onaatsa

Wauja

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɨˈnaː.t͡sa/

Preposition

onaatsa

1. from (a place or position)

   Ka onaatsa piya ja akain yiu? uma pakai ipitsi. Katsa ja wa kainyalawapai yiu? uma pa kai ipitsi.

   "From where did you get that piqui [fruit]?" he demanded [of] it [the parrot]. "What is that smell? he demanded [of] it.

   Ka onaatsa pitsuaha?

   From where have you arrived? (Where have you come from?)

Adverb

onaatsa

1. here (at this place or position)

   Ojo onaatsa tuk tuk tuk. Pulekene.

   At this spot [he chopped the hollow log] tuk tuk tuk [sound of chopping]. [He] pierced [it].

2. after that, next, afterward

   Kata aitsa pawatupawa, kata inyaunauntope, kata inyauntope, aitsa wa, aitsa akitsawakatapai... AmunauNAUN, amunaunaun, dez kata amunaunaun, amunaunaun hatiu. Paunwaun ohapaitsa, akitsatapai kehoto yiu. Nejo kehoto wekehopei. Onaatsa, akamawi, punuba opalutsato, itsityapeneme, iyeneme ... opokumiu.

   All the ordinary people, the whole population, they don't concern themselves with these things... Only the CHIEFS, the chiefs, only ten or so of them who are of chiefly rank. One among them watches over the land. That one is [the] principal chief [lit., keeper of the land]. Then, [when he has] died, you see, his co-chief takes over for him [relieves him] in turn, and takes his place.

   Akamapai, aitsa neke amunauntapai. Inyaun opalutsato, kehoto wekehopei. Onaatsa weke otainyaun, punuba inyaun akamawamiu, amunaun akamawamiu, punuba otain, iya kehoto wekehopei. Itsatai.

   [If a chief's sons are still children when] he dies, they are not yet made chief. The co-chief [the partner of the late principal chief] becomes principal chief. Afterwards, the children of the first chief are grown, you see; the co-chief also [eventually] will die, and so then the grown sons of the first chief will become chief. That's how it is.

Usage notes

• When onaatsa is used in the phrase meaning "here," the term ojo (this, now) must precede onaatsa. Without ojo, onaatsa means merely "from" or "after".
• The term co-chief (opalutsato) embraces a wide range of connotations, including partner, opposite, and opponent.
• Aruta uses the Portuguese term dez (ten) instead of the rarely heard Wauja equivalent, mepiaunwaun wojoku.

See also

• outsa (“from”)

References

• "Ka onaatsa piya" (transcript, p. 77) uttered by Aruta, storyteller and elder, and members of his audience, as he recounted the traditional tale, "The Caiman Spirit" (Yakaojokuma). Recorded in Piyulaga village in the presence of assembled elders and others, November 1989.
• "Ojo onaatsa" (transcript p. 26) uttered by Itsautaku, storyteller and elder, recounting the traditional Wauja tale of the "Man Who Drowned in Honey," in the presence of his adolescent son Mayuri, adult daughter Mukura, and others. Recorded in Piyulaga village by E. Ireland, December 1989.
• "Kata aitsa" (transcript p. 25) and "Akamapai, aitsa" (p. 26) 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.
• Other examples from E. Ireland field notes. Need to be checked by native speaker.