SSBMI Language Department

Beeteyihí (Storytime)

Hoyyahám Totoyká      The First Chickens

You can listen to Hoyyahám Totoyká in Nisenan and English using the controls below.

Hoyyahám Totoyká (The First Chickens) by Bill Joe

Hoyyám k’awí, Huumitím pɨwím Nisenáaním totoyká peypét’om Huumitdí.

In the early days, the Popcorn Hill camp Indians kept chickens at Popcorn Hill.

Hac’e Nisenáaním máanom etak’ok’óyt’om.

All the Indians went there to look.

Hac’e mɨskoohóm máydɨkɨm peením etak’óyt’omám.

There must have gone two mischievous men to look.

Han Yuuledí Lumaydí ɨdáwt’omám mɨɨm máydɨkɨm peením Lumaydí.

Those two men must have come to a Big Time at Plymouth.

Han weeydadáat’om mɨɨm totoyká henɨmihí…

They kept telling about the talking of those chickens,

“Awántiitim ni, uuc’úlpuupum ni, ok’óm ni, too,” hát’omatoy.

they were said to have said, “Awántiitim ni, uuc’úlpuupum ni, I am hungry, toh.”

“Mɨyáam totoykám henɨmín, hontamittím…”

“That is the way the chickens are when they talk, they are surprising,

“… etak’óybeem Huumitná wɨ́kpay Lumayic’é,” hát’om.

you must go to Popcorn Hill to look sometime when there is a Big Time,” the men said.

Hac’e Huumitdí Lumayic’é, bə́əppayím Nisenáaním etak’óyt’om.

All the Indians went to look when there was a Big Time at Popcorn Hill.

Han etát’om peením oo, máydɨkɨn kɨlén ha.

They saw only two, a male and a female.

Han hontamítt’om Nisenáaním máanom etán.

All the Indians wondered as they looked.

Hac’e mɨɨm máydɨkɨm, “ok’óm ni, too,” hát’om.

Then the male said, “I am hungry, toh.”

“Wenné k’aam, mɨkɨkɨ́m, ‘ok’óm ni, too,’ há’asi mɨɨm,” hát’om mɨɨm Nisenáaním.

“He is doing pretty good, he is right, he said, ‘I am hungry, toh,’” said those Indians.

Homodí méet’oc’ey mɨɨm totoyká.

I guess they caught those chickens somewhere.

Mɨyée amám k’awí Keliinedí Lánsismɨsém máydɨkɨm Nisenáaním kɨlé méyt’omám.

The year after that a Frenchman apparently gave a chicken to an Indian woman.

Hac’e Yuulená took’óyt’omám.

It seems she took it to Plymouth.

Hac’e mɨyná Nisenáaním máanom etak’ok’óyt’om kan.

All the Indians went there to look again.

Han mɨyenáan amá lok’tín ét’om, beyí Woolesém ɨdawín toodawic’é lok’tín.

After that they saw many, now that the White men came and brought many.

Mɨɨm mɨyém, hontamítt’om ni laayín.

That is that, I was surprised when I was little.

Hesíbe hedém beeteyím? (What is this story?)

This story was told by William Joseph, a.k.a Bill Joe, a Nisenan man from Amador County, in Nisenan and English to Danish linguist Hans J. Uldall in the 1930s. It was later published under the title "The First Chickens" in the book Nisenan Texts and Dictionary in 1966. In this story, Bill Joe explains how the Nisenan first got Totoyká (Chickens), and how some of the early people would travel to Lumáy (Big Time) at Huumít (Popcorn Hill) to see the first Totoyká and listen to them talk. Bill Joe was surprised by Totoyká when he was little!

The SSBMI Language Department has retitled this story in Nisenan and adapted it to share at Beeteyihí (Storytime). The audio recordings that you can listen to here are of Language Department staff member Skye Anderson reciting this story.

You can access a pdf copy of this story, along with supplementary learning prompts, by clicking here.

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?)

Did you know that Totoyká (Chickens) are an introduced species in this area? Bill Joe says that the early people were excited to see Totoyká for the first time at Lumáy (Big Time)! If you heard that you could go see a new species of animal at Lumáy, would you be excited too?