Mentasta Ahtna Advanced Reader
Web Version June 2018
Featured Speaker
Katie John
Linguistic Transcription
John T. Ritter
James Kari
Original Illustrations
Susan McCallum
Series Editor
Cynthea L. Ainsworth
A production of
Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium
Native Language Program
Funded by
Creation and Printing of Series funded by Grant #90NL0299 from the Administration for Native Americans, Grant #S356A030043 from the Alaska Native Education Program of the Department of Education (DOE-ANE). Web conversion funded by Grant #S356A170083 from DOE-ANE.
Mentasta Ahtna Advanced Reader
ISBN 0-9760483-2-9
This title is part of the MSTC Ahtna Language Series
© 2009 Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium. All Rights Reserved
Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium
HC01 Box 357
Gakona, AK 99586
www.mstc.org
This book is based on a design developed by
Yukon Native Language Centre, John T. Ritter, Director 1977-2017
YNLC illustrations and photos used by permission
Cover design and sound by Paula Elmes, ImageCraft Publications & Design
Web design and sound conversion by AE Data, Inc
Sound and web function correction by Frostline Productions, LLC
Continuity from print to web version by Alaska History Projects, LLC
Taa’tl’aa Denae
We are the Taa’tl’aa Denae (Headwater People) of Chistochina and Mentasta, located in the eastern-southcentral interior of Alaska. Our culture is rooted in thousands of years of tradition, family, and cooperation. Our villages are inhabited by Ahtna people who were nomadic hunter-gatherers. Our ancestors were the last Alaska Native group to see permanent settlement in their territory, established in the winter of 1898–99 during the Klondike Gold Rush into the Copper River Valley. The Upper Ahtna villages of Mentasta and Chistochina continued their seasonal patterns of subsistence travel until 1957, when the first village schools were instituted.
Today there are less than 10 elders who experienced the seasonal hunting and fishing lifestyle, learning the traditional lessons of survival and services to family. In today’s changing world, our elders are the last remaining links to these traditions—to who we once were. Elders have a perspective on life that is closely tied to the land, and Athabascan people have always looked to them for advice and guidance.
Foreword
You are using a web representation of a title in the Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium’s MSTC Ahtna Language Series (2009), which is further discussed in the Introduction. In 2018, the interactive computer CDs that accompanied six in the ten book series were used in conversion to web design. It is hoped that reformatting these important Alaska Native language educational materials will extend the lessons for self-study to learners who make exclusive use of web-access devices other than computers. A stable Internet connection is required to play selections of the voice recordings without delays.
Preface —Katie John (1915 – 2013)
Katie John, Dits’iłnaan, at Yukon Native Language Centre. (Photo by John Ritter 2003)
The daughter of a Chief and the wife of a Chief, Katie John has long held the commitment to help in the documentation of her language. Both Katie and her husband participated in the 1973–74 linguistic summit meetings with the Alaska Native Language Center that produced the first orthography for all dialects of the Ahtna language. Katie is recognized as a contributor in both Ahtna dictionaries (1975 and 1990) and a book of oral history narratives (Headwaters People’s Country 1986) compiled by James Kari. Katie’s life history work with Cynthea Ainsworth contributed the first ethnographic book on the Ahtna (Mentasta Remembers 2002), produced by the Mentasta Traditional Council. Katie was the first to teach her language in the 1970s at the Mentasta School, which was established at her request and is named for her.
Katie generously shared her knowledge of the Ahtna language as a teacher, mentor, and linguistic consultant. In 1998, she worked with linguist, Jim Kari in Fairbanks on the first edition of Mentasta Language Lessons. Katie’s health permitted her to travel to the Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC) in Whitehorse, Canada, where she worked with YNLC founding director, John Ritter. Katie has been featured as the speaker for Mentasta Village in the MSTC Ahtna Language Series.
Introduction
Mt. Sanford Tribal Consortium’s MSTC Ahtna Language Series is the first new, classroom-based language material published for study of the Ahtna language since 1975. MSTC’s first editions (2000) of the Language Lessons in all five dialects were a milestone in materials development for in-school programs and adult independent study of the Ahtna language. The Series (2009) represents the first linguistically supported effort to establish literacy materials for the entire Ahtna region, stimulating the first practical efforts at standardizing spelling in order to make the leap from linguistic description to local Native literacy in Ahtna. These materials demonstrate MSTC’s continuing commitment to language and culture preservation in strong Native communities.
Katie’s two Talking Book stories, recorded with linguist, John Ritter, invoke memories of her own life. The first story about a little boy and his family’s daily routine is similar to how Katie and her husband, Chief Fred John, raised their large family fifty years ago. The second story about a child with his family in fish camp is named after the fishing village of Batzulnetas, where Katie grew up from 1915 to 1932. This book also includes a unique text, “Grandma Katie’s Lesson,“ recorded in 1998 with James Kari, who transcribed her impromptu statement on her own teaching method, in a style that had never before been used for the Ahtna language. He placed the complete transcription of the Ahtna sentences on one line and the complete English translation on another line, with an additional line of English translation for each word. The student will notice a clearer depiction of syntax (word order) and expression with this three-line transcription, which reveals more about how and where the two languages differ.
Mentasta Ahtna Advanced Reader for the Upper Ahtna dialect is a new title in the MSTC Ahtna Language Series. All titles in the Series use James Kari’s dictionaries (1975 and 1990) and the Alaska Native Language Center’s Ahtna writing system. The two short texts feature the 2003 collaboration of speaker, Katie John, working with linguist, John Ritter, the founding director of the Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC). Special thanks are due to linguists, John Ritter, André Bourcier, and Professor Siri Tuttle for their generous advice, as well as YNLC computer specialists, Doug Hunt and Sheila Maisson. Recording and production of the MSTC Ahtna Language Series (2003–09) was partially funded by grants, from the Administration for Native Americans and the Department of Education, and by contributions from MSTC, the editor, the Yukon Native Language Centre, and Paula Elmes, graphic artist with the Alaska Native Knowledge Network, and ImageCraft Publications and Design. The YNLC book design for this text is used by permission, including illustrations by Chris Caldwell, Ted Harrison, Evelyn Kirkaldy, and Susan McCallum.
Cynthea L. Ainsworth, Ph.D.
Editor, MSTC Ahtna Language Series
April 2018
Dasts’ene Gha Nakolnic
Story about Dasts’ene
Nataełde Gha Nahwkolnic
Story about Batzulnetas Village
Grandma Katie’s Lesson
Katie John Talks About Her Teaching
You know, I been teaching just about an hour, sometimes about hour and a half. You know, I kinda don’t feel well, so I don’t work too often. I try to teach those kids you know, things that go one line, he say one thing. I teach them.
| Staxacdenstaan. | I went out hunting. |
| C’izełghaen. | I killed something. |
| Ba ninesyaa. | I went up to it. |
| Unasizełtaen. | I skinned it. |
| Kon’ dełk’aan. | I built a fire. |
| C’etsen’ zełt’ae. | I roasted the meat. |
You know, things like that. I try to give them one words so they can get together—go together.
The other way I give them different ones like at a time, you know.
Start with like, I say:
Tsaey n’estnaan.
tea
I am drinking
I am drinking tea.
Nde’, tsaey.
give it to me
tea
Give me tea.
Tsaey ghostnaan’a.
tea
let me drink
I want to drink tea.
Tsaey sdestlaan.
tea
I want
I want some tea.
Tsaey sle’ ‘ohkaas.
tea
to me
you bring
You guys bring me some tea.
Tuu tuu sle’ ‘ohkaas.
water
water
to me
you bring
Water, you guys bring me water.
Tuu ghostnaan’a.
water
let me drink
Let me drink water.
C’aan nanest’aeyi yii sle’ ghołcuut.
bread
fried
that
to me
you bring
You bring me that fry bread.
C’aan ghosyaan’a.
bread
I’ll eat
I’ll eat some bread.
Dghalnesi cu ‘enzelnak.
sugar
too
I forgot
Oh, I forgot the sugar.
Yii c’a tsaey tah u’eł ts’etniixe guuxe ‘eł.
that
too
tea
when
with it
we drink
coffee and
We drink tea with that and coffee too.
Dghalnesi yii c’a sle’ ‘ołae.
sugar
that
too
to me
you bring.
Bring me sugar, too.
Gigi gigi ‘uka ‘studaełi snakaey ‘iinn!
berries
berries
for
let’s go
children
Let’s go for berries (blueberries), children!
Gigi s’eł ‘unohbe’.
berries
with me
you can pick
You can pick berries with me.
Ntl’et cu ts’utnabe’.
lowbush
cranberries
also
we will pick
We’ll pick lowbush cranberries, too.
Giznae cu ‘eł ts’utnabe’.
blackberries
also
we will pick
We’ll pick blackberries, too.
Yidi’i ncuus cu ets’ehwdił’aan de’ yii ncuus cu ts’utnabe’.
whatever
rosehips
also
we discover
if
those
rosehips
also
we will pick
If we discover some rosehips also, we’ll pick rosehips, too.
Danihnuuy yii cu ts’utnabe’.
red currants
those
also
we will pick
We’ll pick red currants, too.
K’ey k’ey naxwghu k’ey ts’aac tah kiighighaan, yii ‘uka k’ey ka s’eł ‘uhdeł.
birchbark
birch
that
birchbark
plate
when
they make
that
for
birchbark
for
with me
you(pl.) go
Birchbark, when they make birchbark plates, you guys come with me for that, for the birchbark.
K’ey nantsits’ule’ dze’ k’ey ts’aac ggaay tah ts’ughaan’a.
birchbark
we can peel
and
birchbark
plate
small
and
we can make
We can peel birchbark, and we can make some small birchbark plates.
Xay yii c’a ts’ebael ts’ebael ghay’ yii c’a u’eł kats’enalaeł dze’ yii ‘eł nantnatkaan’.
roots
those
too
spruce
spruce
roots
those
too
with it
we will dig
and
those
with
they will be sewn
Those roots, spruce, spruce roots, we will dig up some of those, and they will be sewn with those (roots).
Xona, tsabaey ka cu studaeł.
okay
fish
for
also
let’s go
Okay, let’s go now for fish. (whitefish, trout, grayling)
Tsabaey gha nasctnułgets.
fish
for
we will jig with a hook
Let’s go jigging for whitefish.
Ba nasctnułgets tah segele tah ka nastudeł.
for them
we will jig
while
grayling
when
for
we can go
While we jig for them, we will go for some grayling.
Segele kats’ilaa de’ nats’ilyaa de’.
grayling
we pull up
when
we can bring them back
when
When we pull up some grayling, then we will bring them back.
Utsitl’asdulaełi ts’ulaeze.
we can put them on the fire
we can boil them
We can put them on the fire (in a pot) and boil them.
Beldaan’ cu stałt’aes dze’ yii ‘eł xu xełts’e’ xełts’e’ yii kaen’ na’aaxe hwt’aenn delts’iinn aann ‘eł sdaniił dze’ yen ‘iinn ‘eł stayiiła’.
some of them
also
we will roast
and
that
with
and
evening
evening
that
with
outdoors
the neighbors
invite
with
we will say
and
them
with
we will eat
And some of them we will also roast with that in the evening, we ill invite the neighbors, and we will eat with them.
K’adii xona ne’eł nahwghik’aats.
now
right
for us
it became cold
Just now it has gotten to be cold weather for us.
Ne’eł xay kuzdlaet.
for us
winter
came to be
It has become winter for us.
‘Aas kaen’ xona łustadeł xu dahwtat’iił.
snowshoes
with
now
we will go around
when
it will become the time
Now will be the time that we will go around with snowshoes.
‘Aas datohdaeł dze’ na’aaxe staxacdinolyae.
snowshoes
you will put on
and
outdoors
you(pl.) will go out hunting
You will put on snowshoes and go out hunting.
Deniigi c’a dzułghaeł, yidi’i’ c’a dzułghaeł.
moose
too
you can kill
whatever
else
you can kill
You can kill a moose or whatever else you can kill.
Yii ka ‘aas ‘eł naxacdolyaesi.
those
for
snowshoes
with
you(pl) can go hunt
You can hunt for those (animals) with snowshoes.
‘Aas u’eł hwduldiixi ‘aas dadezolts’ii.
snowshoes
with
as you get accustomed to
snowshoes
you can stay upon
As you get accustomed to snowshoes, you can stay upon snowshoes.
C’izułghaen de’ ughałk’ae ni’uhya’ de’ de’ unasi’ułte’ xu ugheldze’ unasi’ułte’ dze’ c’etsen’ ugheldze’ katnuht’aas de’.
you kill something
if
the kill site
you can too
then
then
you skin it
when
nicely
you can skin it
and
meat
nicely
cut up
then
If you kill something, you can go to the kill site, and then when you skin it, you can skin it nicely, and you can cut up the meat nicely then.
Ts’ehwno’oldeni de’ ugha’ hwduldiixi gha c’a tuht’iiłi.
you do not know how
if
from this
you can learn
for
too
you will be able to
If you don’t know how, then you will have the opportunity to learn from this.
C’etsen’ negha naxaełnoldaeł de’, u’eł ‘unsogho u’eł sesdaldeł dze’ stałt’aes ‘eł stałaets ‘en eł.
meat
to us
you pack back
when
with that
the fire
with that
we put it
and
we will roast it
or
we will boil it
When you pack the meat for us, you will put it on the fire, and we will roast it or we will boil it.
C’etsen’ cu ugheldze’ stayiił.
meat
too
nicely
we will eat
We will eat the meat nicely.
Xayde hwnezk’aats xa’ na’aaxe tina’ohdeł tah tel nelkon’o xuyii tanadol’aes dze’.
wintertime
it is cold
because
outdoors
you go back out
when
socks
warm
in them
you should put on
and
Because it is cold in winter, when you are going back outdoors, you should put on warm socks.
Seł taniłk’etgge’ nidozolyaa deghaec n’eł, nuhzizagha ‘en’eł cuu łaan’a.
pants
double-thick
you should put on
coat
too
your scarves
too
also
really
You should put on double-thick pants and a coat, too, and your scarves as well.
Tsic’uus nelkon’o cu nidozol’aan de naxu gets’ nelkon’o n’eł.
hat
warm
also
you can wear
when
and
gloves
warm
as well
You can wear a warm hat, too, and warm gloves as well.
Hwnezk’aats tah xu’ c’a c’ets’ettl’uuxu.
it is cold
when
thus
also
we customarily dress
When it is cold, this is how we customarily dress.
Stanohdaeł.
you go hunting
You can go hunting.
Nanaexdohdeł.
you can walk and look around
You can walk and look around.
Yidi’i’ c’a ka tnuł’iił, udzih de’ c’a, debae de’ c’a deniigi de’ c’a.
whatever
too
for
you look
caribio
if
too
sheep
if
too
moose
if
too
Whatever you might be looking for, perhaps a caribou, or a sheep, or a moose.
Yidi’i yidi’i nuł’aenn yii c’a dzułghaeł de’.
whatever
whatever
you see
that
too
you should kill
if
Whatever you might see, you should kill.
C’aan ‘aede ne’eł kakutsaasa’.
food
without
for us
it is difficult
It is difficult for us to be without food.
Nataełde hwts’en’ k’adii nastatdeł xuh nats’ehwnul’aen’e gha.
“roasted fish place”
to
now
we will go back
and
we’ll see the place
for
Now let’s go back to Nataełde in order to see the place again.
Kanggu Siz’aann n’eł eyahwdet’iix xu tah nats’ehwnul’aen’.
uplands
my heart
etc.
are visible
when
we’ll see the places again
When “my heart” and other places are visible in the uplands, we can see the places again.
Ts’utsaede xii’enaexdat’aen tah nanaexstutdełi.
anciently
they could view
when
we can see again
We can see again the places that they could view in the ancient times.
Ghadii snakaey ‘iinn ‘ołaenn Nataełde nanohdaeł, dze’ xu c’ena’ tana’ul’uuł dze’ tadołt’iinn xu.
there
children
you
are
“roasted fish place”
you are returning
and
where
the stream
you can go into
dze’
you can swim
You children are returning there to Nataełde, and you can go in the stream, and you can swim.
Xu tadaagge tah natl’edzi ‘uka n’eł nankołe’ nuhtsucde ‘iinn natl’edze’, xona.
where
on the bank
among beads
for
etc.
you can search
your grandma’s
beads,
that’s all
On the bank you can search for beads, your grandmas’ beads, that’s all.
Kanuu’ ‘utgga K’ełt’aeni nez’aan.
next upstream
above
K’ełt’aeni
is
The next place upstream up above there is K’ełt’aeni (Mt. Sanford).
Xiigha nanhkalniis ts’e’ koht’aenn laax daketsaax tah, ghayii yii tahdedax xu’a keniix.
about it
they told
and
people
dead
they die
when
there
inside
they go
thus
they say
They used to tell about when the dead people die, they go inside there, they say.
Uk’et łet kughile’ dze’ yen ‘iinn nakon’ ‘idiłk’aann ‘iinn lede’ c’a.
on it
smoke
there was
and
they
ones that built a fire
smoke
also
When there was smoke upon it, it was the smoke of the ones who have built a fire.
“K’adii xona kutnuł’aenn,” ne’edatniix.
now
then
you can see them,
we were told
We were told, “Now you can see them.”
K’adii snakaey ‘iinn ts’akaey ołaen dze’ k’adii k’e’uhdax dze’.
now
children
girls
you are
and
now
you are growing up
and
Now, children, you are girls, and you are growing up.
Snakaey nuh’eniyaa de’ snakaey nuhyizdaa de’ nuhgha kehwtatsaasi ‘uhts’aat de’.
baby
have a first child
when
child
you have
when
for you
it will be difficult
you will have pain
when
When you are about to have the first baby, when you have the child, it will be difficult for you, when you have labor pain.
Snakaey ‘ehwgha ‘uhts’aat nuhgha kehwtatsaas.
children
for
you pain
for you
will be difficult
The labor pain will be hard for you.
K’adii de tseh snakaey ‘iinn ninołtaen k’ets’en de’ xuts’aal’ n’eł gha txu’uhtnaał dze’.
now
first
baby
is born
afterwards their
cradles
etc. on
you will work
and
Now after the first baby is born, you will work on their cradles.
Snakaey ‘iinn xuyuu’ cu nuhla’ kaen’ xugha nanctnuhkaan’.
baby
clothes
also
your hands
with
for them
you will sew
You will sew baby clothes for them with your hands.
Xukentsiize’ n’eł xugha nanctnuhkaan’.
their moccasins
etc.
for them
you will sew
You will sew moccasins and so forth for them.
Snakaey ‘iinn ts’aał yii sometime xu nikehwtnilts’et tah naxu.
babies
cradle
in
sometime
they
get rashes
when
Sometimes babies get rashes when in the cradle.
T’aes xuy xuy’eł xiigha t’aes n’eł de xutl’a’ nihdełtl’iit xu k’et’iix xu.
charcoal
with them
for them
charcoal
etc.
their butts
they smear
when
it is done
They would smear charcoal (grass charcoal) on their butts for them.
Tsets tsets ‘aede nikolts’et tah, tsets ka ‘uhdeł.
firewood
firewood
without
occurs
when
firewood
for
you go
When we are without firewood, you guys go for firewood.
Tsets ohtsaetl.
firewood
you chop
You chop the firewood.
Tsets nidonłae.
firewood
you pile it
You pile up the firewood.
Tuu tuu ‘aede secagha ‘uka tuu nitl’anołae.
water
water
without
in the morning
for
water
you (pl.) can bring
If (we’re) without water, in the morning you can bring some water.
Tuu ka ‘uhdeł.
water
for
you go
You go for water.
Tuu ninołae.
english
you bring
You bring the water.
Tsezel c’a snadołaes dze’ yii tsedze’ cu nidonłae.
steambath
also
you heat
and
that
firewood
also
you pile
Also you can heat the steambath and you can pile that firewood.
Koht’aenn ‘iinn tsezel dul’aen’e.
native people
steambath
you should make
You should make a Native steambath.
Tsaas da ‘eł dadohtnes?
potato
(ques)
about
you know
You know about Indian potato?
Tsaas tsaas ka ‘uhdeł.
potato
potato
for
you go
You go for Indian potato.
Tsehtsiił natghułaesi yii kaen’ kadołae.
mattocks
you will bring
that
with
you will dig them
You will bring mattocks and you can dig them with those.
Tsaas nidonolyaa de’ deniigi ghe’ kaen’ ts’edułt’aesi.
potatoes
you gather
when
moose
grease
with
we will roast
When you gather Indian potatoes, we will roast them with moose fat.
U’eł nasuts’eltsiiłi.
with it
we enjoy it
We enjoy this.
Gguus gguus uts’eniiyi cu nadinolyae.
celery
celery
that we call
also
bring back
Wild celery, what we call gguus, you can also bring back.
Gguus ka natohdeł.
celery
for
you go
You can go for wild celery.
Yii c’a ts’etnułcaasi, gguus nestcaadzi ts’uyaan’a.
that,
too, and
we can cook
celery
cooked
we can eat
We can cook that too and we can eat cooked wild celery.