150
��INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS
��VOL. I
��ima-c appears.
nanaMka'icturdao that I for you should hear
a'ricap-ma-'cim is well appearing.
��a'pimpimicho'hidat Ye, ye were desiring
h&ga ni'o'k'
that
��pero But
��word
h&ga.ti'am.- she if.
��inmaR dios intindimiento pero
my child God willing but
nan6'kodama"turda l pero maskisi'a
that I with to you will teach. 1 But more than= might be
go-k- ta'kugum&'k'ot hi'di pi'm-
two fragment with this ye
ictunha - 'gicda ku.avi.icbai"gria hoga me will pardon. Then it will be able that
ha'ctu na'pim.pu.a'k kuhi'di
anything that ye say. Then this
hfimadak'amo'koD kudios in.o - 'k
creation with then God my Lord,
inda - 't inci'u'k ku.hoga'kot.gamtu.-
my Lady, my Morning Star. Then with that-
amtfigicda api'migamai.pwoptokohina
you will cause to see ye begin thus also will tread
navarmai'ngio'am aric.a'pma'citnaka - 't
which is his petate on is well appearing, outspread.
avarichi'komagat da'marrdor nagami- It is his cloud above from that*
ha - 'duc nagamivi'Tjgi' ha'bairdor na.- it that it which-from that-
ivo'p'migit navarci'cwo'rdaD aric'i'k'OT he raises which are his plumes is vicinity
napubima'ma'c ci"a'rwot'a va'varip that hither appears east beneath north
xurnip o'gipas arici'vgo'k' o - 'hi west south. Is seven beautiful
to'tvakdam a % bim6 navarda'kam
skies on there that she is sitter
navaric.da'dikam to'do u'vikaM
that it is health green womankind
navariD - a - 'D nabai.it'6'kio navarno'vio who is our Mother that she hither to us
extends which is her hand
1 The exact meaning here is dubious.
��natha'bantuda kuhi'di ho'madakamftkot that she did in it seize. Then this creation with
pictunha'gicda dios pi'amhacunra'k-a thou me wilt pardon God thou not anything wilt* think.
NOTE
This long and involved prayer is spoken to the father of a girl desired in marriage. 2 Marriage generally takes place at about the age of eighteen. The details having been arranged informally, the husband-to-be and his father appear at the house of the girl on a Wednesday night. It happens that at present only two Tepecanos know this long prayer and one of them must be engaged at a fee of a peso per night to accompany the supplicants and recite the prayer. It must be recited five times on successive evenings, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday and Wednesday. On the final night the father makes his reply. Since the affair is always prearranged, the reply is never negative.
Then a whke cloth is spread out and the clothes and other property of the girl and the wedding gifts placed upon it. The bride and groom and their fathers each seize a corner and raise the cloth and the ceremony is complete.
After this they are married. The boy gives a present to his parents-in-law and goes to live with them for a short period, six months or a year before setting up a separate home. Two wedding feasts and dances are held, one in the house of each parent.
The prayer is extremely long and involved and so full of ceremonial and esoteric allusions as to be very difficult of proper translation. In many cases the exact meaning is very doubtful and obscure.
TRANSLATION
Hither have I come. Do not wonder that I have come here to speak unto thee unbidden. Thou wilt forgive me, for I behold that thou
- Cf. Lumholtz, Unknown Mexico, II, p. 93.
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