The Legacy of Mesoamerica History and Culture of a Native American Civilization, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 13 THE INDIAN VOICE IN RECENT MESOAMERICAN LITERATURE 495

Figure 13.5 A Folk Taxonomy of Chamula Verbal Behavior. After Gary H. Gossen, “Tzotzil
Literature,” in The Handbook of Middle American Indians Supplement, Volume 3: Literatures,volume
editor Munro S. Edmonson, general editor Victoria R. Bricker. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,
1985, p. 81.

With your fireworks,

With your hand cannons.

Your children are gathered together,

Your offspring are gathered together,

For you to see,

For you to witness.

Great San Juan,

Great Patron.

Now you are to be delivered at my feet.

Now you are to be entrusted to my hands.

Now I am your new servant;

Now I am your new attendant.

2. lo^il k'op 'ordinary speech' or
   'conversational speech'
   
   
   1. sk'op kirsano
      'people's speech'
      2. pum k'op
      'pure speech' or 'true speech'
      3. ntivo k'opetik
      'ancient words': associated
      with distant time-space
      coordinates; First,and Third creations Second,
      4. hai 7 7 antivo k'op 'true
      ancient narrative': true
      accounts of the distant past, including 'our' categories of
      myth, legend, and tale
      4. resal (from Sp. rezar 'to
      pray') 'prayer'all ritual formulae directly : includes
      addressed to supernaturals
      4. rios {from Sp. dios 'God')
      'ritual speech'; includes all
      ritual formulaespecifically to supernaturals not directed
      4. k'ehoh 'song': includes drum, fiute, and rattle music;
      also harp and guitar music;
      includes words and/or music
   
   
   
   


3. ?ac' k'opetik
   'new or recent words':
   associated with close time-
   space coordinates; Fourth Creation


4. Jbaq! 7 ?ac' k'op
   'true recent narrative':
   folk history, gossip, tales, genealogies, other accounts
   of the recent past


5. ?istol k'op 'frivolous
   language': jokes, untrue
   narratives, puns, verbal
   dueling, proverbs, riddles


6. tahimol 'games':
   traditional games, including
   verbal games and also verbal formulae which accompany
   other games

2.yo^nton yu^un li kirsanoe k'op sventa sk'isnah

'speech for people whose

hearts are heated'

3. k'op sventa tahimol
   h^olol 'children's
   improvised games'


4. k'ehoh sventa h^olol
   'children's improvised
   songs' \ I


5. k'op sventa cavilto
   'court speech' i


6. k'op sventa h^opisialetik
   'political oratory^1 i


7. k'op sventa copol \
   kirsano 'angry, emotional,
   or bad speech, or (LIT)
   'speech for bad people'

Increasing heat, formalism, redundancy, and invariance

Exegesis: fa sk'opoh no?osli

kirsanoe 'the people simply

talk'

Exegesis: ta Slok' ta yo?nton

huhune 'it comes from the

heart of each one'

Exegesis: mu sna? she! sbaik 'they do not know how to change

themselves'

ntivo

sventa

antivo

a sk'opoha sk'opoh