Our catch phrase is on its way.

2016-01-03 20:07:29

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

Today, using my still limited Seneca vocabulary, I will write some sentences that relate to food. As I promised in Installment 262, every 3rd or 4th or 5th blog for the foreseeable future will deal with the Seneca language. Since food is an important part of any culture, I will be attempting to bring Seneca to life (Quite literally!) by feeding it with words and expressions related to eating and drinking. Here we go!

Line1. Ogwe:nyö:h neh ögwehsö’öh ëödistwah heh newë:nö’s? (Can people reduce their size?) Line 2. Jaysëh ni:’ eyatso:wi’. (I’m going to talk about Jaysëh.) Line 3. Ne:’o:negawänöe’ we:so’ ha:negehak. (He used to drink a lot of soda pop.) Line 4. Hohsë: ënö’. ( He was fat.) Line 5. De’gagä:’! (I am not making this up!) Tgayeii’! (it’s all true!) Line 6. Waënöhdö:nyö:’, “Ögestwas neh ahö’öh agiwanö:hgöh agajadawi’shä’.” (He pondered, “My favorite coat has gotten too small for me…..” Line 7. ” Ëgestwah negegowa:nëh!” (I will reduce my size!”) Line 8. Onëh nä:h sëh niyohsae’dage:h onegagi’ hadekö:nih ha’dewë:nishäge:h. (Now he eats three bean soup every day.) Line 9. Dwate:dëk sö:ga:’ howönödëh gashe’dowa:neh onegawänoe’, wak’ah nä:h wa:yë:’. (The other day, I saw someone offering him a huge bottle of soda pop, but he just set it aside.) Line 10. Ha’deyojiyage:h ëgeji:ya:k, gëdzöh koh ëge:k. (I will eat berries and fish.) Line 11. Onöhsda’shä:gi’ ëkigö:ni’. (I will make sassafras tea.) Line 12. Agekswënö:höh, dewagaja’gi:h koh. (My intestines are full – and I always feel spent, exhausted .)

(This story will continue in Installment 269!)

Many thanks to my friend, the great Seneca scholar and “Preserver”, (whose name begins with a “G”). Kerm help has made this blog possible!!

Earthsaver and Gaënö’’composer, Hadënöhšyö:nis. (English name: Steve Walker)

EarthSaver

Steve Walker

Our catch phrase is on its way.