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Lenape Talking Dictionary

By English WORD or PHRASE

By Lenape WORD or PHRASE

Mësinkw . . . Told by Ollie Beaver Anderson to Bruce Pearson in 1969, and edited by Ives Goddard

The Mesinkw
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English:
Now I want to talk again about what
Lenape:
Yukwe shè làpi nkata ahkënutëmën
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English:
I used to hear them say
Lenape:
ehëlìstaok nikahke nkikayuyëminka
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English:
about what happened to them in the direction
Lenape:
èhëlinamihtit hùnt wëntahkwi ënta
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English:
from which they came because they were very afraid back then.
Lenape:
wënchi pahtit nìke èli òhsami wishasihtit.
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English:
The earth always quaked, and they say the stars fell [meteor showers].
Lenape:
Nkëmee kwchùkhòkehële, òk hùnt pënihëleyok nèk alànkok.
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English:
Those Delawares were all afraid they say
Lenape:
Wishas'hatëwàk hùnt nèk Lënapeyok
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because many fell in there where
Lenape:
èli amànkèli ìkali pënihëleyok në ënta
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English:
the ground split when the earth quaked.
Lenape:
khìkhakehëlak nah ënta kwchùkhòkehëlak.
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English:
And, they say, suddenly lo-and-behold here came that person
Lenape:
Òk hùnt wèxkaochi kèku wa na ìka pòn na awèn
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they called him Mësinkw.
Lenape:
èhëlëwihëlahtit Mësinkw.
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English:
The Mesinkw said to them, "This is what you should do,
Lenape:
Tëlan hunt na Mësinkw, "Shè a yu ktënnëmëneyo,
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English:
you should always pray, you should shake hands with each other,
Lenape:
kpatamahëmo a nkëmee, kònkùntihëmo a,
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English:
[and] all day long and all night you [should] sit up.
Lenape:
kwëni-kishùkw òk òpani këlëmatahpihëmo.
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English:
You [should] think of all the good things you could do.
Lenape:
Wèmi kèku wëlëtëk kpënaelëntàmëneyo, kèku a kèski lìsièkw.
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English:
That’s what you should do, you shake hands with each other."
Lenape:
shè a në ktënnëmëneyo, kònkùntihëmo."
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Because they were all afraid
Lenape:
Yuhèe yuni wishas'hatëwàk
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English:
they all cried, because those stars fell.
Lenape:
hùnt-ànkw lëpàkhatëwàk, èli nèk alànkòk pënihëleyok.
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English:
Then that is what they did. When that person came there
Lenape:
Na hùnt yukwe në shè tënnëmëneyo. Enta ìka pat na awèn,
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he told them, "You should do this.
Lenape:
tëlaneyo, "Shè a yu ktënnëmëneyo.
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English:
You would perhaps not be afraid if you all pray."
Lenape:
Xu a tamse kènu mata kwishasihumo patamaèkwe."
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English:
That is what they say the Big House church comes from.
Lenape:
Na yukwe hùnt në wënchixën yu Xinkwikaon.
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English:
Finally when the Delawares all began to leave there,
Lenape:
Xantki ënta ìka wënchi alëmultihtit nèk Lënapeyok,
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over towards what is called Indiana.
Lenape:
wëntahkwi Indiana në luwènsik.
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English:
That is why left that place.
Lenape:
Na hùnt në wënchi nkathakhatineyo.
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English:
That is when they came here.
Lenape:
Na yukwe yu shè pòneyo yukwe yu she.
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There wasn't anyone around then; there wasn't anyone
Lenape:
Ku hùnt ahpii awèn nike, ku awèn yu
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anyone here when they arrived. Now they say that
Lenape:
tòpiwën ënta pahtit. Na yukwe në she hùnt
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English:
it is Fall again it is time to set up the Big House church.
Lenape:
làpi ënta tahkokik, na hùnt ulixtuneyo në Xinkwikaon.
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English:
They say the Mesinkw is always there. He said to them, "This is what you do
Lenape:
Na hùnt na Mësinkw nkëmee ìka. Tëlan hùnt, "Shè yu ktënnëmëneyo
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English:
that is where you will pray, for twelve days,
Lenape:
nàch në ktënta patamaneyo, tèlën òk nisha txukwëni.
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and do everything thing you can,
Lenape:
òk wèmi kèku kàski lìsineyo,
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English:
[and] our Creator will take pity on all of you.
Lenape:
xu këtëmakelëmùkëwa na Kishelëmùkònk.
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English:
Our Creator exists. It is He who takes care of us.
Lenape:
Kishelëmùkònk ta ahpu. Nàl na kenahkihkuna.
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English:
If you are able to pray, properly,
Lenape:
Xu kènu kèku patamaèkwe kàski, wëli,
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English:
you will get something good."
Lenape:
kpatatuhëmòch kèku wèltëk."
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English:
That is the only reason, they say, why this place where one prays [the Big House Church] was set up.
Lenape:
Nà në shùk shè hùnt wënchi në wëlixën në yukwe yu shè ënta patamànk.