Jukun of Wukari and Jukun of Takum

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6. Takum Texts.

6.0 # Texts were recorded only in Takum. These texts are
given "below with a fairly literal interlinear translation. In
the translation-, the word order is transposed for a few common
constructions like those ending in /nf/ ! the f and negatives,
and a few morphemes like recapitulating pronouns are not
translated, l n the text, dots under the line indicate a
morpheme or construction that has not been definitely analyzed ,
and of which the transcription may "be dubious. Foreign names
not assimilated to the Takum phonemic system are italicized.
Word spaces in the text are primarily for the purpose of ;
fitting the translation into the same space. However, where
possibly long spaces indicate phrase boundaries as well.

6.1. The Conquest of Kunabe.

£n<ii w£t kuru ibir&him syi kf yo kuru b a nf. yiinu
Long ago chief Abraham is in his chieftaincy. Time

mb&.r& b& hw& be s6na. £lni kuru ibirdhim k& so
came ( ir ) they- will pay taxes. So chief Abraham he sent

sSkuru ba zu di dyfra kf yh. pg be s6na kf kunabe.

his officer a that he-should go collect taxes at kunabe.

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£kA s5kuru b£ nl kft pS gba y& kl kunabk. kA d& y& kuru
So his officer he took road went at Kunabe. He said to their

bA b€ rk, kuru s6 m di ri 4 bi pa be s6na.
chief "Chief sent me saying I-should come collect taxes".

kl ygkg bwa a syi nl, &bh_ kunabe k& b& du tdtd b& ka-
After this thing, Kunabe people the rose all the drove him

kA b£ dS rk ba hw& b£ be s6na mb£. akA

away and-they said (" )they-would not pay taxes.

sSkuru nl kA ka sk yk 5 kl t&na. , kA y&, fo kl pyS
official he returned went to home. He went arrived at

bA kuru ib ir £him kA kS kl dylna . fcA na kuru
front of chief Abraham he knelt to ground. He greeted chief

ibirShim kA &k yk kA r&, syidi btf kA kp& syi yk kl pyg.
Abraham he said to him "Your life may-it advance go ahead."

kl ySkS bwa a syi nl, kA dg ya kuru &k yk, kunabe kS b£ rja
After this thing, he said to chief, "Kunabe people' they have

bd r&, ba hw& b£ be s6na an&. az& a kuru ibir£him kA
rebelled, they will not pay taxes," When chief Abraham he

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f6"numa' nf , ku du ba rjgo kii. ba k$, pu k£ ba* k5, ku
heard just, he rose with anger he called his people, he

da ya be* da ra be* ze zu bu k£ kana. pu k£
said to them (" ) they- should take out things of war. People

tdte* be ze zu sb ba tika ba kaTara ba pand.
all they took out spears and arrows and swords and shields.

kuru ibirahim ba be bi 'zu* ki kunabe. ku sa
Chief Abraham and they came together at Kunabe. He did

syl ra" k£ mi kana ba abe kunabe k£. £funu kl
as- though he-will fight war with Kunabe people, l*hen after

yakg bwa a syi ni, be sye dyina be ze . nde ra b£ hwa
this thing, they had fear they agreed (" ) they-will pay

be s6na. &ku kuru ibirahim ba pu ka" Tai ka" be ka Z& ya
taxes. So chief Abraham and his people they returned went

kl yo ka tfri.
to town again.

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6.9. The Ten Commandments. This tentative translation
illustrates some respects in which linguistic techniques may be
applied to translation. .Many of the details of cofrst Mictions
are taken "bodily from the texts above. It is worth noting.that
such modes of expression, perfectly natural to the language,
are frequently not suggested first by an informant. An
informant, who is not a translator, tends to offer slavishly
literal equivalents. A linguist, even when he is far from
fluent in the language, can often suggest types of construction
which the informant- will, with fair dependability, acfcept Or
reject according to their structural and stylistic accuracy.
This translation is tentative — even preliminary — in the ;
sense that a linguist-translator~Hebraist-exegete-]theologian
working with intelligent informants, Christian and pagan, can
undoubtedly make many improvements. It is not tentative in the

V

sense that casual changes can be justified simply because a
native Christian who reads the Hausa Bible has always said it
differently.^ 8 A fairly literal translation is given with some
explanatory footnotes. •: ': . * "'.'.. v '■ '~

aku syidfc da 1 dylra k& a syi He-God said these
ni te'te' . .•' . words all '■■■■■■ • f

ku dS ra, am syi 'ni syind6 he said "It is I who am
u syidS t>u _ your Lord your God.39.

a ze zu u kf dyina bu who took took-out youffrom

masar, land of Egypt,

100 -

.. kf tkna ."by. fo.

■Iv-'ii kfi ze du syidS ztL

kf pyS rii aii£.

2. tf k& mby& "bisum a
h6hwk zH

di dyira b£ an£, b& bw&
zu syi r5 kf

bira lold^, bit a syi kf
b.ara

ki dyina, b& a isyi kf y8
aape kf

syina b& dyina. ii k& kS
kf dyina

+ i y& b& a»5,.;d k£ w& b£ an£.
di dyfra

£m sy£nd6 ii syido bii m syi
syidC a

ri sk kiba, m vi ze bwa a
b£b£

b£ t£*k£ y& kf syina bftyi

from house of slaves.

40

1. Do not take-meet any God
in front of iriev

2. Do not make any carved

fetish** 1

for you, and anything like in

place above (sky), and whaitris
±n_ place

below (earth), and what is in

water on

h2
top^ of ground. Do not kneel

to ground

for them, do not serve them.^
.Because

I your ,L;Djc<i your God I am;
God who

is jealous. I take*H,bad
things C&Qeds )

of fathers go on head of
children and

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yi ka" da ka" ka sh, ba yi
ka" da ka"

kfc

pma,

b& syi pu k£ a ri rja m.
m ri me

syisyt b& pu kd di pere
di pere

wuwe n0m& a ri*sy& m, b£
syi

pu k£ a ri k& di ifi.

3* tS k£ b& dyina b&

sytnd6 tS syid& btf 'te an£<
di dylra

syind6 ti kw£ ze zh

pere a

ri b& dyina b£ 'te ki
• kwS mb£.

4* 3 ky& pS b& ydnu a
ga w5

grandchildren again, and
grandchildren

who are second, (i;e., great-
grandchildren) ,

they are people who hate me.
I see

pitiableness^ of people
twenty-twenty

a whole lot^' who love^ me,

45

they are

people who keep my law.

49'

3. Do not call the name of

your Lord your God merely.
Because

50

your Lord will not take take-
out the person who

merely calls his name from

justice.

51

4. Recall (?) catqh with
day of rest5 2

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ii ko kill kyekye.niimd..,-B^

fo yiinu 'syXdyi d sit vfni
t£t£.

yiinu a k& 'sylpl: 5 yiinu a
jga wS

di dyira fell syind6 ii
syido btf.

i5 k4 s& b&s6 zu kf yo b& ; ;
an5, &u b&

wG btf a witnu, b& wQ Tali a
w&wa,

b& fo bd a wftnu, b£i fo
btf a w&wa,

b& b^ k£ bd a u n py& ? b&

guard 'it (as) entirely clean.
Do your work

reach six days do finish
all.

Day which is seventh it is
day of rest

for your Lord your God;

Do not do any work in" it,
you and

your male child , and your
female child,

and your male servant ? ^and
your female servant,

53

and the things which you feed ,

and

kyona bii a ka kf t&na b&. the stranger- to-you who entered

your house.

di dylra kf f&na bii ydnu Because within six, days

sy

Xdyt

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sylnd6 A sk bira ^ a fc D&
bxra kf

dyina, b& z ape b& bA k& a

syi kl fAna

•k
b£ t£td, kA rja wo kf fAna

bA yAnu

a k& 'sylpl. di dyfra bwa

t

a syi ni ?

syind6 A da sS yAnu a rja

w5

kA tA kye kA.

5. A y£t t& A bit na bA
hwe s

a dy£ syidi bA kA kp4 syi
y& kf pyg

nAnA num& ki fAng. "bA dyina
a syln&6 A

syidfe bA ri yh u nf .

6. A k£ gba pere and.

7. A k£ s& gy& an5.

your Lord made the sky and the

earth, and the water and things
which are in

it all, he rested in the day

which is seventh. Because of
this thing,

your LQi»d spoke made- good the
day of "rest,

he washed it clean.

5. Give your father and your
mother honor 9

that your life it- may advance
go to front -^

very far in the land which your
Lord

your God is giving you.

6. Do not kill people.

7. Do not commit adultery.

55

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8. ti k£ vi vi and.

9v t! kd ze dyfra b&
mhsa bi kf syma
bA vyS d and.

10* iS kd su s& piklna
bu k£ tlma

bA vyff ii and, *& kd su si
pikina bii kf

bira b& wa b& vy5 ii and,
b& fo bd a

w&nu, b& fo bd a w&wa,
b& nfe bd,

b& dyaki bd, b& b& kd ztt
bA vy& £ tSt£.

8. Do not steal a stealing.

9, Do not bring a word of
lying on the head of your
fellow."

10 # Do not set your heart on
the house

of your fellow. Do not set your
heart on

place of wife of your fellow,
and his servant

male, and his servant female,
and his cow,

and his-- donkey", and any things
of your fellaw.

JUKUN of WUKARI
and

JUEUN of TAKUM

William B. Welmers

Occasional Publication No. 16

Institute of African Studies
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
1968