“Chapter 8” in “Chuj (Mayan) Narratives” on University Press of Colorado Open Books

Chapter 8 Taking Out the Salt

THIS TEXT IS A sample of an extended monologue. It is one of the procedural texts that were dictated to me by Francisco Santizo Andrés in the early days of our work together. In order to get extended samples of speech that I could scan for grammatical and lexical material, I would request that he tell me about some aspect of San Mateo Chuj life. He related a brief conversation with a compatriot he ran across in the Huehuetenango market. He told me about his own life. He discussed maize agriculture. And one day I asked him to tell me about the famous salt trade of San Mateo, the economic mainstay of the town, producing a renowned black salt that is widely sought after for medicinal uses, among others.

The mines lie below the main part of town, between the houses and the river that flows toward Barillas. The area is called Tits’am (ti’ ats’am) “the mouth of the salt.” Deep shafts have been dug into the hillside, and the salt at the bottom is in the form of salty water. The salt water is dipped out into pots that are passed up to the surface, and there the liquid is distributed to carriers who take the salt solution to the houses where it will be boiled down into small cakes.

This is no simple matter. The extraction and production of the salt is intricately interwoven into the fabric of San Mateo life. “Chosen men,” who have more than usual strength, perform the heavy labor of getting the salt water to the mine heads, but women do much of the surface carrying and the work of boiling down the saline solution. Special clay pots are required for the extraction process, the carrying process, and the process of reduction to salt cakes. The production of these ceramic vessels occupies a considerable population, just as the labor of transportation requires even more labor. Firewood for the reduction process involves another labor force. And marketing the final product is accomplished by local merchants, but entails long-term relationships with buyers from other towns. Care and feeding of the traders and pilgrims who come for the salt from as far away as Mexico adds another source of income.

The salt trade is intimately tied to the local social structure. The right to take out salt at any given time rotates around the population so that in theory everyone gets a chance to profit. On the other hand, certain mines are held by certain factions for their own use, and one mine is the sole property of the chief prayermaker for the town, the alcalde rezador, the icham alkal (literally, the “elder-mayor,” a term formed by the opposition of “elder,” a semireligious office, and “mayor,” a political office). These individuals and groups finance their activities and accrue profit by taking out salt. The salt thus supports individual households, neighborhood organizations, civil political officers, and religious groups, the latter traditionalists not affiliated with the Catholic Church. The networks that form through these activities firm up the social structure of the town as well as increasing its income.

The salt mines support important collective activities, and they also provide funds to individual families to pay for advice from diviners. As the narrator remarks, the better the pay, the more favorable the advice given.

One traditional ceremonial round that is supported by funds from the salt is the annual Five Days, the hoye k’uh. This period corresponds to the pre-Columbian period called Uayeb in sixteenth-century Yucatán. The Mayan calendar counted eighteen months of twenty days each, plus this period to bring the calendar into rough synchronization with the solar year of 365 days. The days of each “month” were numbered. Alongside this calendar was a divinatory almanac of twenty day names, each representing a supernatural power, that cycled against thirteen numbers that altered each appearance of a day name; this formed a cycle of 260 days that beat against the 365-day calendar. The expected nature of each day was determined by its day number and day name and its place in the solar calendar, in a system in which no combination of these four elements repeated for fifty-two years, roughly the average length of a human life.

When I learned that the day names were still remembered, I asked Francisco, who didn’t know all the names, to find out more about this. He himself was a progressive Catholic and a member of the priest’s staff at times, but he had a grandmother who was definitely not. He returned from a trip to San Mateo with the news that his grandmother had refused to talk about the day names with him. “What do you want to know that for?” she asked. “You don’t believe in any of it.”

In neighboring Chiapas, Mexico, the solar calendar survives in many Tzeltal and Tzotzil communities, but the 260-day divinatory almanac has been lost. The opposite is true of most Guatemalan indigenous communities, where the divinatory almanac flourishes, but the solar calendar has beeen abandoned. In Chuj country, the day names are well known and their combinations with the set of numbers is the basis of shamanic consultation. In the story of Oedipus Rex, above (An Old Man Whose Son Killed Him), it is this sort of divination that predicted the fate of the newborn child (and, of course, of his father).

In San Mateo Ixtatán, however, along with the day names there is still one remnant of the pre-Columbian solar calendar, the Five Days, the last calendric period of the solar year. It now falls somewhere around the beginning of Lent, a period in which the Catholic Church tolerates activities like Carnaval or Mardi Gras. Like many year-end ceremonies, the Five Days is devoted to prayers and renewal. On each of the first four days, the traditionalist leaders visit the crosses that mark the conceptual boundaries of the town. This is done in traditional Maya sequence, following the movements of the sun. They gather for food and drink to make preparations; animals are slaughtered for food, drink flows freely, and marimbas play. Then the first day of hoye k’uh they go to the east boundary of the town (in the direction of the sunrise, called ts’el k’uh, “[where the] Sun exits [the Underworld]”). The second day the group goes to the north boundary, in the direction where the tropical sun reaches its zenith (like the south, the direction is unnamed, as in many Mayan languages; see Josserand and Hopkins 2011). The third day they visit the crosses to the west (ts’och k’uh, “[where the] Sun enters”). The fourth day the crosses to the south are visited. Each day, if the crosses need repair or replacement, this is done with ceremony. Finally, on the fifth day, the ancient end of the year, the traditionalists gather in the plaza next to the entrance of the church where there is another cross. More prayers and offerings are made. The performance of this ceremonial round is considered to be necessary for the well-being of the community and its inhabitants. Income from the salt mines funds all these activities (candles, incense, liquor, slaughtered animals, maize foods, and so forth). Thus, part of the economic gain that derives from the salt mines is put to work for the good of the community, a concept that drives the tradition of civil service all over the Maya area.

Note: A version of this text was published in a collection of Mayan texts edited by Louanna Furbee (Hopkins 1980b). That version, done when Mayanist scholars were trying to find out more about each other’s languages, includes a transcription of the tape in a technical orthography and a morpheme-by-morpheme glossing of the entire text. The transcription into modern orthography and the translation presented here are new, as is the formatting of the text.

Taking Out the Salt

Narrator: Francisco Santizo Andrés

Location: San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango, Guatemala

Date: September 7, 1964 (recorded in Huehuetenango)

Chuj Text 8 [CAC 002 R008]

	[Opening]
T’a jun k’utik, ol wala’,	Today, I’ll talk about
chajtil skutej sk’eta ats’am ats’am,	how we bring up the salt,
chajtil yaj ats’am ats’am (t’ay)	how the salt is
t’ayin chonhab’.	in my town.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ol wala’ chajtil ts’ikan sk’eta ats’am	I’ll talk about how we bring up the salt
t’a pekataxo,	in the past,
i chajtil ts’ikan sk’eta ats’am tik ne’ik.	and how we bring up the salt today.
——
	[Background: In the past]
	[The salt comes up]
T’a pekataxo, sk’eta ats’am,	In the past, to bring up the salt,
ay heb’ winh t’unhum ch’ub’, xih.	there were men called “pot carriers.”
Ha heb’ winh t’unhum ch’ub’ chi’,	Those pot carriers
chekel nhej heb’ winh, ayuchih,	were chosen men only among them,
porke hanhej heb’ winh,	because only those men
te ay yip.	had great strength.
Heb’ winh te sik’lab’il,	They were very select men,
heb’ winh niwak winak.	they were big men.
Ha heb’ winh chi’	Those men
ts’och yik’k’eta ats’am	went in to bring out the salt
t’ay yo’ol chi’	from the bottom there
t’a b’ajtil smolchajih.	where it is gathered.
Porke to, holan	Because there is a hole
t’a b’ajtil ay ats’am.	where the salt is.
B’achkixtak yemih.	It goes down in steps.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
hata ts’em tsolan heb’ winh,	there they go down forming a line,
slechk’eta ats’am	they dip out the salt
t’a yich chi’.	at the bottom there.
Ay winh sb’ut’an lum ch’ub’	There are men who fill the pots
t’ay yich chi’,	at the bottom there,
syak’ank’eta lum winh (t’a winh)	they hand up the pot
t’a winh ayemk’och chi’	to those who are down there above
t’ay sb’ab’elal chi’.	those first ones.
Haxo winh xcha’an lu’um,	That other man takes the pot,
smeltsaj winh,	he turns,
syak’ank’eta lum winh,	he gives the pot
t’ay winh ayb’at t’a spatik chi’	to the man who is above him there,
t’ay xchab’il.	to the second one.
Hanheja’ ichachi’ sk’ulej winh chi’,	Thus they do it,
masan sk’ehul yuj heb’ winh,	everything comes up through them,
t’ay sti’ holan chi’.	to the mouth if the hole there.
Haxo winh sekan pax (t’ay)	Another man empties it again
t’ay sti’ chi jun,	at the door there.
Haxo winh sk’echan’elta,	That other man lifts it,
ts’elul t’ay sti’ wertah.	and goes out to the doorway.
Haxota’ xekchajih.	There it is emptied.
Xcha’an winh mach skuchanih.	The man who is to carry it takes it.
Porke to,	Because still,
ch’ok yaj heb’ winh slechank’eta chi’.	separate is the man who dips it out,
Ch’ok yaj pax heb’ winh skuchan kotih.	separate also is the man who carries it.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha heb’ winh slechank’eta chi’,	those men who dip it out;
ha heb’ winh sekan’em	those men who empty it
t’a yol xch’ub’,	into the bottom of the pots,
heb’ winh skuchankot chi’.	they carry it away there.
——
I ha t’a pekataxo,	And in the past,
ay jun tsanh te’ kojnub’ ch’ub’,	there was a wooden pot rack—
te tsikap t’ay pekataxo,	cedar, in the past—
ha te ayem yuj heb’ winh ta’,	that rack was there for them,
ha ta’ syak’uch k’ojan	there they set down
lum ch’ub’ chi’ heb’ winh.	those pots, the men,
Skuchan lum heb’ winh.	The men who carry the pots.
I hanheja’ heb’ winh skuchankot chi’,	And the men who carry the pots there,
sik’b’il tseltah heb’ winh,	chosen are those men,
porke ha heb’ winh	because those men
te ay yip chi’ skuchanih.	great is their strength for carrying.
Porke tato ha winh malaj yip jun,	Because if those men have no strength,
max k’elaj skuchan winh,	they can’t lift it to carry it,
porke te al.	because it is very heavy.
Porke ha ats’am ats’am chi’,	Because that salt water,
mas te al ats’am t’a yichanh ha ha’.	salt is heavier than water
Ha ha ha’, seb’nhej ko k’echan chanh ha’,	That water, easily we can lift up water,
xal ats’am ats’am chi jun,	but that salt,
te al ats’am.	salt is very heavy.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
sik’b’il ts’och heb’ winh skuchan chi’.	chosen they go in to dip it out.
Heb’ winh slechank’eta ats’am chi’,	The men who dip out that salt,
pax heb’ winh slechank’eta ats’am chi’,	and the men who dip out the salt,
siepre ay jab’ yik heb’ winh.	always there is a little benefit for them.
Porke slajwi slechank’eta ats’am heb’ winh,	Because when they finish dipping out salt,
syik’an jun jun ch’ub’ yik heb’ winh.	they take benefit from each pot.
Pero ha jun jun ch’ub’ chi’,	Because each of those pots,
jun ch’ub’, xchih,	one pot, they say,
porke te niwan,	because they are very big,
ayam jun oxe kintal yalil,	they are probably three hundred pounds in weight
te al.	very heavy.
——
	[Today: Women carry the pots]
Yuj chi’,	So,
hat’a pekatax chi’,	in the past,
te niwak lum ch’ub’.	the pots were very big.
Xal tik ne’ik jun,	And today, well,
manh xo ichok chi laj,	they aren’t like that any more,
ix k’exmajih.	they are changed.
Ha tik ne’ik,	Today,
ha xo heb’ ix	those women
skuchan ats’am.	carry the salt.
Porke ha lum ch’ub’	Because the pots
t’ay pekatax chi’,	in the past,
ix lajwel lu’um.	they have ended.
Ha xo lum ch’ub’ tik ne’ik,	Those pots today,
ha lum kotak xo,	they are small already,
yunetak xo nhej lu’um.	just little baby pots.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
oxe’ lum chi’ (t’a lum)	three of those pots
t’a jun lum niwan.	to one big one.
Porke ha jun lum niwan t’a pekatax chi’,	Because those big pots of the past,
oxe lum yunetak chi’ sb’at t’a yol lu’um.	three little pots go into their bottom.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha chi’ ix poj heb’ winh tik ne’ik,	then, the men today divided them,
entonse ox ch’ub’ ix k’ek’ochih.	so three pots came out.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ox ch’ub’ jun jun kantaroh. Jun ch’ub’.	three pots, each cántaro. One pot.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha heb’ ix ix chi’,	those women there,
skuchan tik ne’ik	carry them today.
I ha xo b’at lechchajk’eta	And so, those who go dip it out
t’a yol chi jun	from the inside,
ha heb’ winh winak chi’	those men who
b’at lechank’eta t’a yol chi jun,	go dip it out of the insides
heb’ winh mayor,	are those more important men,
heb’ winh polinsiah.	the policemen,
ha heb’ winh b’at lechank’eta t’a yich chi’.	those men go dip it out at the bottom.
Mach smananih,	Whoever is buying
entonse sinhkwenta sinhku sentawu	then [pays] fifty-five centavos
jun jun ch’ub’.	each pot.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha heb’ winh slechank’eta chi’,	to those men that dip it out,
sentawu skotup jun jun ch’ub’.	one centavo we pay for each pot.
Tato jun ch’ub’ entero niwan skik’a’,	If it’s a whole big pot they bring out,
entonse oxe sentawu skotup heb’ winh,	then three centavos we pay them,
yik heb’ winh lechwajum.	the benefit of the dippers.
Ha xo heb’ ix ix chi’,	Also to those women
skuchank’eta jun, sja’ t’a ko pat,	who carry it, who come to our house,
hoye sentawu sko tup heb’ ix.	five centavos we pay the women.
Tato najattak ayonh, ha chi’,	If it’s far where we are, then,
syala jantak b’aj ayonh.	we talk about how far to where we are.
Tato najat ayonh,	If it’s far where we are,
mas niwantak sko tupu’.	we pay more.
Ay t’ay (t’ay) siete ocho sentawu,	There are some for seven, eight centavos,
hasta ay t’ay dies sentawu.	up to ten centavos.
Tato lak’an ayonh jun,	If it’s close where we are, well,
ay t’ay oxe sentawu,	there are some at three centavos,
t’a chanhe sentawu.	at four centavos.
——
	[The salt is boiled down]
Yuj chi’,	So,
hata’ syala’ jantak b’aj ayonh.	there we talk about how far we are.
B’at yak’ankan heb’ ix t’a ko pat,	They go to leave it at our house,
sko tupan heb’ ix.	we pay them.
Sk’och ats’am ats’am (t’ay) t’a ko pat,	When the salt arrives at our house,
ay jun te ko jukib’,	there is a wooden trough,
hata’ ts’em ats’am.	there the salt goes down.
Sjakan ats’am,	When the salt arrives,
skik’ankot te k’atsits,	we gather firewood,
sko manan lum lu’um	we buy ceramics
b’ajtil ol ko payej ats’am.	where we will heat the salt.
Tato jun ch’ub’ ats’am,	If it is one pot of salt,
jun nhej lum sko mana’,	we buy just one vessel,
yet’ jun xo lum yune nhej.	and just one other little pot.
Tato cha ch’ub’ ats’am jun,	If it’s two pots of salt, well,
entonse chab’ lum sko mana’.	then two vessels we buy.
I siempre hanheja sko man	And always even so we buy
jun lum yune nhej chi’.	just one little pot.
Porke yik sti’.	Because its mouth is right.
——
	[Buyers come for the salt]
Ts’el ats’am ko payanih,	The salt comes out as we heat it,
b’at ko chonhan ats’am,	we go sell the salt,
e tato ay winh manum ats’am,	and if there are salt buyers
ts’ek pax t’ay kal pat jun.	they come around the houses.
Ay heb’ winh, heb’ winh hula’,	There are men, Kanjobals,
ha heb’ winh smananb’at ats’am t’ayonh,	those men buy the salt from us,
t’a pilonhal.	in lumps (pilones).
Snunal smanb’at ats’am heb’ winh.	In “mothers” they buy the salt.
Porke ha ats’am ats’am chi’,	Because that salt,
nab’a ha’ ats’am.	it’s pure liquid salt.
Hato sko payan ats’am,	So we heat the salt,
hatota’ swinakej sb’a ats’am,	then the salt forms a solid,
i sk’enan sb’a ats’am.	and the salt turns to stone.
Yos, (ts’och) b’o jun nun ats’am.	So, it makes a “salt mother.”
——
	[Ritual surrounds the salt]
Pero hat’a yik heb’ winh peka winak,	But with the men of the past,
ay skostumra heb’ winh.	there was a custom of theirs.
Hasta hanheja’ tik ne’ik,	Even up until today,
syak’ kostumra winh yet’ok.	they make rituals with it.
Porke winh icham alkal,	Because the alcalde rezador,
ha winh ayuch lesalil,	that man prays,
yak’ slesalil masanil ats’am ats’am.	he prays for all the salt.
Yak’ slesalil heb’ winh chonhab’,	He prays for the men of the town,
yak’ slesalil masanil awal,	he prays for all the fields,
masanil ixim,	all the maize,
masanil trawaju.	all the work.
Ha winh ayuch yak’ slesalil	That man prays
tato may junh ilya	that there be no harm
ts’och t’ay yol chonhab’.	that comes to the town.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
hanheja’ ay skostumra heb’ winh yet’ok.	just so there have their rituals.
Pero ha winh icham alkal chi’,	But that alcalde rezador,
ha heb’ winh chonhab’,	the men of the town,
ha heb’ winh smolan yik skantela winh,	they collect money for his candles,
yik spom winh,	for his incense,
yik staj winh,	for his pine shavings,
yik b’aj syak’ lesal,	for whatever he prays for,
ana ch’ok yaj jun yats’am winh,	and set apart is a salt mine for him,
wal ayuch (t’ay) t’ay semanail.	it is there every week.
Ha winh ay yik xch’okojil,	He has a benefit set aside
ha winh sjakani munil,	he goes in to work,
ha winh xcha’an stojol,	he has his own pay,
yik winh sch’okojil.	his benefit apart.
Yuj skostumre winh chi’,	According to their custom,
ay jun yats’am winh chi’	there is one salt mine for him,
t’a xch’okojil.	set aside.
——
Xal ats’am spukax	And of the mines distributed
t’ay heb’ winh chonhab’ chi jun,	among the men of the town,
chab’ nhej ats’am.	there are only two salt mines.
Ha ats’am Yochul, xih.	The mine Inside, they call it.
Ha tun atz’am	That mine
meru wal mayor minax chi’	is the very best mine
yet’ ats’am Snanhal, xih.	and the mine Middle, they call it.
Ha ats’am Yochul chi’,	That Inside mine,
jun jun k’uh,	every day
sk’eta jun wake kantaro.	comes up about six cántaros.
Wak ch’ub’, jun jun k’uh.	Six pots, every day.
Xal ats’am Snanhal chi jun,	And the Middle mine,
ha to t’ay xchanhlajunhejial,	every fourteen days,
t’ay yolajunhejial,	fifteen days,
hatota’ ts’el ats’am.	salt comes out.
Pero ts’elta jun holajunh ch’ub’,	But some fifteen pots come out,
jun waklajunh ch’ub’.	some sixteen pots.
Ha heb’ winh ichamtak winak,	The elders
t’a yol chonhab’,	in the town,
ha heb’ winh chi’	those men
ayuch t’a yujal,	go in monthly,
yik’an ats’am masanil yempu.	they take out salt all the time.
Ha heb’ winh chi’	Those men
ts’och t’ay ats’am Snanhal chi’ . . .	go in to the Middle mine . . .
——
[Tape ends; a new tape begins]
——
	[The officials take salt]
Yuj chi’,	So,
ichachi’ yaj ats’am ats’am chi’.	that’s the way the salt is.
Pax heb’ winh opisyal,	And the officials,
heb’ winh ayuch t’ay jusgadu,	those who are at City Hall,
siempre syik’ ats’am yik heb’ winh.	always take salt for their benefit.
Malaj stojol heb’ winh,	They don’t get a salary,
hanhej serwisyo heb’ winh	it’s just their service
syak’ t’a yol schonhab’.	that they give to their town.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha heb’ winh chi’,	those men,
jun jun semana	every week
syik’an oxtak ch’ub’ ats’am	take out three pots of salt each
yik heb’ winh.	as their pay.
Ha jab’ chi’ stojol heb’ winh yajoh,	That little bit is their pay,
yik b’aj ts’elta sgasto heb’ winh.	where they take out their expenses.
Pax heb’ winh chi’,	And those men,
ay pax skostumra heb’ winh.	they also have customs.
Te niwan skostumra heb’ winh chi’,	They make really big rituals
porke yik t’a b’ajtil	so that
may tas kot t’a yib’anh heb’ winh,	nothing comes down on them
t’ay k’inh,	in fiestas,
t’ay (jan) tastak sk’ulej heb’ winh.	in whatever they do.
May jun howal,	No fights,
may tas ih.	no nothing.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
hata’ syak’ kostumra	there they do rituals
yuj yik chi’.	for their benefit.
Ha heb’ ix yistsil heb’ winh yob’sial,	The wives of the officials,
syak’an (e) ja’at heb’ ix.	they make rituals.
Smolchaj heb’ ix,	They are gathered,
syak’an jun tsijtum lesal heb’ ix.	they make some prayers.
Sb’at heb’ ix t’a tits’am t’ay jun k’uh,	they go to the salt mines one day,
jun k’uhal sb’at heb’ ix	one whole day the women go
yak’ lesal t’ay sti ats’am ats’am.	and pray at the mouth of the mine.
Slajwi heb’ ix t’a sti’ ats’am ats’am chi’,	Finishing at the mouth of the mine,
sb’at heb’ ix t’ay kulus,	they go to the cross
t’ay titak chonhab’.	at the edges of the town.
Ixtota’ sk’och heb’ ix t’a tepan.	Thus they arrive at the church.
T’a jun xo k’uh, ak’wal to,	The next day, early in the morning,
sb’atxi heb’ ix,	they go again,
sk’och heb’ ix t’ay yamak’il tepan,	they arrive at the patio of the church,
t’a yib’anh jun kulus.	at the foot of a cross.
Haxota’ syak’ lesal heb’ ix ts’ek’ k’uh.	There the women pray all day.
Yob’xial, syak’an jun chi heb’ ix,	Every five days, they do this
yik t’a b’ajtyil malaj tas kot	so that nothing comes
t’a yib’anh heb’ winh.	down on them.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha heb’ winh chi’	those men
wal ts’ak’an tsijtum kostumra	are making a lot of rituals
yet’ ats’am ats’am tik.	with the salt.
Ha heb’ winh ts’ak’an jun kostumra chi’,	They make one ritual
yik t’a b’ajtil malaj mach sb’at peresu,	so that none goes to jail,
malaj mach ts’ak’am jun es palsoh	none makes false testimony
t’a yib’anh heb’ winh.	against them.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha chi’ syak’ slesalil heb’ winh.	thus they make their prayers.
Pax heb’ ix ix chi jun,	And those women,
slajwi jun yik heb’ ix chi’	when they finish praying
t’a masanil,	for everything,
syak’an yik heb’ ix.	they do it for themselves.
Tato yojtak heb’ ix	If they know
ayuch winh yichmil heb’ ix	there is a husband of theirs
(t’ay) t’a jusgadu,	in jail,
entonse ha heb’ ix chi’,	then the women
syak’ lesal heb’ ix.	pray for him.
——
	[Diviners are consulted]
Pero ay jun b’ajtil	But there is a place where
sk’anb’ej yaw heb’ ix,	they ask for advice,
chajtil syutej slesal heb’ ix.	for how to make their prayers.
Hata’ winh aj chum,	To the male diviner,
t’a ix aj chum,	to the female diviner,
hata’ sk’anb’ej yaw heb’ ix.	there they go ask for advice.
Ha chi’,	Thus,
b’at sk’anb’ej yaw heb’ ix	the women go to ask for advice
tato may tas kot yib’anh heb’ winh,	so there is nothing that befalls the men,
tato may peresu,	so there is no prisoner,
may multu,	no fine,
entonse ha chi’ b’at sk’anb’ej yaw heb’ ix.	then they go ask for advice.
Haxo winh aj chum chi jun,	And that diviner, well,
ts’em jun wente sinhku,	he takes twenty-five,
jun k’en sinhkwenta sentawu	some fifty centavos
scha winh.	he takes.
Yos, ol lolon winh,	And, he will speak,
ol yik’tian winh chajtil yajih.	he will tell them how it is.
Tato malaj k’en jun,	If there is no money,
ha nhej jun k’en yes sentawu,	only some ten centavos,
jun k’en kinse,	some fifteen,
max lolonlaj winh sik’lab’il,	he doesn’t speak well,
max wal yallaj winh	he won’t say
chajtakil yajih,	how things are,
porke to jab’nhej k’en tumin.	because it’s too little money.
Tato niwantak k’en jun,	If it’s a lot of money,
entonse masanil ol yal winh,	then he will say everything,
sik’lab’il ol yik’ti’ej winh	he will say choice things
chajtil ol ek’ opisyu chi’.	about how the office will go.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ay yik’ti’ej winh,	there is a conversation
chajtil ol aj opisyu chi’.	about how the office will be.
——
	[Political factions take salt]
Yuj chi’,	So,
ay skostumrail jun chi’,	they have their customs,
ay slesalil,	there are prayers,
eh,	and,
pax heb’ winh anima chi jun,	again those people,
jantak heb’ winh chonhab’,	how many men of the town,
ay jab’ jab’ yats’am heb’ winh chi syik’a’.	have a little salt they take out.
Pero ha heb’ winh chi’,	Because those men,
t’ay partidual ay yuj heb’ winh.	belong to factions.
Ay jun partidu,	There is a faction. for
jay wanh sb’eyih.	however many people.
Entonse, ay jun wajxak wa’anh,	So, there are some eight people,
jun lajun wanh heb’ winh,	some ten people,
ts’ik’an ats’am ats’am t’a yujal.	who take out salt monthly.
Ha tun heb’ winh yichamtak winakil chi’,	And those elders,
ha xo heb’ winh	and those men,
jantak to wan sk’ib’ jun,	who are growing up,
wan yoch yet’ heb’winh,	they go in with them,
wan sts’akwan yet’ heb’ winh,	they join with them,
ha heb’ winh chi’,	those men
t’ay xchab’il, t’a yoxil ujal,	every second, every third month
syik’an jab’ yats’am heb’ winh.	take out a little salt.
Porke ay b’aj ay	Because there is a time when
smol tuminal yuj heb’ winh.	they gather money for themselves.
Tato ay jun tas sna’elta heb’ winh,	If they are thinking of some thing,
smolb’anh sb’a heb’ winh,	they gather together,
syak’an mol tumin heb’ winh.	they make a collection of money.
Smolchaj k’en tumin,	The money collected,
syalaneb’ winh b’ajtil sk’och k’e’en.	they talk about where it will go.
Tato t’a winh icham alkal sb’at tumin,	If it goes to the alcalde rezador,
e mato ay jun skostumra heb’ winh,	and if there is some ritual of theirs,
ol yak’ t’ay yol yik t’a xch’okojil jun.	they put aside money for it.
——
	[The Five Days]
Ichok syak’ heb’ winh	Thus they do
t’ay hoye k’uh.	on the Five Days.
T’a hoye k’uh, jantak heb’ winh	On the Five Days, however many
yichamtak winakil jun jun partidu,	elders of each faction,
ay (winh) winh sat,	they have a chief,
t’a b’ajtil smolchaj heb’ winh.	where they gather.
Ha ta’ syak’ jun sja’at heb’ winh,	There they make rituals,
syak’ lesal heb’ winh,	they pray,
syak’ jun tsijtum kostumra heb’ winh.	they make a lot of ritual.
Molchaj heb’ winh,	Once they are gathered,
ts’och son,	the marimba comes in,
xcham nok’ kalnel,	a goat dies,
syuk’an anh heb’ winh,	they drink alcohol,
jantak tas sk’ulej heb’ winh.	however many things they do.
——
Yuj chi’, semra	So, always,
ay slesalil jun ats’am chi’	there are prayers for the salt
yuj heb’ winh,	on their behalf,
porke hat’a jun hoye k’uh chi’,	because on the Five Days,
ha ta’ ay smodo heb’ winh,	then they have the custom
yawan kulus.	of planting a cross.
Ha ta’ hoye k’u chi’,	On those Five Days,
ha ta’ ts’el heb’ winh ichamtak winak	then the elders go out
t’ay yol chonhab’ chi’,	to the center of the town,
t’ay b’ajtakil ay jun kulus,	to wherever there is a cross
t’a b’aj ay jolomtak wits.	where there is the peak of a hill.
B’at yak’an lesal heb’ winh,	They go to pray,
t’ay sk’inhib’i hoye k’uh.	on the dawn of the Five Days.
Tato k’axo kulus chi’,	If the cross is rotten,
syawanxi heb’ winh,	they plant it again
t’a jun k’u chi’.	the next day.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha ta’ syawej jun tsanh kulus chi heb’ winh.	they plant some crosses.
Porke ha (jun) jun tsanh k’u chi’,	Because on those days
mas te niwan t’ay heb’ winh,	it goes better for them,
mas ay swale,	it is of more value,
porke yik kostumre yajih.	because of the benefit of the ritual.
Slajwi yawan jun tsanh kulus chi heb’ winh,	They finish planting some crosses,
tato sk’aeli,	if they are rotten,
e hanheja’ t’a jun xo hoye k’uh,	and if it’s so the next Five Days
hatota’ ol yawej pax heb’ winh	then they will plant again
jun xo sk’exul jun sk’ael chi’.	another replacement for the rotten one.
Manh komonlaj syawej heb’ winh,	It’s not usual that they plant things
masanil yempuh.	all the time.
Komo ha jun hoye k’u chi’,	Since that Five Days
jun jun hab’il ts’ek’ih,	comes every year,
jun jun hab’il ts’ek’ih.	every year it comes to pass.
Yuj chi’,	So,
ha jab’ slesal	they pray a little
heb’ winh ichamtak winak chi’,	those elders.
ha jab’ chi’, sb’o heb’ winh.	a little bit they do.
——
Yuj chi’,	So,
ayuch heb’ winh,	among those men,
t’a yujal yik’ ats’am ats’am chi’,	monthly they take salt,
chatak ch’ub’ syik’ jun jun.	two pots each they take.
Ayam junok kwarenta homre heb’ winh,	There are about forty men
ts’ik’an ats’am,	taking out salt,
chatak ch’ub’ chi’	two pots each
t’a jun jun uj.	every month.
——
	[Closing]
Yuj chi’,	So,
ichachi’ yet’nak yik ats’am ats’am chi’.	that’s the way it is with the salt.

Appendix I. A Short Sketch of Chuj Phonology, Grammar, and Syntax