Qetitl' K'elik'a Ch'tunik'nasdzeden

Potlach Song of a Lonely Man

Ndahduh ki shu na’eł qunuhdedzet? Uhi yuhi.
 Where else might we be scattered to?

Endi’ina nał ch’indaqna? Uhi yuhi.
 Where are our relatives?

Endi’ina ida’ina daggeyi ił shu nagh qinqtudeł? Uhi yuhi.
 Where are the friends who might come to us with cheer?

Endi’ina ya bach’a’ina ya ada ił shu nagh qinqtudeł? Uhi yuhi.
 Where are our loved ones who might come to us with kindness?

Nał ch’indaqna ya nagh qinqudatl’, nagh qinqudatl’. Uhi yuhi.
Our relatives have come back to us, have come back to us.

Ida’ina ya daggeyi ił ki nagh qinqudatl’, nagh qinqudatl’. Uhi yuhi.
Our friends with cheer, too, have come back to us, have come back to us.

Bach’a’ina ya ada ił ki nagh qinqudatl’, nagh qinqudatl’. Uhi yuhi.
Our loved ones with kindness, too, have come back to us, have come back to us.

Composed and sung by Peter Kalifornsky. Recorded by Sondra Stuart in 1989. Published in A Dena’ina Legacy: The Collected Writings of Peter Kalifornsky, pp. 466-467. Alaska Native Language Center, Fairbanks. 1991.

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