Folktales

Cuuyamu. I imagine these in an oral storytelling format, so I'm using a lot of repetition and patterns that might sound strange in normal speech. It sounds even stranger when I try to translate back into English. Anyhow, enjoy!

[edit] [top]North Wind and the Wounded Fox

(Originally published in the 2016 CoWriMo thread here)

Yiishiyuu li Utsasita Shìizu

Iludz zitsmuunaqa anlu.

Wim itanati liaaltanpu Yiishiyuu dzaal caj. Liaal çu çalu natii úún shìiluts, zíi talijatutspu sinlu çati san Cajiyuu dzaal itanati. Up cunit sisha imazutsadtu dzaal tunajui ziquuni ñubauts, zíi wim itanati çitiali qáabuña tunaju.

Mutscuudziq bunjatan, tuum tadziq zantutanja dzaal utsasita jashiizu. Tsáátitan jìi inuuçbuçiqii çalu jashiizu, juç wàalintan tuum ziyatazñujtanja.

Zañab çitiiya bibinui miiwitnuçiqii jashiizu, juç muts úuntaita wiaita ñaal ziyataznalu ilaazumtanja.
Zañab ushqa manbibinuali yaztsiñujçiqii.

Asii zañab çàatayia shiçii tsibunuçiqii jashiizu, juç sisha láailñujañinutsa itani yaztsinalu shùutan. Zañab itawiq manshiçiali yiwiqçiqii jashiizu.

Asii zañab qáabuiya buzami jíijatiqçiqii jashiizu, juç mutsshiizu ilaazumtanja dzazii san niali ta itan inuuçuu. Zañab tataani manbuzamali patsyimçiqii jashiizu.

Wim shailatsa quaijaa zíí yàamqutanja Yiishiyuu dzaal jashiizu. Asii yaztsiñujtan suñiita zíí. Zantuçiqii shìizu tuum píitadali nìi quqa ñadiiçiqiipaqi dzaal itan. Úún láaqaçiqiipu dzaal Yiishiyuu up si tsúúnalu cáapcuuçiqii.

Jùubantan çu munati Cajiyuu tuum shaçitanpu dzaal sinpi çati. Cuuyatan cu "Úún wañuzña çalish jazushanti! Dzanu máaji wañutaazi cáapcuushu. Inuuçi sajuutziçija ipiçi tsáátiwu. Wim anlu itanati siyiña quaijaa zaziqi."

Shalinalu táatan Yiishiyuu cu "Wadziintu inuuçña pashduu, up uinuuçzitan ñaal, uyaztsibushu shìizu. Ulaailñujzitsa itan, uyiwiqbushu shìizu. Uinuuçzishu dzazii, upatsyimbushu shìizu. Zulnati aqniaaldaali dziibuyadanaqa çalu shìizu, up máaji úún aqniaalzinaqa, úúwiilñujziduuts anlu tumyu. Dadayidaazadtu dzaal buzamshanti tuum tsazupzinadtu. Úúwiilnalu ááutazliç miwacushi."

Babaazsupu wacu ba çadii dzaal shàati cu cuuyatanpu dzaal wadziintu la caqatsiya.

Dalii adipucija wacu ba çadii dzaal zitsmuu.

English translation

This will be a story from long ago.

During late winter, the North Wind came south. Coming at that time is not normal, because the late winter is associated with her sister, South Wind. But sometimes she visits in order to meet her friends, because in late winter her friends are cold and hungry.

She arrived in a clearing in the forest, and there she noticed a wounded fox cub. She thought that the fox cub would soon die, so she felt compassion and took it into her arms.

Because of the cold, the cub could be felt trembling, so she carried it in her arms to a hollow dead tree. Because of the shelter, the cub stopped trembling as it became warm.

Then because of thirst, the cub could be heard panting, so she blew warm air in order to melt the snow. Because of the melted snow, the cub stopped panting as it drank.

Then because of hunger, the cub looked as if it was weak, so she brought to the fox a mouse that had died in the snow. Because of the food, the cub stopped being weak as it ate.

While many days passed, North Wind watched over the fox cub. Then a new day came when it became warm. The fox noticed the warmth of spring and jumped up, shaking the snow from its fur. It did not look at North Wind but immediately ran away.

At that time South Wind was passing by, and she laughed at her sister. She said, "Those young ones are never polite. It left without even saying a polite thank you. I think that it would have been better to let it die. Many creatures do, in my winter."

North Wind gently replied, "It is true that many die. But if the tree had not died, the fox would not have been warm. If the snow had not melted, the fox would not have drank. If the mouse had not died, the fox would not have eaten. It is possible that the fox will return someday and it may be grateful, but even if it does not return, my nature cannot change. I protect the weak ones, and you release them. We each provide in a different way."

I give to you the decision of whether she spoke truth or falsehood.

And now the story has passed from me to you.

Bonus Comments
The Shàalilu live in the southern hemisphere, which is why the north wind is warm and the south wind is cold.

I did a few things with vocabulary that I could not exactly translate into English. For one, in the first half of the tale the fox is called a jashiizu, a child-fox, which I translated as fox cub. After it wakes up and leaves, it is always referred to as shìizu, a fox. Perhaps the narrator finds it not quite so innocent at that point.

When South Wind says that the fox did not even say thank you, she uses the verb wañutaaz, which means to express gratitude using polite but perfunctory thanks. North Wind says that it might return and be grateful, using the verb dziibuya, which means to express gratitude that is truly reflected in one's heart.

Also, when South Wind says that many creatures die, she uses the word quaijaa, which means some unspecified number more than several. Her sister, when she replies that indeed many die, uses instead pashduu, which means a large part of a group. The implication is that North Wind is more sensitive to the existence of all the living creatures, while South Wind was only noting the ones she saw dying off.

In Cuuyamu, the fox is an animate creature while wind is inanimate, but in English I used the opposite choice of referring to the winds as "she" and the fox as "it". No special significance in that, it was just an interesting feature of translating between the two languages.

I imagine the first and last lines would be stock phrases often used in stories, something like "once upon a time" and "happily ever after".

I also feel like I should point out that this story is about North Wind, so South Wind doesn't come across as a very nice character. She's not evil, just harsh and sometimes cruel. South Wind has her own stories as well.

✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article

Comments