Teerhich (Proverb)

 Cousin Marigold just sent me a generic sounding proverb. She wanted me to "Serranoize" it. So, to comply with her request I first put my version into English:

Tell me, and I might remember

Show me, but I might forget

Include me, and it is truly ours forever

And, the Serrano:

Ney kuchii teer, mit nehun yawq

Neychii ayn, mitan omik shevek

Werhanich tach nyiiv, ame pat mumk chenyu perrax atahtamerav

Any of our students or friends may want to offer a better or different rendition. Feel free to.

 - ES

Herngt (Rattlesnake)

I was telling June, my wife, to start being on the alert when we go out to feed our longhorns and horses, since there are reports of rattlesnake encounters in the news almost daily. And people getting bitten, of all things! There is no good reason for anyone to get bitten by a snake except by sheer carelessness. Some people bother them and suffer the consequences. Our folks used to say, "Menarfpa' hye'." ("Watch your feet.") That is be careful where you step.

Yesterday, the propane guy came to deliver us some fuel. I saw him do a quick tell-tale jump. Not bad for a big guy! Sure enough there was herngt (rattlesnake) rattling away. I told the gas guy that he wouldn't be bothered by the snake if he just kept his distance. It worked out fine. The gas guy left and so did herngt. - ES

Puuhit without Wahii'

This morning Puuhit (Roadrunner, also known as Geococcyx californianus) was perched atop my chainlink fence here in the Canyon. He was gazing back and forth in a very businesslike manner. He definitely was on the lookout! 

But I saw absolutely no signs of Wahii' (Wil E. Coyote). 

The real-life, non-cartoon Puuhit was hunting. 

Roadrunners have a great appetite for all kinds of rodents, insects, reptiles, you name it. And they are a joy to see — most of the time.

As Dorothy Ramon told the tale, "'Ama' mit hamin nyaawnk 'ama' 'emeva' kwa' hii'nk, 'emehpa' mesheheve' penek. 'Ami' hakup me'aaye' puuyu' kurruhk, keym waha'ki' puuhit."

("If one of them flies over you, if one passes over your head, your hair falls out; that's what they say about the roadrunner.") (Ramon and Elliott, 2002)

Hmmn. In this copyrighted photo courtesy of  Dr. Paul Kosnik, it looks as though one Puhyet never flies over another Puhyet. — PM

Feeding the People

The theme of our Dragonfly Gala this year is "Feeding the People." We will celebrate those who are essential to all cultural traditional ceremonies and events: the cooks who feed the people. We also will explore the cultural meanings and the sacred duties that are behind the hundreds of years of "Feeding the People."

Gerald Clarke Jr. has again graciously donated his artwork to Dorothy Ramon Learning Center for our Gala invitations:

By Gerald Clarke, Jr. Copyright Ushkana Press 2008

Can you name the four important plant foods in the illustration?

The Gala will showcase these plants and more. That's because the Gala is more than a fund-raiser. It's an EVENT.

We'll have demonstrations, booths, and displays featuring native foods that even now, Feed the People. We'll have traditional singing and dancing. Of course eating will be a big part of the event, too! 

Mark Aug. 9, Morongo Community Center, on your calendar and join the crowd (last year we hosted about 400 people).

Each year we give out a Dragonfly Award for high-soaring achievements in saving and sharing cultures.

And our silent auction has gained fame statewide as one of the premier auctions offering Native American art. Watch this blog for some of the auction items!

Keep watching here and on our Center website for more details! — PM

Mary Had A Little Lambda

Following up on "How Is Your Spelling", an earlier post, I thought that an example was in order.

One of the strange looking characters in the International Phonetic Alphabet, the lambda, is one of the symbols I decided to replace in our orthography. In "A Dried Coyote's Tail", Saubel and Elliott, (2004) the double L (ll) is used for this sound. There isn't an equivalent sound in English, but it can be approximated by saying million and holding the ll's while hissing. The words weyllt (dish), tipill (drip), tayullkin (to iron or press) are a few words in Serrano employing this sound.

Still having fun? - ES

How's your spelling?

How's your spelling? One of the problems encountered by writers in our language is deciding on whose orthography to use. Each linguist tends to have his own way of writing our language and on each reservation there probably are several ways that are in use by individuals as well. Some, such as San Manuel, have adopted one through discussions in committee. We at the DRLC have been using the system used in "Wayta' Yawa' ", Ramon and Elliott (2002), with slight modifications.

There are many problems in choosing an orthography that suits everyone. One of the main considerations is the user-friendly aspect. How strange or difficult does it look on the page? If there are too many extra characters involved in making a sound, it tends to discourage usage. I am of the opinion that, the simpler the better. Through usage we know when an "e" is pronounced as in yet or as in emi' (you) which I used to spell, umi'.

Confusing? Come to our class, which is held every 1st and 3rd Mondays at 17 W. Hays ST. in Banning, CA., and we can discuss it. - ES

Say It Again

Keh hamuk. (Say it again.)

That important command is missing today for most people wanting to learn a language, like Serrano. The speakers are just a few individuals who can oblige that request. Our hats are off to those hard working pioneers, linguists and ethnographers who were able to obtain words, sounds and phonemes of our languages from an earlier era. Recordings of these languages are treasured whenever they are found.

Today, we must make our own recordings for educational purposes in general. It seems to me there will be a time when interest in hearing our language will be high. There is written material, but the need for sound recordings of this material is needed.

My plan is to do some recording to accompany the written word. - ES