Herschel Talashoma
Tutuwutsi is the Hopi term for stories about make believe things. According to Hopi tradition they should only be told during Kyaamuya, the winter month around the solstice. To tell one in the summer is to risk being bitten by a rattlesnake. The following Tutuwutsi was recorded by Ekkehart Malotki in his collection of Hopi stories Hopitutuwutsi: Hopi Tales (Flagstaff: Museum of Northern Arizona Press, 1978). Illustrations are by Anne-Marie Malotki.
Aliksa´i. Yaw Orayve yeesiwa. Noq pu´ yaw Orayviy aqlap, Mastupatsve, yaw Maasaw piw kiy´ta. Pay yaw pam panis soy´ta. Pam yaw sutsep mihikqw pep Orayve sinmuy tokvaqw, pu´ Orayviy angqe pootangwu. Yan yaw pam pep Orayvituy tumalay´ta.
Noq yaw pam hisat piw pangqe Orayviy angqe pootiy´makyangw ahoy pitu. Yaw pam kiy aw pitut, yaw pam hiita navota. Pas yaw haqam suupan hiitu kwanonota. Pay yaw Orayve´ewakwhaqam. Pu´ yaw pam angqw Oraymi hiisavo nakwsu. Nit pu´ piw tuqayvasta. Noq pay yaw kur pas Orayve hakim hingqaqwa. Pay yaw pam panis yan navot, pu´ yaw pay ahoy kiy aw´i. Pu´ yaw pam pakiiqe pu´ soy aa´awna, "Pas hapi Oraye-haqam hakim suupan haalayyay," yaw soy aw kita.
"Hep owi, pay nu´ navotiy´ta. Puma pep mihikqw kivaape tootim, mamant, pu´ taataqt, momoyam pep kivaape mihikqw sosotukwyangwu. Niiqe pas pu´ nungwu pay qa iits tokwisngwu. Pay as mootiniqw suutokwisngwu, nit pay pu´ pas qa iits tokwisngwu. Pay nu´ oovi put navotiy´ta," yaw aw kita.
Paasat pu´ yaw Maasaw lavayti, "Pas nu´ as kur hisat nuutum awni. Hin pi hak sosotukwngwu."
Noq pu´yaw so´at aw pangqawu, "So´on pini, um qa panhaqam hintsakni. Puma hapi ung mamqasya, um oovi qa panhaqam hintsakni," kitaaqe pay yaw qa hin put nakwhana.
Pu´ yaw pay aapiy i´ Maasaw put wuuwankyangw mihikqw Orayviy angqe pootangwu. Pantsakkyangw pu´ yaw pam hisat piw pituuqe, pu´soy aw pangqawu, "Pay nu´pas sutsep Orayminiqay wuuwankyangw angqe pootangwu. Noq nu´ oovi qaavo piw ahoy pite,´ pu´nu´ kur awni," yaw kita.
"Pay pi nu´ as ura ung meewa, noq pay pi puye´em um son tuuqayni. Noq pay pii oovi um antsa awni. Pay ason um suus awni. Niikyangw um hapi awnen, um uupösaalay akw huur naakwapmani. Um hapi qa naw- lökintani, puma hapi ung mamqasya. Um hapi oovi paapu inumi tuuqayte´ qa naahöltoynani," kita yaw awniiqe pay yaw put nakwhana.
Pu´ yaw Maasaw qavomi mihikmi kwangwtoya. Pu´ yaw oovi qavong-vaqw mihikqw pu´ yaw pam piw Orayviy angqe poota. Panis yaw oovi pam ahoy pitut, pösaalay kwusut, pu´ yaw pam pangqw Oraymi´. Piw naat yaw so´at meewa, "Um hapi qa ephaqam naahöltoynani. Pay um panis amumi yorikt, pay um ahoy angqw nimani."
Pu´ yaw pam oovi Oraymi pitu. Noq yaw antsa sup kivaape yaw kur sosotukwyangwu. Noq yaw kivats´ove tootim, taataqt wuuhaqniiqamya. Noq pay yaw oovi pam qa pas kivats´omi wupt, pay yaw pam haaqw kiihut tuyqayat angqw wunuwkyangw tuuqayta. Pas pi yaw haalayya. Yaw kivaapehaq kwanokmanta.
Pay yaw oovi pam pangqw su´awsavo wunuwtaqw, pu´ yaw kivats´o- veyaqam pay yaw himuwa kya pi öönate´, pay nimangwu. Pantsakkyaa- kyangw pu´ yaw pay hak pas suukya kivats´ove akwsingwa. Paasat pu´ yaw pam pan wuuwa, "Nu´ pi pas awnen pu´ aqw kuyvani. Nen pu´ nu´ pas naap hin yorikni. Hintsatskyangwu piniiqe oovi pas haalayyangwu."
Kitaaqe pu´ yaw pam angqw kivats´omi´. Pu´ yaw pam put hakiy suukw akwsingwqat aqle´ kivamiq tsooralti. Pay yaw pan oovi huur naakwap- kyangw, pay yaw pas poosiysa hihin kuytoyniy´ta. Pu´ yaw pam pangqaqw pumuy tiimayi. Pas pi yaw kwangwa´ewlalwa.
Pu´ yaw kur put amum oongaqwniiqa hisatniqw put aw yori. Noq pam yaw kur pas kawngwatimayqe, yaw kur pam pösaalay qa aw tunatyalti. Niiqe yaw kur pam qötöy hölökna, noq put yaw kur aqle´tsoorawtaqa tuwaaqe, pay yaw okiw sumoki. Pu´yaw pam pangqw nuutum hin unangway´ta. Pantsakkyangw pay yaw kur pam pösaalay posnat qa navota. Pantsakkyangw pu´ yaw pay kur pam pas hin unangwtiqe, pay yaw pam kur pas kivamiq pakit qa navota.
Yaw oovi pam pas aw pakiqw, pu´ yaw kur hak tuwa. Pu´ yaw mimuywatuy aa´awna, "Himu pakiy," yaw kita. Noq pay yaw pas qa nanapta. Pu´ yaw as pi´epningwu. Pas yaw hisatniqw pu´yaw kur nanapta. Paasat pu´ yaw suuqe´toti. Pu´ yaw kivaapeq kwiniwiq tupoq soosoyam yuutu.
Paasat pu´yaw Maasaw nuutum pansoq wari. Panis yaw oovi pam amumiq pituqw, pu´ yaw piw taatöqwat yuutu. Pu´yaw pam piw nuutum aqw wari. Pu´yaw pay puma pepehaq naahoy pantsatskya. Pu´yaw kwiniwiq yuutukngwu. Pu´ yaw pay piw pam nuutum aqw warikngwu. Puma hapi yaw kur as it angqw waytiwnumyaqw, pam nuutum waayangwu.
Pas pi yaw putniqw is uti. Pay yaw pam piw tsawnaqe, oovi nuutum pepeq naahoy waytiwnuma. Hisatniqw pu´ yaw soosoyam so´a. Pay yaw pam paasat naala epeq wunuwta. Aqle´ yaw sinom aasaqawta. Paasat pu´ yaw pam pangqw suyma. Pu´ yaw pösaalay sukwsut pu´ yaw pam pangqw kiy aw waaya. Paysoq yaw pam kiy aqw poosi. Pavan yaw hin unangway´kyangw, "Hihiya, uti, is uti," yaw kita.
"Ya hinti?" yaw so´at kita.
"Nu´ Orayve´e. Nu´ pep nanavö´yaqamuy amumiq pakiqw, pay hintotiqe kivaapeq naanahoy yuyutyaqw, pas nu´ kyaanavota. Is uti, pay nu´ son paapu hisat awni. Pay pi taataqtuy qötöyamuy ooveq himu qöötsa puvuyaltimangwuqa, pay pam pas nuy tsaawina. Pay put nu´ hiita pas mamqasi. Pas is uti," kita yawi´.
Paasat pu´ yaw so´at lavayti, "Ya um piw pay pas kivamiq paki?"
"Owi, pas kwangwa´ewyaqw, oovi nu´ amumiq paki. Noq pay naat nu´ hiisavo epeqniqw, pay hintotiqe naanahoy yuyutya, noq paasat pu´ nu´ put hiita tuwaaqe put nu´ angqw waytiwnuma."
"ya´e," yaw aw so´at kita, "puma hapi ung mamqasyaqe, oovi uungaqw puma waytiwnumyaqw, um pepehaq pumuy tsatsawina. Pay um oovi paapu qa hisat awni. Put hapi um mamqasqay pangqawqw, pam hapi pumuy kwavöönakwa´amu. Son pi pam ung hintsanni," kita yaw put so´at awniiqe yaw put qööqöya.
Pu´yaw kivaapeq himuwa yaw hisatniqw yan unangwte´, pu´ pang- qaqw kiy aw waayangwu. Yan yaw puma Orayve tootim, taataqt, pu´ momoyam, mamant Maasawuy pitsinayaqe pas yaw puma naatsawinaya. Paapiy pu´yaw pay qa hisat puma kivaapehaqam mihikqw nanavö´ya.
Paapiy pu´ yaw Maasaw pay ahoy piw Orayvit tuuwalangwu. Naat kya oovi pu´ piw haqam songqe angqe pootiy´numa. Pay yuk pölö.
Herschel Talashoma. "How Maasaw and the People of Oraibi Got Scared to Death Once" from Hopitutuwusi: Hopi Tales (Museum of Northern Arizona, 1978) by Ekkehart Malotki. Copyright ©1978 by Ekkehart Malotki. Reprinted by permission of the author and Museum of Northern Arizona Press.
As printed in Larry Evers, ed. The South Corner of Time. Tucson, Ariz.: The University of Arizona Press, ©1980, p. 29.