The Gospel of Luke 9:7
This translation feels very messy, but I will leave as it is for now.
NJV. Meanwhile Herod the tetrarch had heard about all that was going on; and he was puzzled, because some people were saying that John had risen from the dead,
Haida. Dadlagiidg naŋ Stanslaagiidaas gyuud iijan gu sGaanuwaaw, ’waagyaan nang kihlguhlgan eehl hal sgahlalgan skinaagan Gidya’ahlGas k’ut’aalsd.
Herod the Tetrarch heard of all the things being done = Dadlagiidg naŋ Stanslaagiidaas gyuud iijan gu sGaanuwaaw
Dadlagiidg = to Herod
naŋ = who
Stanslaagiidas = was Tetrarch
gyuud = to the ear (of)
iijan = came
gu sGaanuwaaw = miracles and wonders
Herod comes from the Greek Hērōidēs (Ήρωδης). In English, this roughly means son of a hero.
My translation of Herod is Dadlagiid, which has two components:
1. dadlawii = hero
2. gid = child
Haida does not have a word for hero, so I had to make one up.
I created dadlawii from two components;
1. dagwii = one’s strength
2. dlawii = fall (sg subject)
The word tetrarch comes from the Greek tetrarchēs (τετράρχης), and has two components:
1. tessares (τέσσαρης) = four
2. archō (άρχω) = to rule.
A rough translation for Tetrarch is “minor governor”. This is because, as the name suggests, they governed a quarter of the Province.
The Roman Empire itself was once governed as a Tetrarchy – split between West and East, each with a Caesar and an Augustus.
My translation of Tetrarch is stanslaagiid, which has two components:
1. stansaŋ = four
2. iitlaagiid = be chief.
Both Keen and myself say something like Herod, who was Tetrarch.
he was puzzled, because some people said = ’waagyaan nang kihlguhlgan eehl hal sgahlalgan
’waagyaan = and
nang = someone
kihlguhlgan = said
eehl = because of that
hal = he
sgahlalgan = was cross-eyed
perplexed/puzzled comes from the Greek diaporeō (διαπορέω), which has two components:
1. δια = thoroughly (lit. because)
2. απορέω = have no way out.
Thus, διαπορέω means something like one who has searched all possibilities, and is yet to find a way out.
Herod has spent so long searching the possibilities that the strain has made him go cross-eyed.
that John had risen from the dead = skinaagan Gidya’ahlGas k’ut’aalsd
skinaagan = that…he had woken up
Gidya’ahlGas = John
k’ut’aalsd = from the dead
John comes from the Hebrew Yehhokhawnawn, which means something like God’s gift or the more literal God has shown favour.
Gidya’ahlGas is my translation of John, and it has three components:
Gidaag = Potlach gift
gyaa = of
Ant’ahlGas = Yahweh.
A Potlach refers to a ceremony carried out by many tribes across the Pacific North-West. While potlachs differ across tribes, one universal feature is the handing out of gifts as a show of prestige, both for giver and receiver.
skinaagan has three components:
1. skin = wake up
2. -aa = that.
3. -gan = did.
The Evidential Suffix –aa. It indicates that the speaker did not know about the event when it was happening (or in this case not happening).
As a result, many speakers use it as a form of quote marking.
KJV. Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead;
Haida. Dadlagiidg naŋ Stanslaagiidaas gyuud iijan gu sGaanuwaaw, ’waagyaan nang kihlguhlgan eehl hal sgahlalgan skinaagan Gidya’ahlGas k’ut’aalsd.
Haida (Keen). Waigien Herod nung tetrarchgas tliku gin edun wautliwon gudang-an; waigien il gudung-ai lthkwīd-euon-an, John kotal sta kālthū-ung tl īlthi shouon altha;
In order to translate the name John, I first had to translate the name Yahweh.
In Hebrew, Yahweh means something like Becoming-One.
Ant’ahlGas is my translation of Yahweh, and it has two components:
1. an = oneself.
2. t’alg = more than
3. Giidaas = is more/is thus.
This being my first dance with the Haida language. I have plans to use it for a future translation, and thus my translation of Yahweh will change – that is, if I need to.
I put a /h/ in the middle of the t’a(h)lG because I could not find any instances of */lG/, but plenty of /hlG/
Within my translation of Yahweh are several words (give or take a letter) which foreshadow the passion. For example,
1. anst’ahla = to raise one’s head.
2. ta hlGawii = for a disaster to happen.
3. t’ahlgw = a stick tied horizontally to a tree.
I will stop at three as a hard barrier to stop myself from stretching too far.
The last one may not be self-evident to many people.
Some depictions depict the cross as a single piece of wood. This probably wasn’t the case.
The vertical part was probably a permanent fixture in the land – half of the length was likely below the ground to prevent it from tipping over. The important thing is that it was only pulled forwards.
The horizontal part, on the other hand, had to be replaced more often because it received more wear and tear. Think about it, the hands pulled it downwards while the body pulled it forwards at the same time.
Many depictions of the cross make this explicit, with the two lines made of different sorts of wood.
Fortunately, the Haida do not use the t’ahlgw for this purpose. They use it to make a simple scaffolding when removing cedar bark from the upper parts of the tree.