Learn basic Sami - Gulahalan, chapter 4

We will be translating some of the lessons from Gulahalan, a multimedia North Sami language course. You will need to visit the site in order to play the sound files, and you can use the English translations on this page as you listen to the dialogs. The Gulahalan website is only compatible with Internet Explorer.

Dialog 1
Elle Risten ja Máret ságasteaba
Elle Risten and Maret have a conversation

Gii dovle vuodjá?
Who’s driving over there?

Lea mu viellja Johánas.
That’s my brother, Johánas.

Já, du viellja dat lea ge. Maid son bargá?
Oh I see, that’s your brother. What does he do?

Son lea dihtorčeahppi. Mus lea vel viellja, Ándde.
He’s a data expert. I have another brother, Ándde.

Maid Ándde bargá?
What does Ándde do?

Ándde lea skuvlavázzi. Son lea logi jagi boaris.
Ándde is a student. He is ten years old.

Mus lea oabbá.
I have a sister.

Leat go dus bohccot?
Do you have reindeer?

Leat.
I do.


Dialog 2
Vuođđologut
Counting

Okta giehta ja okta giehta leat guokte gieđa. Galle gieđa mus leat?
One hand plus one hand makes two hands. How many hands do I have?

Dus leat guokte gieđa.
You have two hands.

Okta čuvdi, guokte čuvddi, golbma čuvddi, njeallje čuvddi, ja vihtta čuvddi. Galle čuvddi mus leat de gieđas?
One finger, two fingers, three fingers, four fingers, and five fingers. How many fingers do I have on my hand?

Dus leat vihtta čuvddi gieđas.
You have five fingers on your hand.


Dialog 3
Vuođđologut
Counting

Man olu lea vihtta eret guokte?
How much is five minus two?

Oiannán golbma čuvddi.
I see three fingers.

Dus lea njuolga. De lasihan guhtta čuvddi. Galle čuvddi mus dalle leat ?
You are right. Now I’m putting up six fingers. How many fingers do I have now?

Dus leat golbma ja lasihat guhtta... njeallje, vihtta, guhtta, čieža, gávcci, ja ovcci.
Dus leat ovcci čuvddi.
You have three and put up six... four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine.
You have nine fingers.

Featured photo

Nils Biti sends this photo with this note: “This photo of Bossekop was taken approximately 1880 – near the time the SS Manitoba departed from this port February 4th, 1893 with 78 Sami and 538 reindeer, bound for the Yukon. Bossekop is from the Sami bossogåppi (båsso = the whale blows, gåppi = inlet).” Birthplace of Amanda Xavier 30 years earlier.

Bossekop – near Alta at the bottom of the Altafjord – lay at the end of the old travel route from Sweden and Guovdageaidnu. Reindeer owners from Guovdageaidnu and Kárášjohka had their summer grazing areas on both sides of the fjord. The market was held in November and February as early as 1760. Fjord dwellers, Kven and Swedish traveling merchants traded with coastal Sami for cod, pollock, salted salmon, wool and skins of reindeer, fox, wolf, and bear. The Alta forests were rich in lumber for boat building, and other tools. Trading increased in the 1800s, mostly because of the Russian Pomor trade, and inexpensive Russian rye flour was shipped as far south as Nordland. The Russians were particularly interested in reindeer and fox skins. Altas historie, Jens Petter Nielsen (1990)