Vocabulary
ᎤᏁᎫᏣᏘ - u:ne:gu:tsati - s/he is scheming, conniving, mischievous, mean
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi - boxturtle
ᏃᎴ - no:le - and
ᎠᏫ - ahwi - deer
ᏚᎾᏓᏁᏄᎳᏁᎢ - du:nada:nenuhlane:ɂi - they challenged each other.
ᎦᎳᏉᎩᏁᎢ - galgwo:gineɂi - seventh
ᏧᏅᏓᏒ - tsu:nv:dasv - (of the) mountains
ᏭᏂᎷᎯᏍᏗ - wunilu:hisdi. - for them to reach, arrive at it.
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi - boxturtle
ᎤᏓᏁᏄᎳᏁᎢ - u:da:nenuhlane:ɂi - he challenged him
ᏧᏓᎩᏯᏍᏗᎯ - tsu:dakiya:sdihi. - that he would leave behind and win
ᎠᏎᏃ - ahse:hno - but, however
ᎤᏓᎷᎸ - uda:lu:lv - before
ᎤᎾᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ - uhnato:ki:ya:sdi - the race
ᎤᏓᎾᏖᎴ - u:dante:le - he thought, planned, schemed. (ᎠᏓᏅᏖᎭ)
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi - boxturtle
ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏁ - galgwo:gine - seventh
ᏧᏅᏓᏒ - tsu:nv:dasv - mountain
ᏗᏓᎴᏂᏍᎬ - didale:ni:sgv - beginning
ᏥᏚᏅᏍᏓᏁ - tsidu:nv:sdane - that he placed them along
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi. - boxturtle.
ᏚᏅᏍᏓᎾ - du:nv:sdana - as he placed them
ᏚᏁᏤᎴᎢ - duhne:tse:le:ɂi - he told (ordered) them
ᏂᎦᎷᎬᎾᏉ - nigalu:gv:nagwo - just before he got there
ᎠᏫ - ahwi - deer
ᎤᎾᏙᎯᏍᏗ - u:hntohi:sdi - for them to holler
ᎨᏎᎢ - ge:se:ɂi - (state of being/verb)
ᎠᏫ - ahwi - deer
ᎤᏓᏒᏍᏓᎾ - u:tasv:sdana [sic] - as he ran by
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi - boxturtle
ᎭᎾᏉ - hana:gw - right there
ᎤᏅᏉᎶᎩ - unv:gwolo:gi - in the leaves
ᏥᏭᏄᏴᎴ - tsi-wu:nuyv:le - they crawled into (they entered into) (cf. ᎠᏴᎯᎭ)
ᎠᏓᏒᏍᏗᏍᎦᎥ - a:tasv:sdisgaɂv - as he ran
Ꮠ ᎤᏅᏓᏏ - so: u:nv:dasi - other mountain
ᏏᏫᏂᎦᎷᎬᎾᏉ - siwiniga:lu:gv:nagw - just before he got there
ᏗᎠᏙᎯᏍᎨ - diɂahtohi:sge - hollered
ᏄᏓᎴ - nu:dale - another, a different
ᏓᎦᏏ - daksi - boxturtle
ᎠᎬᏱᏃ - agv:yihno - first (at the beginning)
ᎤᏓᏁᏄᎳᏅ - u:da:nenu:hlanv - the challenger
ᎤᏉᎶᎪ (ᎤᎦᎶᎪ) - u:gwolo:go (u:gaglo:go) - in the leaves
ᏭᏄᏴᎸ - wu:nu:yv:lv - they had gone into (ᎠᏴᎯᎭ)
ᎨᏎᎢ - ge:se:ɂi - it was (state of being)
ᏓᏥᎩᏰᎢ - da:tsiki:ye:ɂi – he was defeated
ᎠᏫ - ahwi - deer
ᎠᏓᏂᎳᏗ - ahdani:la:di - cheating
ᎬᏗ. - gv:hdi - used, using. (by means of)
ᎤᏁᎫᏣᏘ ᏓᎦᏏ
ᏓᎦᏏ ᏃᎴ ᎠᏫ ᏚᎾᏓᏁᏄᎳᏁᎢ ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏁᎢ ᏧᏅᏓᏒ ᏭᏂᎷᎯᏍᏗ. ᏓᎦᏏ ᎤᏓᏁᏄᎳᏁᎢ ᏧᏓᎩᏯᏍᏗᎯ. ᎠᏎᏃ ᎤᏓᎷᎸ ᎤᎾᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ ᎤᏓᎾᏖᎴ ᏓᎦᏏ. ᎦᎵᏉᎩᏁ ᏧᏅᏓᏒ ᏗᏓᎴᏂᏍᎬ ᏥᏚᏅᏍᏓᏁ ᏓᎦᏏ. ᏚᏅᏍᏓᎾ ᏚᏁᏤᎴᎢ ᏂᎦᎷᎬᎾᏉ ᎠᏫ ᎤᎾᏙᎯᏍᏗ ᎨᏎᎢ. ᎠᏫ ᎤᏓᏒᏍᏓᎾ ᏓᎦᏏ ᎭᎾᏉ ᎤᏅᏉᎶᎩ ᏥᏭᏄᏴᎴ. ᎠᏓᏒᏍᏗᏍᎦᎥ Ꮠ ᎤᏅᏓᏏ ᏏᏫᏂᎦᎷᎬᎾᏉ ᏗᏓᏙᎯᏍᎨ ᏄᏓᎴ ᏓᎦᏏ. ᎠᎬᏱᏃ ᎤᏓᏁᏄᎳᏅ ᎤᏉᎶᎪ ᏭᏄᏴᎸ ᎨᏎᎢ. ᏓᏥᎩᏰᎢ ᎠᏫ ᎠᏓᏂᎳᏗ ᎬᏗ.
U:ne:gu:tsati Daksi
Daksi no:le ahwi du:nada:nenuhlane:ɂi galgwo:gineɂi tsu:nv:dasv wunilu:hisdi. Daksi u:da:nenuhlane:ɂi tsu:dagiya:sdihi. Ahse:hno uda:lu:lv uhnto:ki:ya:sdi u:dante:le daksi. Galgwo:gine tsu:nv:dasv didale:ni:sgv tsidu:nv:sdane daksi. Du:nv:sdana duhne:tse:le:ɂi nigalu:gv:na(kw) ahwi u:hntohi:sdi ge:se:ɂi. Ahwi u:tasv:sdana daksi hana:gw unv:gwolo:gi tsiwu:nuyv:le. A:tasv:sdisgaɂv so: u:nv:dasi siwiniga:lu:gv:nagwo diɂahtohi:sge nu:dale daksi. Agv:yihno u:da:nenu:hlanv u:gwolo:go (u:galo:go) wu:nu:yv:lv ge:se:ɂi. Da:tsiki:ye:ɂi ahwi ahdani:la:d gv:hdi.
The Scheming Turtle
A box turtle and a deer challenged each other to a race to reach the seventh mountain (first). The box turtle challenged that he would defeat the deer. However, before the race, the box turtle schemed for victory. He placed other turtles along the way (to the seventh mountain). He told them to holler (as a signal) just before the deer reached (the next mountain). As the race began, the deer quickly ran passed the box turtle who slyly crawled into the leaves. In the meantime, the other box turtles were hollering to signal the deer's approach. Back at the starting point the challenger was still lying under the leaves, and the deer was defeated by the (box turtle's) cheating.
Story transcribed by ᏔᎻᎵ from Journals of Cherokee Studies as told by Mrs. Betty Losiah.
