SSBMI Language Department

Beeteyihí (Storytime)

Mayk Klinsóon Mɨ Etín Ha      Mike Cleanso and His Elder Sister

You can listen to Mayk Klinsóon Mɨ Etín Ha in Nisenan and English using the controls below.

Mayk Klinsóon Mɨ Etín Ha (Mike Cleanso and His Elder Sister) by Bill Joe

Hoyyám k’awí Maykín mɨ etín ham ennaaní yank’óyt’omatoy K’ademmanáan.

Long ago Mike and his elder sister went to pick blackberries from K’ademmá.

Han sewdí ɨneec’é, k’əəyím yeséyt’omatoy.

While they were going around at the river, the enemy happened to come across them.

Han méet’omatoy.

They caught them.

Han waasán, took’óyt’omatoy komowím k’awná, Sukkú Yamaní komowím k’awná.

They kidnapped them, and took them to the south country, the country south of Mt. Diablo.

Hac’e mɨydí c’ɨyím k’awím yakká íst’omatoy.

They stayed there about four years.

Han bəhəpím payelí laylayín huyok’ok’óyt’omatoy.

She kept taking all kinds of food away and hiding it, little by little.

Han lahewín, mɨɨm payelí meen uk’óyt’omatoy.

When they ran away, they took that food and went.

Han Sukkú Yamaní notownáaní ɨpínt’omatoy.

They came on the east side of Mt. Diablo.

Han momdí ɨdáwt’omatoy.

Then they came to the water.

Han kuyéem pottó wakkayí siyéet’omatoy.

They made a boat out of tule.

Han mɨɨm wakkayní hettát’omatoy.

They crossed with that boat.

Han wonón, hinmittidɨkɨ́n sewí ɨpínt’omatoy.

Afterwards, they put it back in the water and came to a river.

Han wítteem sewí unón mɨɨm, K’ademmám Séwc’ey mɨyém pisín…

Going up one river, and thinking that it might be the American River,

… Koosóm Sewí unót’omatoy.

they went up the Cosumnes River.

Hac’e kapá hiním towáktowákt’omatoy póombokkanodí.

A bear’s eyes shone in the moonlight.

Mɨyém banak’á c’aa unowóot’omatoy mɨɨm manayé.

That morning she told the boy to climb a tree.

Hac’e unót’omatoy manayím c’aa hipinná.

The boy climbed to the top of the tree.

Han ét’omatoy c’aam labisíkk’ooyuc’é…

He saw trees stretching in a black line,

“Em ni c’aam wonóm labisíkk’ooyuc’é, mɨ́c’ey nisée sewím,” hát’omatoy.

“I see trees stretching in a black line, that may be our river,” he said.

Hac’e ɨdáan ɨyéet’omatoy.

He got down and they went on.

Han ɨyéen, maawɨkɨ́m, tɨ́mboom okóm yakká ɨyéet’omatoy…

They went along for about five or six days,

... wɨ́kpay poohó ɨyeehahát’omatoy.

once in a while they went at night.

Han ɨdíkt’omatoy mɨsé sewdí.

Then they came to their river.

Han K’ademmá pet’oná ɨyéet’omatoy sewím hoydí.

They went straight towards K’ademma along the river.

Han henanát’omatoy hɨpɨwná.

They shouted and shouted across to the camp.

Hac’e hɨpɨwpémɨsém pinín, “Homokɨ́m henám,” hát’omatoy.

The people in the camp heard it, “Somebody is shouting,” they said.

Hac’e wakkayní huttáat’omatoy.

They took them across in a boat.

Hac’e esak’án mɨsé tuulémɨsém, wót’omatoy.

When their relatives recognized them, they cried.

Han hiwnáaním də́ət’omatoy.

Others laughed.

Han huslát’omatoy.

They had a Small Time.

Han hanc’ók’ mɨɨm etikutóm taawéyt’omatoy…

Both he and his elder sister talked the Lower Country language,

… mɨyáatín henɨ́mt’omatoy, mɨɨm peením…

they talked that way, those two,

… taaweyín mɨyé esák’t’omatoy c’ɨyím k’awí isín, mɨyáan henɨ́mt’omatoy mɨyé.

they knew that after staying there for four years, therefore they talked that.

Han beyím k’awí woonóy Maykím.

Mike died not long ago.

Han mɨ etikɨ́m woonót’omatoy hoyyám k’awí…

His elder sister died long ago,

… maac’amní maawɨkɨ́m huyéen hokapé, woonót’om mɨɨm…

over one hundred ten years old, she died,

… K’ademmadí boomitihím mɨɨm.

she is buried at K’ademmá.

Han mɨ etikɨhé Pusuunedí bomítt’omatoy…

He buried his elder sister at Pusúune,

… Saklentá tosimnáandí, Wollokóm Sewín K’ademmám Sewín ha estodí, Pusuunedí.

on the south side of Sacramento, between the Sacramento and American Rivers, at Pusúune.

Han mɨ əsəwím c’ɨyím huyéem k’awí əlləmím, isím heyák’ weté.

His younger sister is over eighty years, and is still living.

Han Toom Klinsóom woonóy mɨyém tuulém, c’ɨyím huyéem aynó mɨyé əlləmín woonóy.

Tom Cleanso of that family died, he died over eighty years old.

Han wek’awím beyí Nisenáaním Pusuunén K’ademmán hadí…

The Indians at Pusúune and K’ademmá are gone now,

… lok’ooyém Nisenáaním wek’awí mɨydí, ham wítteem Pameelám isím mɨydí.

the many Indians there are gone, Pamela is the only one living there.

Mɨɨm mɨyém.

That is that.

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 Cleanso Family" in the book Nisenan Texts and Dictionary in 1966. In this story, Bill Joe relates how two of the Cleanso siblings, Mike and his elder sister, were kidnapped when they were young. They ultimately escaped and made their way back home, from the land south of Sukkú Yamán (Mt. Diablo) back to K’ademmá along the American River.

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 Jonathan Geary 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?)

Mike and his elder sister are the older siblings of Tom Cleanso and Pamela Adams, the latter of whom is one of the two Matriarchs of the Shingle Springs Rancheria. The story of their kidnapping is known to members of the SSBMI community, who have their own retellings of this story.

Bill Joe says that Mike, who was also known as "Captain Mike", became one of the "richest chiefs around" as an adult. As we can see here, the events of Mike and his elder sister's kidnapping were known and talked about by other people in the region, like Bill Joe.

As you read this story, you may notice that the Nisenan names for the American and Sacramento Rivers are not what you expect! Bill Joe calls the American River "K’ademmám Sew" (K’ademmá River) and the Sacramento River "Wollokóm Sew" (Wóllok River), in reference to two major villages that are located along these rivers. However, Nisenan speakers often call rivers by different names that refer to them from different points of reference. For example, Tom Cleanso, who lived between the American and Sacramento Rivers at Pusúune, calls the American River "Nótow Mom" (East Water) and the Sacramento River "Taa Mom" (West Water). Because this story was told by Bill Joe, it uses his names.