The Talking Dog
Mrs. Guerrero reports a mysterious encounter a man named Tony Meat-talk had with a dog.
Speaker:
Mrs. Guerrero reports a mysterious encounter a man named Tony Meat-talk had with a dog.
The Talking Dog (English)
There's a.. uh.. old medicine man that we had here in the rancheria, went- always went up to cut wood…which they did all- when there's good weather, all summer, all summer long, you know to prepare for winter. So he went up, and he cut quite a load. Got very tired, sitting down, and wiping his perspiration away, and he said, his dog was watching him. Then he said he looked at the dog and dog looked at him… And then, pretty soon he said to the dog, he said, "why don't you help me! What good are you? You should help me!" So the dog looked at him, quite a while and then he said, held up his paws and said, "look at my paws, he's, look at my (hand,)" He said, "I can't do nothing," he said, "with my hands like this." So he told us, he said, "don't you kids ever talk to dog," he say, "because he'll answer you." Of course with us it went in one ear and came out the other.
The Talking Dog (Northern Pomo)
ʔal bo:wt̪u jaʔyem
This old man from around here, to the west,
This old man from around here, to the west,
yaʔ matu:namo:wmu:l
that doctor of ours,
that doctor of ours,
dano dile: hay pʰich'on xolhun
in those hills, was going around chopping wood.
in those hills, was going around chopping wood.
nan mu:l ʔul (uh) bachu:hi jima:jin
And then, having gotten tired, sitting down,
And then, having gotten tired, sitting down,
t̪iyi jima hin meʔ mu:l miyimi
saying he sat down, that's what he told us.
saying he sat down, that's what he told us.
nan mu: t̪iyi mishe: dapʰaʔan jiman
And there, sitting wiping sweat off himself,
And there, sitting wiping sweat off himself,
nan t̪iʔ hayunamu:lyaʔ t̪it̪i jalil pʰik'upʰik'un t̪it̪i jadin jiman
and his dog was just scrutinizing him, sitting watching him.
and his dog was just scrutinizing him, sitting watching him.
nakan t̪iyi
So then, he (said),
So then, he (said),
tsinakan t̪a ma k'o t̪o: daxanhaʔ
"Why don't you help me?
"Why don't you help me?
t̪a mt̪o k'o t̪o: xa:pʰit'anhaʔ
Don't you feel sorry for me?"
Don't you feel sorry for me?"
nan jalil k'o mannaʔ t̪ʰin ma na
And just "You're a worthless thing!"
And just "You're a worthless thing!"
hin ʔa: himi hayunamo:wal
I said to him, the dog.
I said to him, the dog.
nakan t̪o: t'i:n jadin jiman
So then sitting watching me for a looong time,
So then sitting watching me for a looong time,
she: ʔul t̪iʔ t̪ʰananamu:l (dewjin) do:jin
finally holding up that hand of his,
finally holding up that hand of his,
kʰe t̪ʰananamu:l t̪a ma k'o jadinhaʔ
"Don't you see my hand?
"Don't you see my hand?
tsinan t̪a ʔa: mu:l kʰe t̪ʰananamili hay pʰewkʰeʔ
How will I pick up wood with my hand?
How will I pick up wood with my hand?
tsin t̪a mu:l ʔa: ha:chinam pʰewkʰeʔ
How will I pick up the axe?"
How will I pick up the axe?"
hin t̪o: himi
saying that to me!
saying that to me!
nakan ʔa: jalil jiman
So then I was just sitting,
So then I was just sitting,
k'o jano:dinhan
speechless.
speechless.
minakan k'o ma:
So that is the reason you all won't talk to that type of dog, when (you do,)
So that is the reason you all won't talk to that type of dog, when (you do,)
hayunameʔyajul janolowmoʔdakʰena
When (you) talk to that type of dog,
When (you) talk to that type of dog,
mu:lyaʔ mit̪o hayiʔkʰena
that thing will answer you.
that thing will answer you.