Osële ènta Tekëna

Light in the Forest . . . Told by Nora Thompson Dean in 1963. In this recording she is reading to her father, James Thompson, who was 95 years old and had poor vision. She was reading from the novel The Light in the Forest written by Conrad Richter in 1953. In 1958 Walt Disney produced a movie based on the book and with the same title. Nora translated the story into Lenape as she read it in English. This is not a line by line translation but rather more in the form of a synopsis of the story. Recorded by Jim Rementer.

English:

Now I want to read this book.

Lenape:

Yukwe yushe mèchi nkata ahkëntamën yu lekhikàn.

English:

The book is named Light in the Forest.

Lenape:

Luwènsu yu lekhikàn Light in the Forest.

English:

Perhaps we could call it Osële Enta Tekëna.

Lenape:

Wechi èt kiluna a tëluwehëna Osële Enta Tekëna.

English:

It seems like the boy was there for about

Lenape:

Alàshi a ta pilaechëch ika ahpu ahpami èt mah

English:

the boy was fifteen years old.

Lenape:

tèlën òk palenàxk kahtënamu na pilaechëch.

English:

When he stood it was like he wanted to stand straight.

Lenape:

Enta hank nipait alàshi a ta kahta shàxahkikapu.

English:

Cuyloga was the name of his father.

Lenape:

Cuyloga mah na luwènsu nèl uxò [Jim Thompson - Uh-huh. You will hear this response throughout the story as Nora talks and her father acknowledges what she said, a common practice when listening to a storyteller.]

English:

Perhaps he was a Lenape, I really don’t know. Here Nora says she doesn't know if Cuyloga was a Lenape because his name did not sound like a Lenape name.

Lenape:

wèchi èt na Lënape, ku xane nuwatu.

English:

eleven years ago he was adopted

Lenape:

tèlën òk kwëti kahtëne mah laphala

English:

the boy because that Cuyloga he was called

Lenape:

na pilaechëch èli na Cuyloga èluwènsit

English:

had lost that one who was his son

Lenape:

ànkhilao nèka nèl kwisa.

English:

It seemed like that son was very ill.

Lenape:

Wechi èt mah ahi palsu na kwisa.

English:

Then he adopted that boy. The book says the boy was a white person. [Jim Thompson] – That’s it.

Lenape:

Na laphala na pilaechëch. Luwe yu lekhikàn Shëwanànkw ta na pilaechëch [Jim Thompson] – Na nàni.

English:

And the old man said, “All the white blood has been replaced, then now he had Lenape blood.”

Lenape:

Ok luwe na hilusës, “Xu wèmi ktanihin na òpèk mhukw, na Lënapei mhukw ikahatu.”

English:

This book says that he said, “I am definitely True-Son.”

Lenape:

Luwe yu lekhikàn, luwèn, “Ni ta Kichi-Kwis.”

English:

For eleven years he had lived there with the Lenape.

Lenape:

Telën òk kwëti kahtëne lehëlexe ènta Lënapeike tali

English:

Once his father told him, “You are finally grown.”

Lenape:

kwëtën mah nèl uxò tëlao, “Xantki kishikin.”

English:

The boy said, “I will not give away the Lenape life!"

Lenape:

Luwe na pilaechëch, "Ku ta ?? ta xu mèkënënu Lënapei lehëlexeokàn!"

English:

All he knew was the Lenape way of life.

Lenape:

Nkëme kahta kèku watu ènta Lënapeike lehëlexeokàn.

English:

I don’t know now this book says in the summer to use it, maybe it was medicine

Lenape:

ku nuwatu yukwe lekhikàn luwe nipënëwi hank mësi kèku nhakatàm, wèchi èt në mpisuni.

English:

Once when he was walking in the woods he must have bathed in a lake there.

Lenape:

Kwëtën mah ènta ahpamskat tekëna tali wèchi èt mah tixëmu ènta mënëpèkunk tali.

English:

Then his father lost the boy, then he began to be depressed,

Lenape:

Na nèl uxò ànkhilao na pilaechëch, na talëmi sàkwelìntàm,

English:

but the boy did not want to go home because they had blackened his face.

Lenape:

shëk na pilaechëch ku winki machi èli mah sëkënëmën në wëshkinkw.

English:

and when it was morning the old man must have taken him to the town

Lenape:

òk na hilusës ènta alàpaèk utènink èt mah tëluxòlao.

English:

and he went to see his uncle and his aunt and his younger brother

Lenape:

may neyo nèl shisa òk nèl kahètëta òk nèl xisëmësa

English:

Half-Arrow was the name of the one younger brother.

Lenape:

Half-Arrow luwènsu na kwëti nèl xisëmësa

English:

and the boy had all kinds of thoughts.

Lenape:

òk mësilitehe na pilaechëch.

English:

He thought perhaps this father would know what he is going for.

Lenape:

Litehe èt wèchi èt wa nux uwatun kèku wëntuxwèt.

English:

Finally they saw the tents, he was surprised at what he saw.
Note: At this point there is some distortion in the tape, and the following three lines are from a later part of the story

Lenape:

Xantki nemënèn nèl èmsikaona, kanshelìntàm ènta nem.

English:

but it was said tomorrow he would return. Oh yes, what did it say?

Lenape:

shëkw alàpa hunt xu ktëki. Shëmuch, kèku hàch luwèn?
Note: The part beginning with Shëmuch is Nora commenting on the book and not sure who was doing what.

English:

Perhaps that Little-Bird will return, because he wants to see

Lenape:

Konait xi na Tànkchulèns xu hàshi xu pe èli kahta neyòt

English:

his wife. He really wanted to see the woman.
Note: Unfortunately, at this point the tape becomes too distorted to be able to salvage any more of this recording.

Lenape:

nèl wicheòchi. Alëwi a winki neyon na xkwe.

Shè Yu Wëski Kèku

Alahòtuwàk

Mikwëna Tëlekhikàn Pwètanehëmaok Lënapeyunkahke

Moni Ta Nëni

Wàni Lënape Elixsit

Na Lënu Òk Nèl Mwekaneyëma