SSBMI Language Department

Language Day Camp 2023

Uk’oywá! game instructions

At Language Day Camp 2023, we will play a fun game called "Uk’oywá!" (Go!) in which one person tells the players where to go in Nisenan and then they race to be the first person to reach that location. "Uk’oywá!" requires players to be able to understand some Nisenan vocabulary and basic commands (e.g. "Go there!", "Stop!") and respond accordingly. On this webpage, you can learn some basic Nisenan commands as well as more specific language that you need in order to play "Uk’oywá!".

In order to play "Uk’oywá!", you need to be able to use and understand basic Nisenan commands involving the verbs "uk’óy-" (to go), "ɨdáw-" (to come, arrive), and "hatí-" (to stop). When speaking Nisenan, you form commands differently depending on (1) whether the verb ends in a consonant (e.g. "y", "w") or a vowel (e.g. "a", "i") and (2) whether you are telling 1 person or a group of 2 or more people to do something.

If the verb ends in a consonant, like "uk’óy-" or "ɨdáw-", then you use the verb itself to command 1 person (e.g. "Uk’óy!") but attach the suffix "-wá" to the end of the verb to command a group of 2 or more people (e.g. "Uk’oywá!"), like so:

If the verb ends in a vowel, like "hatí-" or "etá-" (to look at something), then you attach the suffix "-p" to the end of the verb to command 1 person (e.g. "Hatíp!"). Once again, you attach the suffix "-wá" to the verb to command a group of 2 or more people (e.g. "Hatiwá!"):

While we are using this language to play the game "Uk’oywá!", please remember that you can use these same commands anytime you want to tell someone to "go", to "come", to "stop", or to "look at something". Makbéebene! (You should try it out!)

Uk’oywá _____-ná! (All of you, go to _____!)

When we play "Uk’oywá!", we will have several stations set up that are labeled with a picture of some nameable thing (e.g. an animal or plant). During the game, one person will tell other players to "go to" one of those things, and then all other players will race to be the first to reach the station corresponding to that thing. Thus, to play "Uk’oywá!", you need to know how to tell someone to "go to" something in Nisenan.

To tell someone to "go to" something, you use one of the commands "uk’óy!" or "uk’oywá!" together with the name of that thing and the suffix "-ná" (to, toward). You attach "-ná" to the object's name in order to describe movement "to" or "toward" that thing:

For example, here is how you would tell a group of people to "go to" a few of the things that you already know how to name in Nisenan:

Remember, all you need to do is fill in the blank with a name, and you have a way of telling someone to "go to" anything that you can name!