Yeyi Sekʷisƛi
The three volcanoes
by
Martín N. Méndez Huaxcuatitla
This story, in the Mösiehuali language (ISO code nhg), was written about 1944. It recounts a traditional legend, in the words of Martín Méndez, and was recorded by Richard Pittman. It, along with four other texts, was published as part of Pittman’s doctoral thesis (1954:59)*.
The three volcanoes that are referred to in the text are Popocatepetl, Ixtaccihuatl, and the Nevado de Toluca. All three are visible from Tetelcingo on exceptionally clear days. The Nevado, the most distant of the three, looks like shoulders without a head, like its peak has been lopped off.
Īstāksowaƛ wa īnāmik Popōkatepēƛ
The White Woman (Iztaccíhuatl) and her husband Popocatépetl
Īnī this nonka here sekʷisƛi volcano kipiya has īsowa, his.wife, wa and īnī this nonka here sowaƛ woman laliw͎is very čipāwak. pure. This volcano (Popocatepetl) has a wife (Ixtaccihuatl), and his wife is very white.
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Asiko arrive.here tōnali day oksente other sekʷisƛi volcano okišeliew͎i lusted.for īsowa his.wife re of īnī this nonka here sekʷisƛi, volcano, wa and kinekiya wanted kikʷihkʷilīs, he.will.take.her.from.him, wa and nieka that.one amo not omokā. allowed. One
day, another volcano (the Nevado de Toluca) desired this volcano’s
wife, and wanted to take her away from him, but he wouldn’t let him.
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Yekʷākinō then opiehki they.began momōƛa they.throw.at.each.other ka with sesen one.each perāso piece tesiw͎iƛ. ice So they started hurling pieces of ice back and forth at each other.
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Kʷuāk when laliw͎is very ka with ye already omomōƛaki, they.threw.at.each.other kači more laliw͎is very oƛaw͎ielmik he.got.angry īnī this nānka, here, wa and okā he.grabbed sente one tesiw͎iƛ ice laliw͎is very w͎ieyi big wa and okitīƛanili, he.sent.it.to.him, okihtili he.saw.it.for.him miero merely pa on ikečkʷahyo. his.neck When
they had thrown a great deal, this one got angrier than ever, and
grabbed a huge piece of ice and hurled it at him, aiming right at his
neck.
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Okasik, he.reached.him wa and okikečkotō. he.neck-cut.him He hit him, and cut off his head.
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Īpampahō for.that.reason āšā now īkaka he.is kečkotōktik. neck-cut That’s why that volcano is now headless.
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Sekʷisƛi kečkotōktik
The beheaded volcano
Notes
* See the orthographic conventions used in this document.
Photographs used in this document
The photographs that appear with the text are from David Tuggy’s collection.
© 2007, David Tuggy
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