TASADAY CAVE TAPES

TAPE I, SIDE 2

Part 4. Sentences 301-400

 

Acknowledgments. The individuals whose names appear below in bold font assisted in the transcription and interpretation of all or part of this tape. Their invaluable help is hereby gratefully acknowledged. I am also indebted to Pascal Lays for reading through and commenting on the transcriptions of each of the tapes. I wish to express my gratitude also for the assistance of the late Manual Elizalde Jr. in providing me with a copy of the original tape.

KEY to Abbreviations

Ad
Adug
Ll
Lolo'
Be
Belayem
Lo
Lobo
Da
Dafal
Ma
Mahayag
Di
Dina
Od
Odo'
Dl
Dula
Ok
Okon
Du
Dul
Sa
Sasa'
Gi
Gintuy
Si
Sindi'
Ig
Igna
Sk
Sikey
Ke
Kelis
Ss
Sius
Ku
Kuletow
Ud
Udelen
Le
Lefonok
   

 

 

Be
301. Ya hunan di, guwa'en seba'en bata', ma'en idu ké'é, amuk siya egoh di pilay basag? 302. Hunan di, antap ku, du'en nanam humidu.
301. That is why, a child says, how can he do that whenever he fells a sago palm? 302. That is why, I think, there is someone who is showing pity.(fn. 1)
Ma
303. Oho'.
303. Yes.
Be
304. Tumakas de huma'a kumali biking dalem luyung, dalem dalig. 305. Tumakas de huma'a pumilay basag, anan de mekesadang de'atas tengulun sak kayu. 306. Anan de mekesandig da'atas tengulun lakeg. 307. Ya. 308. Hunan di, kehidu di de kenita, ké'é.
304. [We] fail to see how to dig yams from under the roots, from under the buttress roots [of a tree]. 305. [We] fail to see how to fell a sago palm, it always leans against the top of [another] tree. 306. It always leans against the top of a balete tree. 307. That's what it does. 308. That's why it is said that he has pity on us.
Ma
309. Oho'.
309. Yes.
Be
310. Nanam eghidu de sini medo'o bata'. 311. Pumilay basag seba'en anan de sinegaw di de, amuk mekesadang de'atas tuko' kayu. 312. Kumali de biking seba'en bata' amuk umugpa' dalem dalig, suminegaw ma daya. 313. Suminigaw de ... 314. Ya hunan di, suminegaw henak enda' mekuwa di sido' du dakel bunga.
310. He is showing pity on all the children. 311. When one [of us] goes to fell a sago palm, he always cries when it falls against the top of another tree. 312. When one of the children goes to dig yams and it is growing under the roots of a tree, he keeps on crying. 313. He cries ... 314. That's why he cries to me that he could not get a big yam.
Ma
315. Oho'.
315. Yes.
Be
316. Sido' du kena' di dakel bunga. 317. Sido' da'a mekuwa kena' di kumipes. 318. Ya kena' di seba'en bata' suminegaw.
316. From the place where there was a big yam. 317. He was only able to get a small part. 318. That's why a child cries.
Ma
319. Oho'
319. Yes.
Be
320. Tako sini kagi ta, uloy de lumambuyug. 321. Enda' du'en kena' ta du'u migkagi pesugat du sini kagi.
320. You see, this talk of ours, there is no use talking without meaning. 321. There is no reason for us to talk without coming to the point.
Ma
322. Oho'.
322. Yes.
Be
323. Asal di migkagi. 324. Hé. 325. Mese'agaw kagi ta, kowa Mahayag.
323. It is just talk. 324. Hey! 325. Our talk has been interrupted, Mahayag.
Ma
326. Tu'u de ké'én du'en aken tupu'.
326. It is true that probably my ancestors are the ones.(fn. 2)
Be
327. Ya.
327. Right.
Ma
328. Tu'u di aken guwa'en.
328. It's true what I say.
Be
329. Ya keti'ig di, du'en matupu' ... du'en matupu' nemula...330. Hé. 331. Sa du'en pemula biking, du'en pemula basag. 332. Tako palas buyu nanam pedemdem dalem kagpa', épé' basag sigoh di sini, kowa Leponok. 333. Sini, du'en ma épé' usa, dalem ketalunan, medo'o usa. 334. Épé' basag, du'en. 335. Hé! 336. Nanam kediyu' pedu di, Mahayag, épé' biking.
329. It is known that there are ancestral ... ancestral plant spirits. 330 Hey! 331. There is a spirit that makes yams grow, there is a spirit that makes sago palms grow. 332. You see, when it appears, in our hearts we start to feel good, [because of] the owner of the sago palms, Lefonok 333. Now, there is also the spirit that owns the wild animals in the forest, all the wild animals. 334. There is also a spirit that owns the sago palms. 335. Hey! 336. It seems, Mahayag, that the owner of the yams is beginning to be sad.(fn. 3)
Ma
337. Ya.
337. Right.
Be
338. Maké' sini bata' é. 339. Enda' du'en likut di medo'o duma ta, kowa Mahayag, kowa Kuletow.
338. Even the children. 339. But most of our companions don't have difficulty,(fn. 4) Mahayag, Kuletow.
Ma
340. Oho'.
340. Yes.
Be
341. Sini biking kinuwa. 342. Sini du basag, enda' du'en likut di du, pilay.
341. [They can] get yams. 342. As for the sago palms, it is not difficult to fell them.
Ma
343. Ya.
343. Right.
Be
344. Sini basag, enda' du'en pesuwan di, egoh di nekesagdig.
344. As for the sago palms, there is no reason now(fn. 5) for them to lean against other trees.
Si
345. Sini Leponok, kinuwa ko nita. 346. Sini du wayeg.
345. Lefonok, you got it for us. 346. Here is the water.
Be
347. Egoh anay, ok bata' pilay basag, si egoh di, enda' mekuwa da. 348. Kumali ket biking, ugpa' dalem luyung legayday.
347. Before, if it was children who were felling a sago palm, they didn't get any. 348. If they were digging yams that were under the roots of a tree, [they would be] worn out.
Ma
349. Ya.
349. Right.
Be
350. ...linekat di. 351. Malu' ... tapay tanda' ko egoh anay, ké'é Mahayag, épé' di sini hagdi. 352. Malu' ... enda' taka'an pediyu' sini.
350. ... it's removed. 351. Somewhat ... the example that you used before Mahayag, he is the owner of these things. 352. Usually ... he is not far from here.
Ma
353. Tu'u.
353. True.
Be
354. Épé' basag egoh anay lagbeten, madakel keli di. 355. Du'en kelimahan ta ok pediyu'. 356. ... enda' pediyu' di ké'én ....
354. The owner of the sago palm before, when [we went] looking for food, [the palm] had a lot of starch. 355. We would be discouraged if we had to go far. 356. ... maybe it's not far.
Si
357.Ya du da'un kayu melenaw, siya?
357. The leaves of the tree are green, aren't they?(fn. 6)
Be
358. Tigtu tu'u ma sido' du'u. 359. Tako sini ba'elan ta sini, itulon di ok suminegaw.
358. That's really true. 359. You see what we do here, she will tell about it if she(fn. 7) cries.
Ma
360. Oho', sini suminegaw.
360. Yes, if she cries.
Si
361. Ok enda' egkehidu da medo'o etaw suminegaw, siya du hagdi.
361. If all the people do not show love, [I] will cry, that is what will happen.
Be
362. Tu'u egsinegaw lukes bayi. 363. Tu'u tig tutu'u hiyé. ... 364. Enda' meti'ig a, inaganan di.
362. Truly the old woman will cry. 363. True, that's very true. 364. I don't understand, it's too much.
Si
365. Yaka mangay diyan, mama' ki. 366. Hé' Udelen, apug.
365. Don't go there, let's chew betel. 366. Hey, Udelen, [give me some] lime!
Od
367. Medo'o de aken ginapen keteb ku, ok ba'elan ku.
367. I'll catch a lot, if I make [a trap].
Be
368. Asal ini kagi ku kagda sini du i de'isek bata'. 369. Ya da'a kena' di sini kenita kowa ...
368. I'll just talk to these little children. 369. That is the only reason for us ...
Ma
370. Tigtu inanak kowa Belayem.
370. He's really childish, Belayem.
Be
371. Oho'.
371. Yes.
Ma
372. Tigtu laga' kelawa basag sini egoh di, niko kelawa sa egoh.
372. Your body is truly like the trunk of a sago palm now.(fn. 8)
Be
373. Oho'.
373. Yes.
Ma
374. Ini pedu ta ... kelawa basag, hunan di enda' du'en bunga di pa. ... egoh diya' kenak.
374. We think ... the shape of a sago palm, that does not have any fruit yet ... now, to me.
Be
375. Oho' kowa ... 376. Iling naken hi, si egoh, kelawa ta basag. 377. Basag hagdi, enda' du'en panga di.
375. Yes. 376. Just like me, now, our bodies are like sago palms. 377. It's a sago palm without branches.
Ma
378. Ya.
378. Right.
Be
379. Sawang guwa'en ku panga di ok gelang di ...
379. I cannot call it a branch, if it is only the vein of a leaf ...
Ma
380. Tu'u.
380. True.
Be
381. Yaka deg angay da' sini. 382. Igseba'enan ta anan ké bata'. 383. Enu' siya du ba'elan yu dalem wayeg? 384. Meked ki gelayung. 385. Ked ki kelawa wayeg. 386. Wayeg du'en langan, kayu du'en panga di ... 387. Edo', enda' ke'iyapan ta du, Mahayag. 388. Amuk wayeg ki, du'en malangan diya' ulu' di, du'en malangan diya' dibaba'.
381. Don't come here! 382. Let us treat all of the children as one. 383. What did you do down at the stream? 384. Let's not swing [on the trees]. 385. Don't [go walking] up the main body of the stream. 386. The stream has tributaries, [as] trees have branches ... 387. As for that, we don't like it, Mahayag. 388. As for our stream, it has tributaries near it's source, and it has tributaries further down.
Ma
389. Diya' sabang di.
389. Where the stream divides.
Be
390. Kayu, du'en ma laké' ma panga diya' bugel di. 391. Du'en ma panga diya' tigtu tuko' di ... 392. Medo'o dalig diyé. 393. Basag kagdi, enda' du'en luyung di. 394. Sa basag enda' du'en pa'is ta du'u. 395. Ya kena' di siya pedemdem ta du. 396. Naken tigtu kepedemdem ta du'u. 397. Ha, Kuletow.
390. [Like] a tree, it surely also has branches growing from it's lower trunk. 391. It also has branches growing from the very top of it. 392. It has many roots. 393. A plam tree, it doesn't provide any shade. 394. We don't have any axe any more [for felling] the sago palms. 395. That is why we feel ... 396. That is what I am really thinking about. 397. Hey, Kuletow.
Ku
398. Oho'.
398. Yes.
Be
399. Tigtu naken pedemdem aken Belayem, kowa Mahayag. 400. Sigoh di sini, seba'en da'a kayu diya' nita.
399. That is truly what I, Belayem, am thinking, Mahayag. 400. Now, there is only one tree among us.(fn. 9)

 

NOTES

1 Said to be referring to the spirit "owner" of the yams and the palms.

2 Mahayag is suggesting that it is probably his ancestors who provide him with his skill in felling trees and digging yams.

3 Because they are having difficulty getting enough yams to eat.

4 In getting yams.

5 Now that they have metal tools to fell them.

6 When the palm is likely to produce good starch.

7 Referring to Sindi’.

8 Speaking to Sindi’, who was very thin, and was childless.

9 He considers the group to be like a single family.

 

GO TO: Part 5. Sentences 401-500

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