I Know It

♦ In Arikara there are two ways of saying you know something, depending on whether what you know is a person or thing, or whether it is a way or activity. ♦

Knowing him/her/it

New expressions:

Do you know it?

ka NAxuutAsiišu’?

Does he know it?

ka nuutAsiišu’?

I know it.

tatuutAsiišu’.

I don’t know it.

kaakatuutAsiišu’.

He knows it.

tuutAsiišu’.

He doesn’t know it.

kaakuutAsiišu’.

He doesn’t know that man.

nuunaaričI wiitA kaakuutAsiišu’.

He knows my father.

tuutAsiišu’ ati’Ax.

I know that man.

tatuutAsiišu’ anina’U wiitA.

I don’t know this one (standing).

kaakatuutAsiišu’ tⁱnaaričI.

I know that one (standing).

tatuutAsiišu’ nuunaaričI.

♦ Often when talking about knowing something, the word for that thing is incorporated, or inserted, before the word for know. The final –u’ of the item is deleted in incorporation. ♦

song/story

naa’iituxu’

land

hunaanu’

name

huuNAxaanu’

Pattern:

I know the _____.

tatut‐____‐Asiišu’.

I don’t know the _____.

kaakatut‐____‐Asiišu’.

I know the song/story.

tatuhnaa’iitUxAsiišu’.

I don’t know the song/story.

kaakatuhnaa’iitUxAsiišu’.

I know the land.

tatutunaaNAsiišu’.

I don’t know the land.

kaakatutunaaNAsiišu’.

I know the name.

tatutuuNAxaaNAsiišu’.

I don’t know the name.

kaakatutuuNAxaaNAsiišu’.

Knowing a way

New expressions:

Do you know?

ka NAxuhneesiišu’?

Does he know?

ka nuhneesiišu’?

I know.

tatuhneesiišu’.

I don’t know.

kaakatuhneesiišu’.

He knows.

tuhneesiišu’.

He doesn’t know.

kaakuhneesiišu’.

What is he saying?

tiče nawaakaahu’?

• I don’t know.

kaakatuhneesiišu’.

Do you know where he lives?

ka NAxuhneesiišu’ niinaakUx?

• I know where he lives.

tatuhneesiišu’ niinaakUx.

Do you know what she said?

ka NAxuhneesiišu’ niiwenawaakA?

• I don’t know what she said.

kaakatuhneesiišu’ niiwenawaakA.
Buffaloes

Knowing how

New expressions:

Do you know how?

ka NAxirii’ux?

Does he know how?

ka narii’ux?

I know how.

tatirii’ux.

I don’t know how.

kaakatirii’ux.

He knows how.

tirii’ux.

He doesn’t know how.

kaakirii’ux.

He knows how to speak Arikara.

tirii’ux nakuwaka’U sahniš.

I know how to sing.

tatirii’ux nakuraanooku.

Do you know how to do it?

ka NAxirii’ux nakuutaanu?

• Yes, I know how to do it.

hee’, tatirii’ux nakuutaanu.

I don’t know how to dance.

kaakatirii’ux naakukaahu.

My father does not know how to sing.

ati’Ax kaakirii’ux nakuraanooku.

My brother knows how to make it.

inaani’ tirii’ux nakura’U.

I don’t know how to say it yet.

siino kaakatirii’ux nakuwaakA.
Dreamcatcher