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216 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY NUMBER 23
In the previous tale and in this version, told eleven years later,
Tonik disputes Xun Vaskis' claim that the bell returned twice to
Zinacantan and could never be hung by the Chiapanecs (T157,
T115).
Tonik's mention of the fish that Chiapanecs used to market in
The Poor Woodcutter
There was a boy. He was an orphan. He had no
mother, no father. All by himself he would get out of
bed, wash, rinse his mouth, and leave. He would take
his tumpline. He would take his rope. He went to get
firewood. When he had carried back the wood—
there was a madrone tree there—he rested. He rested
again and again. Every time, every time he went for
the firewood, every day, every day he did the same
thing.
He suffered. "I am an orphan, God, My Lord, I
have no father. I have no mother. I ache so. I'm
wearing myself out getting firewood. I'm tired of
selling firewood, it seems. My Lord, if only I had
money I'd certainly rest. But being an orphan I
haven't anything. I'm suffering so," said the poor
man. He rested there again and again. He spread out
his little blanket. He slept. He rested awhile. If he
hadn't eaten before he left, at around ten o'clock he
would rest there. It was at ten or eleven o'clock or
so, who knows. For he was an orphan. He had no
coffee. If he earned the money for it, he ate. If he
didn't earn the money for it, then he had nothing [to
eat]. He suffered.
When he arrived with the wood he went to sell
the wood. He sold it. He received the money for the
wood. He ate.
[He had made] many, many trips perhaps. He had
begun [doing it] long before. It was either Our Lord
or something [divine] that took pity. The tree there
had roots.
[The man] threw himself down there by the roots.
Then the [young] man saw the roots of the tree split
open and then a little old man appeared. "What
happened to you, son? What happened to you? Why
are you suffering so?"
"It's because I'm an orphan, sir. I have no family,
no father, no mother."
"Oh," he said. "What do you wa—nt? What do
you want me to give you? Shall I give you a ring, or
a sash, or a little walking stick? It's good company
for you," he said.
"You can give me that walking stick, sir. Give that
to me. It will help me lift myself when I stand up,
because I suffer so when I stand up with the wood."
"Even though you can stand up with [the wood] if
I give you your walking stick—[Well], we won't say
T77
Zinacantan is an historical note of which I was previously
unaware, but to this day Zinacantecs sell peaches in the lowlands,
sometimes transporting them as far as Arriaga, Tonala,
and Juchitan. See also T74, T115, T157, their notes, and T102.
7Oy la jun krem, me7on la, mu7yuk la sme7
mu7yuk la stot stuk la chlik la ta svayeb, ta la x7atin
tzsuk ye bat 7un, tztam spek' tztam xch'ojon chbat ta
si7bej, mi skuch tal ti si7 7une, 7oy la te 7a li j-petz
7on te7 ja7 la te tzkux tzkux batel ju-koj ju-koj chbat
ta si7bej sil k'ak'al sil k'ak'al yech tzpas.
Va7i 7un, 7abol ti sba. "Me7onone, dyox kajval,
mu7yuk ti jtote, mu7yuk ti jme7e, toj k'ux ya7el 7un,
chilub xa li ta si7beje, chtavan ya7el li chon-si7 7une,
kajval, 7ok nox ti jtak'ine, ta jkux bi 7a, yan chak la
x7elan me7onone, mu k'usi 7oy ku7une, toj 7abol
jba," xi la ti prove vinik 7une. Te la tzkux batel, sk'i
la ti yunen tase, ta la xvay chkux j-likel, ja7 ti muk'
ve7em chbat 7une, teyuk xa nan lajuneb 7ora chkux
te yo7e, mi lajuneb mi buluchib 7ora k'u xi, mu
jna7tik, ja7 ti me7on 7une, mu7yuk skajve mi stabe
stojol ja7 to chve7, mi mu stabe stojol yech ch'abal,
te 7abol sba.
Va7i 7un, mi yul tal ti si7 7une, chba xchon ti si7
7une, xch'ambe stojol ti si7 7une, ja7 to xchon 7un,
chve7 7un.
Va7i 7un, 7ep nan ta bwelta ta j-mek vo7ne 7ox
slikel 7une, k'uxubaj la yo7on mi kajvaltik mi k'usi
7un, 7oy la te yisim ti te7 7une.
Va7i 7un, 7a ti yo7 i yisim te7 te chjip sba 7une,
ja7 to la yil ti vinik 7une, 7ijav la ti yisim te7 7une,
ja7 7o la xva7a7 lok'el ti jun 7unen mol 7une. "K'usi
chapas, kere, k'usi chapas, k'un x7elan 7abol aba ta
j-meke?"
"Yu7un ja7 li me7onone, tottik, mu7yuk buch'u
7oy ku7un, mu7yuk jtot, mu7yuk jme!"
"7Aj!" xi la. "K'usi chak'a—n, k'usi chak'an
chakak'be, mi ja7 chakak'be li 7ixtalale, mi ja7 li
xchuk jch'uttike mo mi junuk 7avunen nam-te7, bal
xachi7in," xi la.
"Ja7uk 7ak'bon taj nam-te7e, tottik, ja7uk 7ak'bon,
bal no 7ox jtoyoj jba li k'alal chilike, yu7un toj tol
7abol jba li k'al chilik xchi7uk jsi7e."
"7Ak' 7o chakak'bot 7anam-te7e, chalik 7o mu
xkaltik mi mu chalik 7o, pero 7a ti chavikta ti si7bej