Vocabulary

ᎩᎵ – dog

ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅᏱ – where it lit it up (see Note below)

ᎢᎦᏓ – some

ᎠᏂᏴᏫ – people ( yvwi – person)

ᎤᎦᎾᏮ – south (in the) (ᏧᎦᎾᏮᎢ)

ᎢᏗᏟ - towards (also ᏗᏜ, ᎢᏗᏜ, (NC ᎢᏣ)

ᎠᏁᎯ - they lived, they resided (there)

ᎤᏂᎮ – they had something solid, so it was said.

ᏎᎷ – corn

ᎠᏍᏙᏍᏗ – a mill, a churn, something that grinds or crushes (cf. ᎤᏍᏙᏗ - to grind, crush, etc.)

ᎠᏍᏙᎠ – s/he is grinding, pounding it.

ᎠᎾᏍᏙᎠ – they are grinding, pounding it.

ᎾᎾᏃ - there, that

ᎠᏂᏍᏙᏍᎨ – they were grinding it, so it was said.

ᎢᏌ – meal (ᏎᎷ ᎢᏌ - corn meal)

ᎠᏃᏢᏍᎨ - they made it (cf ᎪᏢᏍᎦ)

ᎠᎴ - and

ᎢᎸᏍᎩ - several

ᏌᎾᎴ - morning

ᎤᏂᎷᏥᎸᎢ - they came/arrived

ᎤᏂᎩᏐᎸᎢ – they filled it

ᎤᏁᎵᏎᎢᎦᏓ – they noticed it

ᎠᎩᏓ - was taken, missing (?)

ᎾᎯᏳ - then (ᎾᎯᏳ ᎨᏒ – during)

ᎤᏒᎢ - night

ᎤᏂᎪᎵᏰᎢᏙᎴᎢ - they examined it, so it was said.

ᎦᏙ – (on the) ground, dirt (cf. ᎦᏙᎯ)

ᏚᎳᏏᏂᏙᎸᎢ – paw (feet) prints / tracks [he/it tracked?]

ᎤᎩᏨᏓᏃ – the next day

ᎤᎾᎦᏌᏴᏍᏔᏁᎢ – they watched it, so it was said. (compare: ᎤᎦᏎᏍᏗ he's watching it)

ᎤᏴᏢᏗᏜ – northern ( ᎤᏴᏢᎢ/ ᎤᏴᏣᎢ north, ᎤᏴᏢ/ ᎤᏴᏣ cold)

ᏥᏧᎶᏎᎢ - he came from; was from (reportive) [similar to Eastern : dayulosv'i – he is from, was from, came from]. The prefix Ꮵ- here indicates a specific time. See CED p. 243, j-, specific past time)

ᏧᎴᏅᎮᎢ - that one, he started it, so it is said.

ᎠᎩᏍᎬ - he was eating it. (progressive past)

ᎤᏅᏪᏓ – a bowl

ᎦᎸᎢ– full ? (cf. ᎧᎸ)

ᎤᎾᎦᏌᏴᏍᏛᏃᎢ - they watched it.

ᏓᏳᎾᏁᎷᎩᏒ - they yelled, hollered at it (cf ᎤᏪᎷᎦ)

ᎤᏂᎸᏂᎴᎢ - they beat him up (reportive) (cf ᎦᎸᏂᎭ)

ᎤᎵᏘᏎᏃᎢ - but he escaped, he ran away (reportive) (cf ᎠᎵᏘᎠ)

ᎤᏪᎷᎨᎢ - he was howling (reportive) (cf. ᎤᏪᎷᎧ).

ᏧᏪᏅᏒ – he went (home)

ᎤᏴᏝ - north

ᎢᏗᏜ - toward

ᎦᏄᎪᏍᎨᎢ - it left/exited, so it is said. (ganugoga – he is exiting)

ᎠᎰᎵ – his mouth

ᎠᎵᏟᏎᎢ – he ran away, so it is said.

ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅ - he lit it up, it began to glow (cf. ᎠᏨᏍᏛᏍᎦ)

ᎦᏄᎪᏍᎬ – exited, left (behind)

ᎤᏁᎦ – white

ᎤᏅᎾᏁᎢ – a trail

ᎾᏊᏃ – and now (now – ᎾᏊ and – Ꮓ)

ᏥᏗᎪᏩᏘᏍᎪᎢ – we see, so it is said.

ᎤᏅᏛᎯ – milk (Ꭿ – place, location)

ᏫᎦᎶᎯᏍᏗ – way, doorway (Ꮻ - away from speaker)

ᎾᏍᎩ – that, that which

ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ – the Cherokees

ᏣᏃᏎᎰᎢ - that which they say to him.

ᎩᎵ ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅ

ᎢᎦᏓ ᎠᏂᏴᏫ ᎤᎦᎾᏮ ᎢᏗᏟ ᎠᏁᎯ ᎤᏂᎮ ᏎᎷ ᎠᏍᏙᏍᏗ. ᎾᎾᏃ ᎠᏂᏍᏙᏍᎨ ᏎᎷᎢᏌ ᎠᏃᏢᏍᎨ ᎠᎴ ᎢᎸᏍᎩ ᏌᎾᎴ ᎤᏂᎷᏥᎸᎢ ᎤᏂᎩᏐᏝ ᏎᎷᎢᏌ ᎤᏁᎵᏎ ᎢᎦᏓ ᏎᎷᎢᏌ ᎠᎩᏓ ᎾᎯᏳ ᎤᏒᎢ. ᎤᏂᎪᎵᏰᎢᏙᎴᎢ ᎦᏙ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏂᏱᏩᏛᎮᎢ ᎩᎵ ᏚᎳᏏᏂᏙᎸᎢ, ᎤᎩᏨᏓᏃ ᎤᏒᎢ ᎤᎾᎦᏌᏴᏍᏔᏁᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎾᎯᏳ ᎩᎵ ᎤᏴᏝᏗᏜ ᏥᏣᎷᏎᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᏧᎴᏅᎮᎢ ᎠᎩᏍᎬ ᏎᎷ ᎢᏌ ᎤᏅᏪᏓ ᎦᎸᎢ ᎤᎾᎦᏌᏴᏍᏛᏃᎢ ᏓᏳᎾᏁᎷᎩᏒ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏂᎸᏂᎴᎢ.
ᎤᎵᏘᏎᏃᎢ ᎤᏪᎷᎨᎢ ᏧᏪᏅᏒ ᎤᏴᏢ ᎢᏗᏜ, ᏎᎷᎢᏌ ᎦᏄᎪᏍᎨᎢ ᎠᎰᎵ ᎠᎵᏟᏎᎢ, ᎠᎴ ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅ ᏎᎷᎢᏌ ᎦᏄᎪᎬ ᎤᏁᎦ ᎤᏅᎾᏁᎢ ᎾᏊᏃ ᏥᏗᎪᏩᏘᏍᎪᎢ ᎤᏅᏛᎯ ᏫᎦᎶᎯᏍᏗ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎠᏂᏣᎳᎩ ᎩᎵ ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅ ᏣᏃᏎᎰᎢ.

The Milky Way - Gili-utsvstanv'yi

Some people in the south had a corn mill, in which they pounded the corn into meal, and several mornings when they came to fill it they noticed that some of the meal had been stolen during the night. They examined the ground and found the tracks of a dog, so the next night they watched, and when the dog came from the north and began to eat the meal out of the bowl they sprang out and whipped him.
He ran off howling to his home in the north, with the meal dropping from his mouth as he ran, and leaving behind a white trail where now we see the Milky Way, which the Cherokee call to this day Gili-utsvstanv'yi, "Where the dog lit it up."

Here's a link to watch for listening practice to a slightly different, animated version of the story produced by DigitalNativeMaker. Enjoy and learn!!

(Note: Story was recorded in James Mooney’s “History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees” and appears only in English in his 1898 book. James Mooney included the Cherokee name for the Milky Way as "Gi`lï'-utsûñ'stänûñ'yï". His translation of the Cherokee words "Gi`lï'-utsûñ'stänûñ'yï" was "where the dog ran". However, on further analysis, his translation of "utsûñ'stänûñ'yï" appears to be inaccurate since the verb "utsûñ'stänûñ'ï - ᎤᏨᏍᏔᏅᎢ" actually means "he turned on a light, he lit it up (a place) up, he illuminated it (CED and Raven Rock Dictionary). I propose that a better translation for the story would be "Where the Dog Lit It Up"). ᏔᎻᎵ