The River of Time
The Ic̣aa view time as flowing upwards, rather than back-to-front. In this video, an Ic̣aa man recites a folk tale describing how time affects the things in the world.
Interlinear Gloss
ni-ʔju ʃa faː ʔu ʔjaⁿʃi ma niⁿsa-ⁿǂaǂia iⁿǁi, ma ʔa-ʔumːa swa-ⁿǀiǀu ʃa faː ʔu ⁿkaǃaⁿpa mju ⁿʃiⁿǃwa
3s.a-flow rise pfv abs river loc pos.3s.ii-great.water sky, loc attr-that.place 3p.a-wait pfv abs water.lily and heron
The river flows up into the great waters of the sky, where the water lilies and herons await.
swa-ⁿpa jaʔa faː ʔu ⁿtwasaː ma ʔjaⁿʃi
3p.a-play be.submerged pfv abs fish loc river
The fish play in the river.
saⁿsu-ʔja faː ŋi ʔjaⁿʃi ma ⁿtwasaː xaj swa-ⁿʃi faː ʔu tjaʔa mju ǁia, ⁿkisu kwa-ⁿpa jaʔa fa-wa suⁿxa miⁿsa kwa-ika faː
3s.e.3s.a-speak pfv erg river loc fish quot 3p.a-exist pfv abs hole and eddy, conj 2p.a-play be.submerged pfv-pot loc.3p until 2p.a-tire pfv
The river tells the fish, “There are hollows and eddies, and you can play there until you are tired.”
ma ʔuⁿʃuː suːwa-ʔjawa faː ʔu tjaʔa mju ǁia, ⁿkisu swa-ⁿpa jaʔa faː ⁿkisu swa-tu faː ⁿkisu swa-ⁿkiǂa faː
loc that.manner 3p.e.3p.a-find pfv abs hollow and eddy, conj 3p.a-play pfv conj 3p.a-eat pfv conj 3p.a-grow pfv
So they find the hollows and eddies, and they play and eat and grow.
ⁿkisu ni-ʃa ruǂa ʔju faː ʔu ʔjaⁿʃi suⁿxa ma iⁿǁi
conj 3s.a-rise tangle flow pfv abs river loc.3p loc sky
And the river flows through them up to the sky.
ni-ʃawa faː ʔu ⁿkaʃːa ma ʔjaⁿʃi
3s.a-stand pfv abs boulder loc river
The boulder stands in the river.
saⁿsu-ʔja faː ma ʔjaⁿʃi xaj ʘu-ʃawa ⁿsaⁿʃu-u-ma-i
3s.e.3s.a-speak pfv loc river quot 1s.a-stand cess-nvol-wil-neg-emph
It tells the river, “I will not yield.”
ni-ʘuma-ʔiŋa-i ⁿkisu aːsu-ʔjuŋi ⁿsa-ⁿʃu-i ʔu ʔjaⁿʃu
3s.a-pos.1s.ia-near.area-emph conj 1s.e.3s.a-stop pfv-vol-emph abs water
“This is my place, and I will stop your waters.”
ni-ǀi-xaːsa fa-ju ʔu ʔjaⁿʃi, ma niⁿsa-uǃaw ni-ʔjuⁿka ura faː ʔu niⁿsa-ʔjaⁿʃu
3s.a-dim-laugh pfv-nvol abs river, loc pos.3s.ii-belly 3s.a-flow circle pfv abs pos.3s.ii-water
The river chuckles as its waters flow around.
saⁿsu-ʔja faː xaj ni-ʔjuŋi ⁿsa-wa-ma
3s.e.3s.a-speak pfv quot 3s.a-flow cess-pot-neg
It says, “These waters cannot be stopped.”
ⁿkaʃːa ǂu-ʃawa fa-ⁿʃu-ⁿtu ma niⁿsi-wataw ni-ʔiŋa ʔu ʔa-ʔumːa ǂu-mi fa-ʃu
boulder 2s.a-stand pfv-vol-imp loc pos.3s.ia-arm 3s.a-near.area abs attr-place 2s.a-to.be.located pfv-des
“Stand, Boulder, if this is where you want to be.”
ⁿkima ma ⁿʃiʔaːri, ni-ika pwiː ʔu ⁿkaʃːa
but loc some.time, 3s.a-tire inch abs boulder
But in time, the boulder grows tired.
ni-ǂuǃa faː ʔu ⁿkaʃːa, ⁿkisu ni-ʔju-ʔju faː ʔu ʔjaⁿʃu
3s.a-crack pfv boulder, and 3s.a-flow-flow pfv abs water
The boulder cracks, and the waters continue to flow.
saⁿsu-awa fa-ⁿʃu ŋi ⁿpitaw ʔu ʔjaⁿʃi
3s.a.3s.e-see pfv-vol erg tree abs river
The tree watches the river.
saⁿsu-ʔja faː ŋi ʔjaⁿʃi ma ǀi-ⁿpitaw xaj ǂu-ʔi fa-ⁿtu, ⁿtiswa-ʔiǃa ruǂa fa-ⁿtu ʔu taːⁿʃi ⁿkisu ⁿǃiʘu-mi fa-ⁿtu miⁿsa ǂu-ika faː
3s.e.3s.a-speak pfv erg river loc sapling quot 2s.a-come pfv-imp, 2s.e.3p.a-spread pfv-imp abs roots conj 2s.e.1s.a-drink pfv-imp until 2s.a-tire pfv
The river tells the sapling, “Come, spread your roots and drink from me until you are tired.”
ni-ⁿkiǂa faː ʔu ⁿpitaw ma niⁿsa-wataw ʔjaⁿʃi
3s.a-grow pfv abs tree loc pos.3s.ii-arm river
The tree grows alongside the river.
suːwa-ⁿku ruǂa fa-ⁿku ŋi taːⁿʃi ʔu tjaʔa mju ǁia ma niⁿsa-witaw swa-ⁿpa faː ʔu ⁿtwasaː
3p.e.3p.a-make tangle pfv-givo erg root abs hollow and eddy loc pos.3s.ii-face 3p.a-play pfv abs fish
Its tangled roots make hollows and eddies for the fish to play in.
xaːⁿsu-xara fa-ⁿku ʔu niⁿsi-ʃawaːʔa ⁿkaʃːa
3p.e.3s.a-help pfv-givo abs pos.3s.ii-stand boulder
They help the boulder stand.
sawa-ⁿǃi ruǂa faː ʔu niⁿsa-ŋiːtːaw ⁿkisu sawa-ⁿtjuŋwa-ŋi fa-ⁿku ʔu ʔjaⁿʃi ʔi uːtaːw
3s.e.3p.a-stretch scatter pfv abs pos.3s.ii-branch conj 3s.e.3s.a-cool-cause pfv-givo abs river dat shadow
The tree stretches out its branches and cools the river with its shade.
saⁿsu-awa fa-ⁿʃu ʔu ʔa-ʔiⁿki saⁿsu-ⁿki faː ŋi ʔjaⁿʃi ʔu ʔa-ⁿpitaw ʔuⁿǃaːʔa ma niⁿsa-raⁿtaw ʔa-ʔiwi ʔa-ⁿtuⁿʃi itjaw
3s.e.3s.e-watch pfv-vol abs attr-this.happening 3s.e.3s.a-carry pfv erg river abs attr-tree uprooted loc pos.3s.ii-skin attr-current attr-fast much
It watches the river carry uprooted trees on swifter currents,
ⁿkisu ma ʔunaːri, ʔa-saⁿsu-mi fa-ma waʔaːri ŋi taːⁿʃi ʔu ʔa-ʔjaⁿʃu ʔjuⁿsa-ma
conj loc far.time, attr-3s.e.3s.a-drink pfv-neg any.time erg root abs attr-water move.cess-neg
and one day, its roots no longer drink from the endless waters.
saⁿsu-ʔja faː xaj ʔjaⁿʃi, ʘu-ika sulaː
3s.e.3s.a-speak pfv quot river, 1s.a-tire ipfv
It says, “River, I am tired.”
ⁿkisu saⁿsu-ʔja faː ŋi ʔjaⁿʃi xaj ʔa-taⁿʃi risaː ǂu-ʔi fa-ⁿtu
conj speak river quot attr-friend old 2s.a-come pfv-imp
And the river says, “Come old friend.
aǂu-ⁿki faⁿkuⁿtu
1s.e.2s.a-carry pfv-givo-imp
Let me carry you.”
sawa-ʔiuʘa faː ŋi niⁿsa-ʔa-ʔiwi ⁿsaʔːi-ⁿʃaː ʔa-ⁿka-ʔjaⁿʃi siⁿʃi ʔu fiⁿsaː
3s.e.3p.a-pull pfv erg pos.3s.ii-attr-current end-without attr-great-river time abs all.anim
The endless current of the great river of time pulls at all things,
ⁿkisu ʘakwa-ⁿka ʃa faː ma ʔa-ʔuⁿʃuː fiⁿsaː ma niⁿsa-ǁia ʔjuːʔa
and 1pi.a-big move.up pfv loc attr-that.manner all.anim loc pos.3s.ii-eddy flow
and we, like all living things, stretch and grow in the eddies of its flow.
miⁿsa ⁿsaju
until cess-nvol
Until we stop.
ʔa-ʘakwa-nulaʘa fa-ju-ma waʔaːri
ATTR-1pi.a-stretch pfv-nvol-neg any.time
We no longer stretch.
ʔa-saǂwa-uːʔiŋi fa-wa-ma waʔaːri ŋi siⁿʃi, ⁿkima ǁasːu-uʘaⁿʃi witaw fa-ⁿʃu ʔu ʔa-ʔiuʘa iːʔiːʔa
attr-3s.e.1pi.a-bend-caus pfv-pot—neg any.time erg time, but 1pi.e.3s.a-fight face pfv-vol abs attr-pull continuous
We are no longer malleable by time, but fight against its constant pull.
ʘakwa-usːu ʔaǁi faː ma xuǁaiwi, ma niⁿsa-witaw ʔa-ǁasːu-wanalu faː siːⁿʃaː ʔu ʔa-ʔjuⁿsa ʔjaⁿʃi
1pi.a-stand.arms.crossed stubborn pfv loc torrent, loc pos.3s.ii-face attr-1pi.e.3s.a-try pfv futile abs attr-flow.cess river
We stand fixed and stubborn in the torrent, in a futile attempt to hold back the river.
ⁿkima ni-ʔju ura faː ʔu niⁿsa-ʔjaⁿʃu ʔa-ⁿka-ʔjaⁿʃi siⁿʃi akaⁿʃa, ʔa-ʔuⁿʃuː ni-ⁿʃi fa-ma ʔa-titasa ʘaⁿkwi-usaⁿtuːʔa
but 3s.a-flow circle pfv abs pos.3s.ii-water attr-great.river time loc.1pi, attr-that.manner 3s.a-exist pfv-neg attr-care pos.1pi.ia-defiance
But the waters of the great river of time flow around us, indifferent to our defiance.
sawa-ʔuⁿǃa faː ŋi ⁿka-ʔjaⁿʃi ʔu fiⁿsaː ma ⁿʃiʔaːri
3s.e.3p.a-uproot pfv erg great.river abs all.anim loc some.time
The great river uproots all things eventually,
ⁿkisu xaːǂa-ⁿki ʃa faː ŋi raⁿǂa ma niⁿsa-ⁿkama iⁿǁi
and 3p.e.1pi.a-carry move pfv erg wave loc pos.3s.ii-infinite.space sky
and its waves bear us up into the infinity of the sky
ma ʔa-ʔumːa swa-ⁿǀiǀu uǂa faː ʔu ⁿkaǃaⁿpa mju ⁿʃiⁿǃwa
loc attr-that.place 3p.a-wait stand pfv abs water.lily and heron
where the water lilies and herons await.