meyeixapai

Wauja

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɛˈjɛɪ.tja.paɪ/

Verb

meyeixapai

1. (intransitive) he/she/it is lazy, is indolent

   Walama okapwojala. Kapaipiyapai ipitsi amunaunki. Meyeixapai tumapai ulepe, meyeixapai tumapai usixui pessoalnaun ou. Oukaka Walama akapojatene inyaun wi: "Natu amunaunpei, maka aitsa natu numeiyeixa. Maka Arawi keyeixapai tumapai ulepe, usixui." En, umapai okapojala katahan...[sings]

   This is the kapojai song that Walama sang [before he became chief]. [The old chief at that time] had grown weary of his chiefly responsibilities. He no longer bothered to make bread to distribute as a ceremonial sponsor; nor did he bother to make manioc porridge to give his people to drink. So Walama [who was a young rising chief at that time] sang [about the other chief] in his kapojai [complaint] song: "Let me be chief; I won't be lazy. My wife Arawi is industrious; she'll make plenty of manioc bread and porridge." Eh, here’s how his song goes… [sings]

2. (intransitive) he/she/it is disinclined (to do something)

   Aitsa minya ninye saun paulu meeneke. Numeyeixapai okaho.

   I won't be going [on the upcoming trip] to São Paulo. I don't feel like going.

Usage notes

Re: "Kapaipiyapai ipitsi": Note that Aruta tosses in a noun borrowed from Portuguese ("pessoal," people, followers), but he adds the Wauja plural suffix –naun, so that it becomes pessoalnaun (all the people). The Wauja have several words Aruta could have used instead (opukenejo, inyaunaun), but he chose to use a dash of Portuguese in this statement.

Antonyms

• keyeixapai (is hard-working, energetic)

Derived terms

• meyeixaya (lazy man)
• meyeixayalu (lazy woman)

See also

• keyeixaitsi (industrious, energetic person)

References

• "Kapaipiyapai ipitsi" uttered by Aruta, storyteller and elder, recounting Wauja history in the presence of his son and nephew. Recorded in Piyulaga village by E. Ireland, 4/25/96, transcript page 26.