04/14/2026
The Elk Who Married a Bear
told by Annie Lobehan Jack Daniels to Leon Metcalf (Early 1950s)
1 ʔəsɫaɫli(l) < tiiɫ > tiiɫ kʷagʷičəd gʷəl hiq’ʷabidəxʷ tsiiɫ sčətxʷəd gʷəl kʷəddaddəxʷ.
There lived an elk that got stuck on Bear and he took her (as a companion).
2 ɫaɫliləxʷ ʔə tsi sšətxʷəd čəgʷəšs.
He lived with Bear as his wife.
3 ƛ̓uɫəx̌ub tiiɫ kʷagʷičəd ƛ̓uɫəx̌ub ʔuɫəx̌ub gʷələ ʔibəšəxʷ txʷəl tiɫ č’it ʔə tiɫ spaʔɫx̌ad.
Elk hunted and hunted for big game. He was hunting when he walked up close to a swamp.
4 ʔu··· ʔəsƛ̓ax̌ʷəxʷ tiiɫ q’ilt.
Oh! The skunk cabbage was growing!
5 cuudəxʷ tsiiɫ čəgʷəš, “ʔu··· ɫuʔux̌ʷəxʷ čəxʷ, čəxʷ ɫuʔuləx̌ ɫuɫič’íb ʔə tiiɫ q’ilt.”
He told the wife, “Oh! You’re gonna go. You’re gonna gather skunk cabbage by cutting off their tops.”
6 x̌aƛ̓adəxʷ.”
Cut them off.”
7 ʔux̌ʷtxʷəxʷ tsiiɫ čəgʷəš ʔə ti ɫup.
He took his wife early in the morning.
8 ləcuud ti dišəʔ, “ɫuʔuləx̌əd čəxʷ ti čəxʷə t’uk’ʷtxʷ čəɫə q’əlsəd čəɫə ʔəɫəd.
As they went along, he told this one, “You’re going to gather it, and you’re gonna bring it home and we’ll cook it on hot rocks and eat it.”
9 haʔɫ ti.”
“It’s good.”
10 ʔuləx̌əxʷ tsiiɫ sčətxʷəd ɫič’ibəxʷ.
Bear gathered it by cutting off the tops.
11 ʔuləx̌əxʷ ʔuləx̌əxʷ ʔuləx̌əxʷ gʷələ pu···kʷab gʷələ gʷədiləxʷ.
She gathered and gathered and gathered it into a big pile, and she sat down.
12 cutəxʷ, “ɫut’uk’ʷ gʷəɫəq’ʷu(ʔ)ədəxʷ.”
She said, “What you are able to put together will go home.”
13 q’ʷu(ʔ)ədəxʷ gʷələ huy.
She put it together and (then) she did this.
14 cutəbidəxʷ, “ʔəsx̌id šə gʷ(ə)səshuys.”
She wondered, “What is this like?”
15 huy c’əbiq’idəxʷ gʷəl laʔbtxʷəxʷ.
Then she scratched it to see.
16 x̌ʷu···l’ ʔəsč’uč’(u)ɫaʔ.
It was just small leaves.
17 biƛ̓idəxʷ gʷələ biƛ̓idəxʷ gʷələ pukʷab.
So she smashed and smashed them into a pile.
18 ɫəčiləxʷ tiɫ kʷaagʷičəd dəxʷɫəx̌ub gʷəl, “ʔu··· xʷi(ʔ) (ʔ)u s(ʔ)al ti.”
Elk arrived from hunting and “Oh! Is she not here?”
19 kʷaʔ ʔubakʷɫ.
"She must’ve gotten hurt."
20 ʔux̌ʷəxʷ txʷəl ti təlawiləxʷ čad suɫəgʷɫ tsiiɫ čəgʷəš.
He went there, running to where the wife was left.
21 liluʔxʷ gʷələ luud.
He was still far away when he heard her.
22 ʔut’ilib.
She was singing.
23 “ stab(a)ɫ kə duyə duyə duyə kʷi sʔəɫəd kə duyə duyə duyə ʔə šə kʷagʷičəd kə duyə duyə duyə.
“What kind of duyə duyə duyə food is this kə duyə duyə duyə of Elk kə duyə duyə duyə?”
24 kʷ(i) stab(a)ɫ kə duyə duyə duyə kʷi sʔəɫəd ʔə šə kʷagʷičəd kə duyə duyə duyə.
“What kind of duyə duyə duyə food is this of elk kə duyə duyə duyə?”
25 hayə!”
hayə! (interjection)
26 ma···t’ilib tsiiɫ.
Again! She sang.
27 tiləxʷ sl(əʔ)əƛ̓ ʔə tiɫ kʷaagʷič gʷələ cut(t)əb ʔə ti, “ʔa··· tsi qəlːəb.
Finally Elk came and he said to her, “Ah! You bad woman!”
28 “ x̌ʷul’əxʷ < ʔusəbu- > b(əʔ)ux̌ix̌əd.”
“Just doing something (wrong) again!”
29 habu
‘habu.’
30 gʷəlaldəxʷ tsiiɫ čəgʷəšs.
He assaulted his wife.
31 t’(ə)q’apədəxʷ.
He slapped her on her rump.
32 ɫ(ə)x̌iilč tsi sšətxʷəd lə(ʔ)ux̌ʷəxʷ < ləs- > ləšxʷt’əq’ap.
Bear stood up, going with a slapped rump.
33 tib tutxʷpuːsap.
She had a rump that had been hit hard.
34 ʔuʔibəš t’uk’ʷ.
She walked home.
35 "ndiɫ(ə)xʷ (ʔ)udaay’ ɫ(u)adsʔuʔəɫəd sušiabacəs ʔə tiɫ ʔudukʷtxʷ čəxʷ. "
“This is just what you will eat when what you have ruined emerges in the spring.”
36 t’uuk’ʷ tiiɫ kʷaagʷičəd.
Elk went home.
37 Now, that's the end.
Now, that's the end.
