Hide tanning

Mike Abou

hidden
Free translations by Mary Charlie, Edna McCook, Eileen McCook, Mike Abou and Sharon Hargus.  
Translations of English into Tsek'ene by Edna McCook.  
Transcription and word glosses by Sharon Hargus. 
Recorded by Sharon Hargus (on a cassette tape recorder). Length: 08:30

    SH:

  1. Hǫ.
    go ahead
    'Go ahead.'

  2. You knowsà'è dǫ̀ mama kwùne'uzùs'ugheh'įį.
    long time agolaour mothershidethey make
    'You know long ago our mothers made hides.'

  3. 'Iiyamudowabesdun'ugheh'įį.
    thatfor itframethey make
    'They made a frame for it.

  4. 'Ii 'èh'uzùstl'òna---mumahtl'òònaghdut'às.
    and thenhidearound itthey cut in circle
    'They cut around the edges.'

  5. Bes'èhmumahalltliin'ughgheh'įįh.
    knifewitharound itthey make it
    'They clean it all around.'

  6. 'Ii tl'ǫhallmùnaghghut'às.
    and thenthey cut holes around it
    'And they cut holes all around it.'

  7. Kusk'eh'iiyamuk'wus,muk'wuskighghnehtl'̀ǫǫh'ii tl'ǫh'ooyèmutl'à'jookighghnehtl'̀ǫǫh.
    like thatthatits neckthey tie it upand thendownits bumtoothey tie it up
    'And they tied the neck downwards and the bum upwards on the frame.'

  8. 'Ii 'èhtadįįdzejoo'įįhnadzekighghnehtl'òǫ̀h.
    and thenin the middletooon both sidesthey tie it up
    'Then they tied it in the middle also.'

  9. 'Iiwuts'ehla'ìdahdzèsgòòhone side'èh,one sideghighubuts.
    thataftercertfrom abovelhusdè'withthey stretch it in stretcher
    'Then they laced it up from the top down.'

  10. 'Ii tl'ǫhyìnosdè'jooall'ughgheh'įįh.
    and thenacross on other sidetoothey do it
    'Then they did the other side too.'

  11. 'Iiwuts'ehmutl'à'jooone side'ugheh'įįh.
    thatafterits bumtoolhusdè'they do
    'And they did the same to the other side too.'

  12. 'Iione sidefinish 'ugheh'įįhkwùjooone sidejoo.
    thatlhusdè'kwùlaghudehagain'usdįįdzetoo
    'Then they finished the other side and then the other.'1

  13. 'Iilasoohthey make it pretty round,but it's mostly a square side.
    thatcertreallydehgidlàghgheh'įįh
    '(They rounded off the corners.)'

  14. 'Ide gòòlii'uwute'elaghgheh'įį.
    butnicethey make it
    'But then they made it nice.'

  15. 'Ii tl'ǫhlakwatoowoodut'às.
    and thencertfinallythey cut off flesh
    'Then they started to cut the flesh (fascia) off.'

  16. Mut'adzè'muts'ehkùghehtsoos.
    its cuttingfrom itthey take out
    'They took the flesh off the hide.'

  17. 'Iimut'adzè'mupolè'k'ehdunaghdììhtsòòs.
    thatits cuttingsahdzeonthey hang up
    'Then they hung the flesh on a pole.'2

  18. 'Ii 'èhsa dę̀'nùtsutdasa dę̀'yehgwun.
    and thensunshineis strongwhensunshineit dries it
    'When it's sunny, the sun dries the hide.'

  19. 'Iibut,chǫ 'ut'edatentmuk'ehdugheh'ǫ.
    thatgòòliiit rainswhenlibàliion itthey keep over
    'However, when it rains they put a tent over it.'

  20. 'Ii tl'ǫhkwùnmiyiihghidèhk'wùn.
    and thenfireunder itthey lit
    'And they made fire under it.'

  21. Kwùndunàatsidlamiyiihghidèhk'wùn,maybefiveplace.
    firethey are smallunder itthey keep fire
    'They lit small fires under it.'

  22. ('Ii)sǫmiyiihkwùnaghdèhk'wùniikwùnyehgwunwuka.
    thatuncertunder itthey keep going (fires)fireit dries itin order to
    'They put fire underneath so the hide would dry faster.'

  23. Diithismonthlasòòh,didiisa k'ehlasòòh'uzùs'ugheh'įį'elhèh.
    didiisa k'ehcertreallythismonthcertreallyhidethey makeusually
    'This month (July) is the time they make hides.'

  24. 'Iikudanèhtsunda,nunatsįįlhda,muzùssoft 'ulę,'ii 'èheasyt'è''ughgheh'įį'iiwuka.
    thatmooseit's fatwhenit's getting fatwhenits hidedipidaand thenemphthey make itthatin order to
    'When the moose is getting fat, the hide is soft, and then it's easy to do.'

  25. DahAugust'iigòòliishòwooht'ek'udàzǫh.
    wellthathoweverit's goodstill
    'Even in August it's still good.'

  26. September'idelakwùla'udoo'uzùsghaghììhlhah.
    thencertfinallynothidethey work on
    'They don't work on hides in September.'

  27. 'Ùkoo'ukelhunkooht'ezǫh'ughgheh'įį,'ahtl'oolhè','ah'ukelhun,'ùkoo.
    thosefoot-fillingthat kind of thingonlythey make itsnowshoelacesnowshoefoot-fillingthose
    'They just make babiche, snowshoe laces and all that.'

  28. 'Ii 'èhkusk'ehdzè'lamama kwùne'uzùs'ugheh'įį.
    and thenthat's howcertour mothershidethey make
    'That's how our mothers made hides.'

  29. 'Iikaghdughèlii,nusoghdnitįįh.
    thatthey having scrapedthey turn it over
    'Having scraped it, they turned it over.'

  30. 'Ii 'èhmuzùsallkughut'às,bes'èh.
    and thenits hidethey cut off (hair)knifewith
    'And then they cut all the hair off the hide with a knife.'

  31. 'Ii tl'ǫhlakwùla'iigholh'èhmighdììdùlh.
    and thencertfinallyscraperwiththey work hard at it
    'And then they work hard at it with a scraper.'

  32. Allkaghghdughèl.
    they scrape it
    'They scraped it all.'

  33. Dèkhusk'ehsǫmeghidììhiidighiila'ghàdela'ii'uzùsdikadakìdiimeghidììh.
    howuncertthey know ittheir handaccording tocertthathidethicknessthey know it
    'They used their hand to know how thick it was.'

  34. Mik'inaghdidehdiihiighàdelakaghghdughèl.
    they feel itaccording tocertthey scrape it
    'They scraped according to how they felt it.'

  35. Kooyekunudiskìtdamuyawuzų.
    therehow thick it iswhenit is known/seen
    'They could tell wherever it was thick.'

  36. 'Iikooyetoo muchts'ut'adzakooye, kooya'udoomuchkaghghdughèl.
    thattheretììyè'it's thintherenotthey scrape it
    'Where it's thin, they didn't scraped it much.'

  37. Midįįdzekooyelamuzùsts'ut'adza'elhèh.
    in the middletherecertits hideit's thinusually
    'The hide is usually thin in the middle.

  38. Mutl'à'k'ehjoosòòhshòwaghgheh'įįhiisòòhalllhidakìdiikaghghdughèl.
    its bumontooreallythey do it wellreallyallit's the same thicknessthey scrape it out
    'They scraped it to the same thinness all around.'

  39. 'Iilakwabesdunts'ehnùnaghghehtsoos.
    thatcertfinallyframefromthey take it back down
    'Then they took it off the frame.'

  40. 'Iikhudiimuts'è'kàghdidììhda,kòòhììt'è'lhutdunaghghdehtsoos.
    thathurryto itthey hurrywhenat that timesmokethey put it over
    'When they're in a hurry, they put it over smoke.'

  41. 'Iimorelhutyehgwun.
    thatla kwùlasmokeit dries it
    'The smoke dries it more.'

  42. 'Iikwùla'ii'èhììt'è'tl'owha---,'utsììkhǫ̀'muk'eh'eghdehdiih,tl'owe---
    thenfinallythenfocusgrassbrainson itthey rub itgrass
    'And then they rub brains over it (with) grass.'

  43. 'Utsììkhǫ'ghighehbedziitl'ǫhsòòhsoonè'bedzii'ut'į̀į̀helagha---'uzùsk'ehmeghdehdiih.
    brainthey boil itandreallyflourboiledit becomescerthideonthey rub it
    'They boil brains until they become like boiled flour, then they spread it over the hide.'

  44. 'Iiall'ughgheh'įįhiitl'ǫhkwùjoolhut,kwùnts'è'dunaghghdììhtsòòs.
    thatwhen they make itafteragainsmokefiretowardsthey put it back over
    'When they're done, they put it over the smoke fire.'

  45. 'Iikwùnmoreyehgwunlhut'èhììt'è'.
    thatfireit dries itsmokewith
    'The fire and smoke dries it more.'

  46. 'Idelakwatighghehtsoos.
    thencertfinallythey put it in water
    'Then they put it in water.'

  47. Early morning,tùnaghghehtsoos,'ii tl'ǫhkwameghduzoh.
    nawdììgà'they take it out of waterand thenfinallythey scrape it
    'They would take it out in the morning and scrape it again.'

  48. 'Ii tl'ǫhkwùjootinaghghehtsoos.
    and thenagainthey put it back in water
    'And then they put it back into the water again.'

  49. 'Ii tl'ǫhkwùlamudowa'awweh'į̀į̀hdemutughuguts.
    and thenfinallyfor itwhere they make itthey wring it
    'Then they made a place for it and wrang it.'

  50. 'Uwute'emutughugudziitl'ǫhkwa'iilaghighehch'il.
    nicethey wring it andthenfinallythatcertthey stretch it
    'They wrang it real good and they stretched it.'

  51. Ghighehch'il'ii tl'ǫhkwùjoodedakwùlasòòhsoft'ut'į̀į̀hde,sòòhdupiidat'į̀į̀hdela'idelakidunaghdììhtlǫǫh'iitl'ǫhmeghduzoh.
    they stretch itand thenagainwhenfinallyreallyit becomeswhenreallyit becomes softwhencertthencertthey tie it againandthenthey scrape it
    'After they stretch it, when it gets real soft, they scrape it again.'

  52. 'Iisòòhkwùdiiwischilè''it'į̀į̀h'iilanùnaghghehtsoos'ii tl'ǫhmumahnaghghut'àsiitl'ǫhkwùjookwùnaghghdehtsùgh.
    thatreallyjustragit becomesthatcertthey take it downand thenaround itthey cut it andthenagainthey sew
    'And when it gets real soft, like a rag, they sew it up.'

  53. 'Iilakwùjoolhut 'aghgheh'įį.
    thatcertagainthey smoke it
    'And they smoke it again.'

  54. Ghidnììhtsooh'ide.
    they tan itthere
    'They tan it there.'

  55. Muk'ànaghnutąhiighàdekwùlaenough'ut'į̀į̀hdenùnaghghehtsoos,mik'oowoodììt'às.
    as they look at itaccording tofinallyit becomeswherethey take it downthey cut it open
    'When it's done they take it down and cut it open (take the threads out).'

  56. Kwùjoomik'inawoodit'àsiitl'ǫh'iihts'iits'è'daghghehtsoos.
    againthey cut it open andthenwindintothey have it up
    'They cut it open and spread it out into the wind.'

  57. 'Ii 'èh'iilakwùlanext daylakwaalltaghghdnut'às.
    and thenthatcertfinallycertfinallythey cut it up
    'Then they cut it all up the next day.'

  58. Kewuyèlabàtwuyè,'ùkoolasghwusha'ìghidii'ùkoo'èhììt'è''ughgheh'įįh.
    moccasinmaybemittensmaybethoseglovethey callthoseetc.they make it
    'They make moccasins, mittens, and gloves.'

  59. Kusk'ehdzelamama kwùne'uzùs'ugheh'įįh.
    that's howcertour mothershidethey make
    'That's how our mothers made hides.'

  60. 'Ii 'èh,didiiCreeshow'èh,you show medifferent ways'ughgheh'įįh.
    and thenthisDishìniiwiththey make
    'You showed me a Cree show and they do it different way.'

  61. Ya dowamuk'eh'ut'ǫ̀'nèghulèha?
    whyon itleafthey put some down
    'Why do they put leaves on it?'

  62. 'Ii'udoo,'ii'udookesdììhkooya.
    thatnotthatnotI know itthat
    'I don't know why they do that.'

  63. Kwùla.
    that's it
    'That's it.'

Notes

  1. 'usdįįdze 'other side, different place'
  2. sahdze 'pole'