Vocabulary

ᎠᏍᎦᏯ - man
ᎠᏯᎢ – s/he, it is inside it
ᎤᏂᏜᎬ – a stump
ᎪᎯᎩ - One time/One day
ᏥᎩᏒ (ᏥᎨᏒ) – it was
ᎤᎶᎨᏒ - field
ᏓᏛᎯᏍᏗᏍᎬ – s/he is growing/raising them
ᏎᎷ - corn
ᎠᎴ – and/or
ᏌᏊ - one
ᎢᎦ - day
ᎤᎦᏛᏅᏎ - he looked around (reportedly)
ᏯᏍᏆᎵ - short (asgwalai)
ᏗᎦᎸᏗ - TBD
ᏗᏤ - young (plants)
ᎾᎢᏂᎨ - nearer
ᏭᎷᏣ – s/he, it arrived there
ᏓᏫᏒ - plants
ᎢᎾ ᎢᎦᏘ - tall
ᎤᎸᏎ - he climbed up
ᏓᏤᏢ (ᏓᏤᏝ) - better
ᎤᎪᏩᏛᏗ - for him to see
ᎤᏰᎸᏎᎢ - for that reason
ᎤᏂᏜᎬᏃ - Now that stump
ᎤᏒᏙᏂ - hollow
ᏲᎾ ᎠᏂᏓ - bear cubs
ᎠᏂᏁᎴ - they lived there
ᎡᎳᏗ - below
ᎤᏔᎾ ᏲᎾ - big bear
ᎢᎸᏢ - elsewhere
ᏙᏯ - outside
ᎡᏙᎮᎢ - it was there(reportedly)
ᎠᏍᎦᏱᏃ - and the man
ᎤᏂᏜᎬ - the stump
ᎤᎩᎸ - he was on it
ᏚᎾᏒᏞᎢ - nest (where they go to bed)
ᎤᎶᏎ - he passed by (fell?) (reportedly)
ᎤᏒᏙᏅ - hollow
ᎠᏔᎴᏒ - hole
ᏫᎤᎸᏤ - he climbed
ᏗᏂᎾᏯᎥ - where they were inside it
ᏫᎤᏅᏥᏞ - he fell (reportedly)
ᎾᏃ - and those
ᎤᎾᎴᏅᎮ they began (reportedly)
ᎤᏁᏡᎬ - they were screaming
ᎤᏂᏥ - their mother
ᎤᏛᎦᏁ - she heard it
ᎩᎳᏊᏃ ᎢᏴᏓ - and immediately
ᏣᎢᏎ - she went
ᎤᏂᏡᎬ - the stump
ᏭᎷᏣ - she arrived
ᎤᏒᏙᎾ ᎠᏔᎴᏒ - the hollow hole
ᏭᏣᏁ - she went into it
ᎦᏂᏓᏛ - her tail
ᎢᏗᏟ (ᎢᏗᏜ?) – towards
ᏭᏦᏔᏁ - direction away from (utsatina?)
ᎤᎦᏛᏅᏎ - in order to see
ᎾᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗᏍᎨ - what had caused it
ᎠᏂᏓ - the cubs
ᎤᏁᏡᎬ - they were screaming (ᎤᏪᏡᎦ)
ᎠᏎᏃ - but/however
Ꮟ - still/again
ᏫᏄᎷᏨᎾ - without her having arrived
ᎠᏂᏓ - the cubs
ᏗᏂᏯᎥ - they were inside
ᎠᏍᎦᏯ - the man
ᎤᎪᎮ - he saw (reportedly)
ᎣᎾᏗᏟ (ᎣᎾᏗᏝ) – rear-wards, towards the back/rear)
ᏗᎦᏅᏍᎨᏂ - her legs
ᏫᏚᎦᏌᏔᏂᏞ - they were sticking out
ᎦᏁᎾᏕ - he held/grabbed them
ᏗᎦᏅᏍᎨᏂ - her legs
ᎢᏧᎴ - both of them
ᎤᏂᏄᎪᏤ - they exited/went out
ᎤᏒᏙᏂ - hollow
ᎤᏂᏡᎬ - stump
ᏭᎳᏘᏎ - she ran away
ᎾᎯᏳᏃ - and then
ᎡᎵᏊ - perhaps/maybe
ᎢᎤᎪᎮ - he saw it again (he was able to see?)
ᏎᎷ - the corn
ᏚᏫᏒ - plants
ᏠᎨᏏ - field

ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎠᏯᎢ ᎤᏂᏜᎬ

ᎪᎯᎩ ᏥᎩᏒ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎤᎶᎨᏒ ᏓᏛᎯᏍᏗᏍᎬ ᏎᎷ ᎠᎴ ᏌᏊ ᎢᎦ ᎤᎦᏛᏅᏎ ᏯᏍᏆᎵ ᏗᎦᎸᏗ ᏗᏤ ᏎᎷ. ᎾᎢᏂᎨ ᏭᎷᏣ ᏎᎷ ᏓᏫᏒ ᎢᎾ ᎢᎦᏘ ᎤᏂᏜᎬ ᎤᎸᏎ ᏓᏤᏢ ᎤᎪᏩᏛᏘ ᎤᏰᎸᏎᎢ. ᎤᏂᏜᎬᏃ ᎤᏒᏙᏂ ᎨᏎ ᎠᎴ ᏲᎾ ᎠᏂᏓ ᎠᏂᏁᎴ ᎡᎳᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏔᎾ ᏲᎾ ᎢᎸᏢ ᏙᏯ ᎡᏙᎮᎢ. ᎠᏍᎦᏱᏃ ᎤᏂᏜᎬ ᎤᎩᎸ ᏚᎾᏒᏞᎢᎤᎶᏎ ᎠᎴ Ꮎ ᎤᏒᏙᏅ ᎠᏔᎴᏒ ᏫᎤᎸᏤ ᎠᎴ ᏲᎾ ᎠᏂᏓ ᏗᏂᎾᏯᎥ ᏫᎤᏅᏥᏞ. ᎾᏃ ᏲᎾ ᎠᏂᏓ ᎤᎾᎴᏅᎮ ᎤᏁᏡᎬ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏂᏥ ᎤᏛᎦᏁ ᎩᎳᏊᏃ ᎢᏴᏓ ᏣᎢᏎ ᎠᎴ ᎤᏂᏡᎬ ᏭᎷᏣ ᎤᏒᏙᎾ ᎠᏔᎴᏒ ᏭᏣᏁ ᎦᏂᏓᏛ ᎢᏗᏟ ᏭᏦᏔᏁ ᎤᎦᏛᏅᏎ ᎾᏗᎦᎵᏍᏙᏗᏍᎨ ᎠᏂᏓ ᎤᏁᏡᎬ ᎠᏎᏃ Ꮟ ᏫᏄᎷᏨᎾ ᎠᏂᏓ ᏗᏂᏯᎥ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎤᎪᎮ ᏲᎾ ᎣᎾᏗᏟ ᏗᎦᏅᏍᎨᏂ ᏫᏚᎦᏌᏔᏂᏞ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎦᏁᎾᏕ ᏲᎾ ᏗᎦᏅᏍᎨᏂ ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎴ ᎤᏂᏄᎪᏤ ᎤᏒᏙᏂ ᎤᏂᏡᎬ ᎠᎴ ᏲᎾ ᏭᎳᏘᏎ ᎾᎯᏳᏃ ᎠᏍᎦᏯ ᎡᎵᏊ ᎢᎤᎪᎮ ᏎᎷ ᏚᏫᏒ ᏠᎨᏏ.

The Man In The Stump

A man who had a field of growing corn went out one day to see how it was ripening and climbed a tall stump to get a better view. The stump was hollow and a bear had a nest of cubs in the bottom. The man slipped and fell down upon the cubs, which set up such a squealing that the old she-bear heard them and came climbing down into the stump tail first, in bear fashion, to see what was the matter. The man caught hold of her by the hind legs and the old bear was so frightened that she at once climbed out again, dragging the man, who thus got out of the stump, when the bear ran away.
Story from James Mooney’s “History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees”
Translation by Anna Huckaby, Cherokee Nation Cultural Resource Center