things.

k'o: thing
sho:w: lack

I do not have things.

8

pʰik'a kal kʰe sho:w

I lack baskets and beads.

pʰik'a: basket
kal: bead
kʰe: my
sho:w: lack

I lack baskets and beads.

9

nan min nant̪e xa:pʰit'ayatil ʔa: mit̪o ʔal min

Even so, humble, I offer this to you,

nan: and
min: thus
nant̪e: but
xa:pʰit'ayatil: humble
ʔa:: I
mit̪o: you
ʔal: this
min: thus

Even so, humble, I offer this to you,

10

mili t̪o: mit̪o xa:pʰit'a:kakʰe

with this, you will take pity on me.

mil: from.that
-wi: -with
t̪o:: me
mit̪o: you
xa:pʰit'a:: pity
-ka: -cause
-kʰe: -future

with this, you will take pity on me.