AMBAI FROG STORY

Written, glossed and translated by Sara Karubaba, summer 2007

Kaisung kutu manei tuti ne fiawera

boy small one with his dog

U-minohi u-wati kidowa na botori rorong

3pl sit 3pl see frog in bottle inside

A little boy with his dog, they sit, they watch a frog in a bottle.

Uru u-minohi ao u-remi mamong, ampefe u-rawa u-rena

3pl 3pl.sit until 3pl.feel sleep, so 3pl.go 3pl.sleep

Uru u-renafo kidowa d-a to woriai wiru

3pl 3pl.sleep frog 3sg.go to out from

botori rorong m-ito

bottle inside 3sg.run

While they were still asleep, the frog came out of the bottle and run away.

Uru-abari uru mani u-wati botori d-oarora

3pl.wake.up 3pl that 3pl.see bottle 3sg.empty

Those two woke up and saw that the bottle was empty.

Ampefe uru u-sera

so 3pl 3pl.search

so they looked for it.

Arikang nini, kaisung nini d-eti to neo sepatu rorongpo,

child this , boy this 3sg.see to his shoes inside

wape kidowa bereri

but frog no to.be

This child , this boy looked into his shoes, but the frog wasn’t there.

Fiawera s-uba nung poi to botori rorong

dog 3sg.enter head its to bottle inside

The dog put its head into the bottle.

Aha , urutamua u-fai une suwireiyai,

Then, both of them 3pl.open their window

kaisung kutu nei s-ahu weo ne kidowa foi

boy small this 3sg.call for his frog the

Then, both of them opened their window, this boy called for his frog.

Aha , fiawera konta d-oa na suwireiyai,

Then, frog also 3sg.stand in window

wape nung poi f-iating to woriai ehakaha

but head his 3sg.pull to out no again

Then, the dog also stood at the window, but it couldn’t get its head.

Nung poi s-atari to botori rorongpo wiro f-iating to woriai ehakaha

Head its 3sg.enter to bottle inside but 3sg.pull to woriai no again

Its head that had been put inside the bottle couldn’t be pulled out.

Ampefe kaisung ne d-oawo, fiawera s-awing to woriai

So boy this 3sg.still stand, dog 3sg.throw itself to out

na suwireyai

from window

So, while the boy was still standing at the window the dog threw itself out the window.

Aweu na kahofafo botorifo tibau.

until /descend in land bottle .

On reaching the ground the bottle broke.

Aha, kaisung poi s-oiri to ung aweu t-efu ne fiawera

Then, boy the 3sg.jump to descend below 3sg.catch his dog

s-oruwi kokoi, ne fiawerafoi.

3sg.cuddle koko , his dog

Then, they also jumped down to catch his dog and cuddle it.

Uru u-sera kidowa nariai awarei airorong rabuangtai

3pl 3pl.search frog again sampai forrest middle

They searched for the frog again reaching the middle of a forrest,

Reaching the edge of a forrest.

Na nanai uru u-wati ai bitoya , ampefe uru u-sau mambiriu paria

In there 3pl 3pl.see tree many, so 3pl 3pl.call strong very

There they saw there were trees, so they called loudly.

Uru u-ra to ai rowei, na ai nani aniwa n-yai nai

3pl 3pl.walk to tree one , in tree that bees 3sg.stay with

They came to a tree, at that tree there were bees.

Fiawera nei dawio aniwa foi

dog this tease bees that

This dog teased the bees

Kaisung nei d-eti kamirei ketui bei, deitarao kidowa foi d-ediwa nai,

Boy this 3sg.see hole small one, 3sg.think frog that 3sg.hide with

ampefe s-uang aweu to kamirei foi tuti s-ahu

so 3sg.ben down to hole that and 3sg.call

This boy, he saw there was a small hole, he thought the frog was hiding inside, so he bent down to the hole and called.

Kutu, s-ahu nanai fiawera nei n-yai sonihingno aio

Now, 3sg.call progress dog this 3sg.stay 3sg-shake which tree

aniwa n-yai foi

bees 3sg.stay that

Now, while he was calling like this, this dog went and shook the tree that had the bees in it.

Aha mayeai kaisung poi s-ahu na kamirei foi wape kidowa

Then not long boy that 3sg.call in hole that but frog

kewariai kaha, mae karu dino kewariaine ampefe s-oiri.

appear no , but mouse which appear so 3sg.shocked

Then, it wasn’t long that this boy called in the whole, it wasn’t a frog that appears, but a mouse that appeared and he got a fright.

I s-oiri, aha kutu nanai fiawerea nei s-onihingno aio

3sg 3sg.shocked then while progress dog this 3sg.shake tree

aniwa n-yainai nei, maieai aniwa rotang poi s-awa.

bees 3sg.stay with, not.long bees nest that 3sg. fall

He got a fright, then at that moment this dog was shaking the tree that had bees, so the bees nest fell.

Aha, kaisung nei d-etio karu kewariai na kamirei,

Then, boy this 3sg.see mouse appear in hole

ampefe d-ahea d-autai na ai siai rowei

so 3sg.go 3sg.clim in tree other one

Then this boy saw a mouse come out of the whole he climbed up another three.

Kokoi, I s-era dohonaio n-yaina ai foi fe,

Koko, 3sg 3sg.search don’t until 3sg.stay in tree that which,

aio fuba rowei.

which tree big one

He searched lest it was in the tree, a big tree.

Tonanai I s-obu ai foi, romu bompai kewaraiai

Like.that 3sg 3sg.until tree that, bird ghost appeared

na kamirei foi, ampefe I s-oiri.

in hole that, so 3sg 3sg.shocked

Just as he reached the tree an owl came out from inside a hole and he got a fright.

Soiri, ampefe s-awa

3sg.shocked, so 3sg. fall

He got a shock, so he fell.

Nanai s-awai aweu fo aniwa nei s-ifo kontaifa,

When 3sg.fall down that bees this 3sg.fly also

fiawera nei m-itai kontai ampefe m-ito.

dog this 3sg.scared also so 3sg. run

When he fell the bees also flew, the dog was also scared and ran.

Aha, kaisung nei m-ito to kamia fuba bei, d-eo d-ediwa teai

Then, boy this 3sg.run to rock big a , 3sg.want 3sg.hide maybe

Then the boy ran to a big rock, maybe he wanted to hide.

Deo d-ediwa

3sg.want 3sg.hide

He wanted to hide

Wape kutuo I m-ito nanai, romu pinang foi,

But when 3sg 3sg.run progress bird big that,

s-ifo na nung wowong po.

3sg.fly in head above his

But when he ran thus, the big bird flew above his head.

Aha, I m-itoa d-autai d-oanao kamiai wowong foi ambori s-ahu.

Then, 3sg 3sg.run 3sg.climb 3sg.stand rock above that then 3sg.call

Then, he ran up and stood on top of the rock, then called.

Wape wiro s-ahu weo kidowa foi kaha, I s-ahu we ne

But not 3sg.call for frog the that, 3sg 3sg. call for his

fiawera foi, weo fiawera foi m-ito ampa

dog that, because dog that 3sg.run already

But, he didn’t call the frog, he called his dog, because the dog had run away.

Maeai andowa faura manei dama, s-oroai arikang

No.long.time deer horn one come, 3sg.take child

nei d-oa na kamiai wowong

this 3sg.stang in rock above.

It wasn’t long that a large deer arrived, its horn above the rock where the boy stood.

Faura foi , s-oroai arikang nei w-iana nunggkamiai foi, k-iari mito.

Horn that, 3sg.make climb child this 3sg.stay head that 3sg.take 3sg.run

The horn lifted him up onto the deer’s head and run away with him.

Weo fiawera d-etio ampefe fiawera foi m-ito d-awi i

Because dog 3sg.see so dog that 3sg.run 3sg.chase it

Because the dog saw , it also followed, chasing.

Awao taterai dereung, andowa faura foi k-ebio arikang poi

Until valley edge , deer horn that 3sg.throw child that

na we taterafo, aha fiawera kontai weo m-itofo d-etio wetatera fo

in which valley, then dog also because 3sg.run 3sg.see valley that

dofongpo kaha ampefe s-awa konta to kofa

infront not so 3sg.fall also to descend

Reaching the edge of a valley the deer threw the child in the valley, then the dog also fell, because when running it didn’t see the valley in front, so it also fell with the child into the valley.

C-etawai na wetatera foi aweu mani c-osobu katai wemereafo

3pl.fall in edge that descend that 3pl.find place water

The fell into the valley into the water.

we katai mereafo moruto kaha, ampefe cerarang

because place water deep not , so safe

because the water wasn’t not deep , they were safe.

Arikang poi j-uai fiawera foi s-oduati wiana warabeawa foi,

Child that 3sg.lift dog that 3sg.make clibe 3sg.stay shoulder that,

nungkamiai foi s-oi to rei

head his 3sg.go to / aim for land

The boy lifted his dog onto his shoulder, his head, then walked aiming for land.

Wape u-tarami amani kidowa manei d-ohong rarutu

But 3pl.hear there frog one 3sg.make rarotu

But they hear the sound of frog.

Ampefe arikang nei d-eisarai we fiawera fo k-iamangtawani,

So child this 3sg.make know for dog that 3sg.make sign

nemboru

quiet

So the boy told –made a sign for his dog”quiet”

Ampefe fiawera nemboru

So dog quiet

Ururuhia u-rauna ai robong tibata rowei,

Two 3pl.climb tree trunk fall one

w-iarurang waya dereung.

3sg.stay river edge

The two of them climbed a tree trunk that was at the edge of the river.

Arikang mang nei d-autai to ai raing, na ai raing poi

Child boy this 3sg.climb to tree above, in tree above that

d- eti aweu mani kidowa mandu u-minohi na ai neung poi

3sg.see descend that frog two 3sg. sit in tree below that

The boy climbed up onto the tree then from the top of the tree there they looked down there were two frogs sitting under the tree there.

Kidowa m-inohi na ai neung poi maeai

Frog 3sg.sit in tree below that no.long.time

mani ne arikangposa e-ra e-fauma

that its child-child 3sg.come 3sg.many

Frogs sat below the tree there, after not lon many other baby frogs came.

Arikang mang nei d-etio weo neo kidowa kontai ria sa fe

Child boy this 3sg.see for his frog also with they perhaps

The boy watched, perhaps his frog was there.

I d-etia mani tarai kontai ampefe I s-uan aweu

3sg 3sg.see that right also so 3sg 3sg.bent down

k-ia ne kidowa foi.

3sg.take his frog that

He looked , it was there, so he bent down and picked it up.

I s-uan aweu k-iari, aha u-rawa nina

3sg. 3sg.bent down 3sg.take, then 3sg.go already.

He bent down and picked it up, and then those two went home.

Ure u-rawa mani aringkan poi d-eti berahi

3pl.want 3pl.walk that child that 3sg.see return

tuti j-uai warang weo kidowa manei fosa

and 3sg.lift arm for frog which other

na e-minohi na ai robong w-ia rurang mereha foi.

In 3sg.sit in tree trunk 3sg.stay edge water that

As they were going home the boy turned and raised his hand to the other frogs that were sitting on the big tree by the edge of the water.