Wusu Poto Kunosece (The Time I Was Sick)
Inspired by a text found in A Grammar of Kham by David E. Watters, ©2002, Cambridge University Press.
Wusu poto kunosece, poto kuno kuttalace, setta-seje calloboloce. Degelace mudu todusu, modo-dunnoboloce.
Modo dunno sedece. Degi sedece mudu todusu, wudu yedenadana nodana. Kuno kuttadanace, kuno dadanace jidi banodu.
Jidi yedenakena ŋene jede kaddedana yedenadana. Cedubeli wudu noye nomekenama; yebe gada nome deyekenanu xokesu, deye deyekenanu wukedu dadullowa xokedu.
Kidi giŋine kudi giŋine kullodanace. Xotoxoto ŋehele xosu kenni kannece. Xotoxoto piŋi cannoce, gohogoho basa cannoce. Selemona, “Setta telloja. Kadde tetta telloja. Cewadu gehe kadde telloja.” Sada kuno wodanace yedenadana.
Wososu dunnolebe besedi genebe. Sedetosa bese madedi genesa. Kadde kadde nosa cewadu. Kuno kuttasamona wudu yedenamona, jede kadde tetta deyesamona cewane. Sesamona, “laca lewa yisida sededa yeleda. Kenni tettajamo, no! Gehe kaddeja mowadu, no!” Wososu yedenadana kenni tettadanace.
Sesamona, “Laca yisimo kuno dajamo yebe kelekede gadodu, da!” Kuno dadanace yebe gadodu. Gada kugidananu piŋi ŋehele xotoxotope. Xosape yedenadana deyedana, xotoyidedu jede kaddedana wosape.
Besedi genesa sede deyesace koxodu gelisu. Dace koxodu, degice mudu todusu, doŋi delloce.
Poto kuno-wo-noyelace wosape.
Translation
When I was sick, I was very sick, I was almost dying. I lay down on the mat and I dreamed.
I am dreaming. I am laying down on the mat, when the wind spirits come. They grab me and take me to the bottom of a dry wash.
These spirits play with the dry wash spirits. They make dust devils, (and) they make appear a pool of water in the distance, (and then) make it disappear before you can go there.
They drag me through rocks and through thorns. I am hit all over my body. I feel pain all over, and I feel all kinds of bad. I say to them, “You must stop! You must stop doing this! You must be good to me!” But the spirits do not hear me.
Then, I see my great-uncle. He was my grandmother’s uncle. He comes to help me. He grabs the wind spirits and stops them playing with me. He says to them, “This person is my daughter. Stop hitting her! Be good to her!” Then the spirits stop hitting me.
He says, “Take my daughter to the sacred pool.” They take me to the pool. They wash away the pain from all over my body. Then the spirits leave there and they play elsewhere.
My great-uncle puts me on the path to home. Then I am sent home, and I lay down on the mat, and I wake up.
I began to be not sick after.