Marriage

Comment

The content of this text was recorded in Russian by Ljudmila Zhukova from one of the residents of the village Nelemnoe. In 1990 it was translated into Yukaghir by Vasilij Shalugin.

Translation

(45-1) An old man used to go and look around searching for a bride for his son. (45-2) He asked his son about a girl he had seen: "Have you seen that girl?" (45-3) The son would answer: "I have seen her." (45-4) "What do you think of her?" (45-5) If he liked her he would say to his father: "A nice girl." (45-6) If they had time free from hunting, they would go to that girl's house. (45-7) They would say "hello." (45-8) The masters of the house would say: "Come to our house." They were going to eat and to talk. (45-9) The mother would say to her daughter: "Feed these people and give them something to drink." (45-10) The girl would do the housekeeping, putting out the food and pouring the tea. (45-11) The boy would sit without saying anything, without speaking. (45-12) The girl as well. (45-13) They would eat. (45-14) After having eaten everything, after having finished, they would go to say good-bye by shaking hands. (45-15) When it was the turn of the boy and the girl, if they liked each other, the boy, as he said good-bye, would take her hand and trace his finger across her palm. (45-16) And the girl would also trace her finger in the same way. (45-17) If he wasn't nice, that girl would trace her thumb over the back of his hand.