Category: Huasteca Nahuatl Short Stories

Se welta Josefa wan Maria tetekipanoyayah nepa altepetl tlen itokah Puebla. Nepa nelnelia onka mansanas tlen kwalistli. Wan se tonal yahwantin yahkeh kampa tlaonka miak mansanas. Kitekkeh miak para kikwaseh wan motenkeh mansanakwatsintlan wan pehkeh kikwah nopa mansanas. Wan kemman tlankeh kikwah, pehkeh mokamawiah wan pehkeh mototokah wan teipan sampa mosewihkeh kampa mosewihtoyah. Tlaxikowayayah wan motehkeh wan wehkahkeh cochtokeh.

Once Joseph and Mary were serving in the city of Puebla. There are really good apples out there. And one day they went to a place where there were many apples. They picked up a lot to eat and sat down under the apple tree and began to eat the apples. And when they had finished eating, they began to talk and to chase each other, and then they went back to their seats. They were tired and lay down and slept for a long time.

Teipan Josefa ya kimachilihtehki senihki kimagakeh sawel kampa iyakatsol. Nimantsin isak wan kiitak se mansana wetsitoya iixteno wan nohkiya kiitak se kowatl walla nechka para kitsakaniki. Nimantsim kitlalanki tetl ean kimagak hasta kimikti. Arna Josefa kiihto: “Nochi tlen axkwalli kinpano tlen cochkwikwitlahtikeh. Yahwantin axkimatih yonke mikiseh. keha naha nimiktosquia intla nopa mansana axnechmagatosquia.”

Then Joseph realized that Saul had struck him in the nose. Suddenly he woke up and saw an apple lying in front of him and also saw a snake coming closer to bite him. He immediately picked up a stone and struck him to death. Arna Josefa said, “All bad things happen to sleepwalkers. They don’t even know they’re going to die. Like I would have died if the apple hadn’t bitten me.”

Se weltah se noikniw kwekwetsin monelkokowayaya. Wan ipan se tlayowa kemman motlaweltihtoya nonana ya mosewihtoya kinawahtoya. Kemmantsin tlayowa nelliya kisah miyake kimichimeh nepa kalihtik wan kennopa panok nopa tlayowa. Nonana kiittak se ome kimichimeh itstoyah iixteno mowilantikateh. Nopa kimichimeh kennopa tlachiwayayah hasta kimahmatihkeh. Wan teipan motlalohtehkeh.

Once upon a time, a young brother of mine was sick. And one night when my brother’s condition had worsened, my mother rested with him in her arms. Sometimes at night there are really a lot of mice out there in the house and that’s what happened last night. My mother saw a couple of mice fighting with each other in front of her. The mice were doing this until they were frightened by her. And then they ran away.

Yehyektsin mopitso. Kanke tikkowki? Nikkowki nepa Kwahtla. Nelliya tsahtsitiwalahki ohtipan kemman nikwalikak. Owih tiahsikoh.

Your pig is beautiful. Where did you buy it? I bought it there at Kwahtla. He actually screamed on the way when I brought him. We got here with difficulty.

Se tonal wallahki se ahakatl tlen chikawak. Na iwanya noikniw nokka titekitiyayah nepa nomil. Nelliya timomahmatiyayah wan timotehkeh tlalchi hasta panok nopa ahacatl. Kitepehki nochi notok.

One day there came a strong wind. My brother and I were still working in my field. We were so scared that we laid on the ground until the wind passed.

Kenikatsa eltok mokonew tlen nikitako mokokoa? Achi san kwalli? Axtlen! Kitlawelihtok. Ayok nikmati tlachki nikchiwas. Tikwikas kampa medico? Pero axniwelis noselti pampa etik para nikmamatiyas.

Tlan tikneki tikwikas Kwahtla para nopa medico kiittas, niyas mowanya. San xinechtlelwi kemman tiyaseh.

Kwaltitok, tlaskamati. Tlan tinechpalewis, wahka tiyaseh tinechpalehuitiyas para timopatlatiyaseh pampa intla nikmamas noselti, owih. Niktemos tomin. Welis ihnalokok tiyaseh. Tikittaseh tlan san kwalli elis.

Imimi Anita itokah Nacho. Nacho kipixtok se weyi lalaxmilli. Kipixki miak lalax para tlanamakas. San moneki kiwikas kampa carro. Kitema ilalax ipan se weyi chikiwitl. Nelliya etik para kimamas nopa chikiwitl. Pero expa se tonal Nacho kiski ipan ilalaxmilla para kiwikas ilalax kampa nopa carro.

Anita’s older brother’s name is Nacho. Nacho has a large orange field. He had a lot of oranges to sell. He only needs to take them to where is car is located. He places his oranges in a large basket. The basket is very heavy for him to carry. But three times a day Nacho goes to his orange field to carry his oranges to where his car is located.

Anita tisi nochi tonal. Moneki kichiwas miak tixtli. Kinpiya nawi imimiwan tlen kikwah miak tlaxkalli. Se tonal se imimi kiwallikak se kakaloxochitl wan Anita nellia paki. Teipan Anita kinextilih inanan ixochi. “Xikitta ni xochitl tlen nechwallikilih nomimi.” Inanan no kipaktih nopa xochitl wan imimi kipaktih nopa tlaxcalli tlen Anita kichiwilih.

Anita is mills nixtamal all day. She needs to make a lot of corn dough. SHe has four older brothers who eat a lot of tortillas. One day one of her older brother’s brought a may flower and Anita was really happy. Later Anita showed her mother the flower. “Look at this flower that my older brother brought me.” Her mother also liked that flower and her older brother was happy with the tortillas that Anita made.

Se tonal Anita kipixtoya miak tekitl. Moneki kitekilis atl para kimanas etl pero ya tlanki atl ipan komitl. Yeka Anita atlakwito. Wan nepa apan kipanti se koatl tlen kiski ipan se ostotl. Anita mokwepki motlaloyaya ika ikon. Nopa koatl mokwepki sampa ipan ostotl.

One day Anita had a lot of work. She needs to pour water onto the beans but the water in her jug already finished. For that reason Anita will go to fetch water. And there at the stream she unexpectedly found a snake that had come out of a hole. Anita returned while running with her jug. That snake returned again inside the hole.

Nimitspalewis tikwikas mokone kampa tepahtihketl. Tlaskamati. Nelliya mokokoa. Yakatsompiliwi wan totoniya. Itstok se kwalli tepahtihketl nepa Kwawtlan. Mitsmakas se pahtli para mokone para mochikawas. Ma tiyakanya.

I will help you take your child where there is a doctor. Thank you. He is truly sick. He has a runny nose and a fever. There is a good doctor there at kwawtlan. He/she will give you medicine so that your child can get better. Let’s go already.

Naman Anita kikowati se metlatl tlen yankwik para ipan tisis. Nowkiya kikowas se petlatl para ipan kochis. Kipiyayaya se kwalli petlatl sanpampa tlatlak kemman onkak se weyi tlitl nepa ichan. Naman moneki kikowas seyok.

Today Anita is buying a new metate to use for grinding. She will also buy a petate to sleep on. She had a good petate but it burned when there was a big fire there at her house. Now she needs to buy another one.