Transcription and Translation. Transcription is the act of writing the words that originally are on audio-tape or in another format. Translation is the act of rewriting words, starting with them as they appear in one language and changing them into another language. The story that follows was told by an elder in the Yup’ik community. As he spoke, the story was recorded on audiotape. The tape was then played slowly and repeatedly, while people wrote down the words in the Yup’ik language. The story was then translated from Yup’ik into English. What evidence can you find that this story was written exactly as it was told?
Repetition. Repetition is more than one use of a sound, word, or group of words. Repetition is a literary tool that, like rhyme, lends a lyrical quality to the sound of a piece of writing. Because traditional stories like this one were passed along orally, storytellers use repetition to emphasize certain thoughts and words and to create a particular effect on how the story sounds. How does repetition affect the telling of this story?
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- Culture Connection. The Yup’ik people (or Yupiit, the noun form of their name) are a Native American group in southwestern Alaska. Settled mainly between the Yukon and Kuskokwim River deltas (where the rivers meet the ocean), the Yupiit continue to live much as their ancestors did, gathering vegetation, fishing, and hunting seals for food. When the ice breaks up in spring, Yup’ik fishers catch and dry fish such as herring. Greens and berries are collected in summer. During the warm months, boats commonly are used for transportation. In winter, snowmobiles are used to travel over the solid ice, and airplanes bring in needed supplies. Many Yupiit are bilingual, speaking both Yup’ik and English. They and other northern indigenous peoples are well known for their artwork, especially carved wooden masks.
- The Yupiit recognize two different types of stories in their oral tradition. The qulirat is a traditional story from the distant past with no known author (or original narrator). It is often considered sacred and can contain elements of myth. Many qulirat are told within a frame: they are introduced and concluded with the speaker’s thoughts about the story. The qanemcit is a story that stems from a personal or historical experience and is generally thought to be true. Qanemcit can be attributed to a specific person, although the original storyteller’s name may have been lost at some point in time. This qulirat, “The Blind Boy and Two Arctic Loons,” is one of the most often told among Alaskan indigenous peoples, and has many versions. In all of the versions, a female provider breaks an unwritten law of Yup’ik society by refusing to share food. Loons, which are water birds, appear in this qulirat as well. In Yup’ik oral tradition, the loon is considered a magical creature, part of the spirit world, because of its ability to go from the depths of the water up into the air. The loon often represents a shaman, or a traditional healer who communicates with the spirit world.
When, if ever, is it okay to seek revenge for a wrong done to you?
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