User:Julien Daux/Navajo Texts

1
Ashkii léí’ bimá áhidííniid: — Shimá, ńléíshą’ ha’át’íí át’é? Áádóó bimá ání: — Béégashii át’é. Áko ashkii ánáádoo’niid: — Ha’át’ííshą’ bitsiits’iin ba íí’á? Áko bimá ání: — Bidee’ át’é, ní. Hodíína’go béégashii ádííniid: — Muu’uu. Ńt’éé’ ashkii yázhí bimá áhidííniid: — Shimá, háí bidee’ígííshą’ yee ádííniid?

One boy said to his mother: - Mom, what's that over there? And my mother said: - It's a cow. Then the boy asked: - And what is the long pieces in her head? And my mother said: - It is, they say, its horns. After some time, the cow said: - Moo-yyy. Then the little boy asked his mother: - Mom, what horn she said that?

From: Language, a Journal of the Linguistic Society of America, Vol 39, No.3.

2
Díí Dził ahéénínilígíí k’ad nihits’ą́ą́ atídeiił’į́. Yii’ nida’ageed jó akǫ. Yee hadadít’éhę́ę bąąh dajinizh. Nahasdzáán Shimá dii’ní. Áko díí nihimá atélį́. Yádiłhił Nihitaa’ łe’ nízin. Kodi asdzání bits’ą́ą́’ atél'į́į́go, Béésh da nidabizǫ́ǫsgo bininaa. Díí asdzání yá’át’éehgo bił naash’aash doo jinízin łeh. Nihitaa’ t’áá ákwíinízin, áájí háidiil’įįh. Niłtsą́ áádę́ę́’ kojį’ kóyiiłįįh. Ch’il bílátah hózhóón ałtah áát’eełii haajah. Koodóó yidinínáádóó yits’ą́ á’áł’įįh. Nihitaa’ łe’ nízinígíí Bininaa doo hazhó’ó nahałtin da. Ts’ííh niidóóh t’áá naaghá.

On these our sacred mountains now outraged. They dig in every possible way. Their patterns are disrupted with them. We say: Our Mother Earth. And we abused our mother. The sky is dark, our Father, jealous. After all, over his woman abused, raped her iron. Beloved woman always give decoration. And our Father, he does the same. He sends down rain to it. And under this rain bloom beautiful flowers. She feeds him instead. Because our Father is jealous, rains are rare. Around us only misery.

From: Between Sacred Mountains: Navajo Stories and Lessons from the Land Rock Point Community School, 1982.