Page:The Annals of the Cakchiquels.djvu/202

196 3. chinamit, the sub-gens. On this see the Introduction. The four referred to include the Xahila, mentioned in the previous paragraph. These four, the Xahila, the Gekaquch, the Baqahol, and the Cibaki, formed the tribe; the remaining four, the Caveki, the Ah Queh, the Ah Pak, and the Ykomagi, were of the same lineage, but not in the confederacy.

Daqui; the letter d does not occur either in Cakchiquel or Nahuatl. The foreign aspect of some of these names seems to point to an ancient influence of some allophyllic tongue.

4. He ꜭa ꜭoh, etc. The writer here states that he gives the exact words of the ancient tradition. He probably wrote the text from some antique chant, which had been handed down from his ancestors. The quotation begins at the words Cahi xpe, and continues to near the close of the next paragraph, where the words xecha can ri ꜫaꜫavitz, the above spoke Gagavitz, etc., mark its termination. This is one of the most obscure passages in the book. The original text is given by Brasseur among his pièces justificatives, in the appendix to the first volume of his ''Hist. du Mexique.'' A comparison with his translation will show that in several important constructions I differ from him.

The mythological references to Tulan, Ꜭabouil, the Chay Abah, Xibilbay, etc., have been discussed in the Introduction. The passage corresponds to the first chapter of the third book of the Popol Vuh.

Tulan, Tullan; these variations are in the original.

5. The particle tan, with which the paragraph opens, throws the narrative into the "historical present," for the sake of greater vividness. The verb ꜯak, as at present used, means to make bricks, etc., out of earth.

xtiho; translated by Brasseur, "the trial was made;" but it is the imperfect passive of tih, which means "to give to another something to eat or drink."

xaki, plural of xak, generic word for leaf.

utiuh, koch; besides these, two other animals are named in the Popol Vuh.

achak is the general word for excrement, either of men or brutes; also, refuse, waste products in general.

tiuh tuih is the name of a small variety of hawk. "El gavilan pequeño." Guzman, Compendio de Nombres en Lengua Cakchiquel. MS.

mani ꜭa xꜭhao, "and he talked not." The connective ꜭa, like