34 Terkepi yaieyukar “Tororo hanrok, hanrok!” 蛙が自ら歌った譜「トーロロハンロクハンロク！」

This story relates an encounter between a frog spirit and Okikirimui, the Ainu culture hero who descended to Ainu Moshir in order to make it habitable for the Ainu and teach them how to live in it. He was also a warrior who subdued evil spirits.

This story is at the upper beginner to intermediate level.

Hokkaido red frog, Rana pirica
Image: Rana pirica, or Ezo Red Frog.

Frogs, because they live in dark, muddy swamps that are associated with the underworld, are intensely disliked by the Ainu.[1]

 

 

 

聞きましょう

ふつうの速さで


 

もう少しゆっくり

 

 

 

 

Here is the story in the Ainu language as transcibed by Chiri Yukie in the Ainu Shin’yōshū.  [2]  Punctuation is as it appears in the original.

 

Terkepi yaieyukar “Tororo hanrok, hanrok!”

Tororo hanrok, hanrok!

Shineantota muntum peka terketerkeash

shinotashkor okayash aine ingarash awa,

shine chise an wakusu apapaketa payeash wa

inkarash awa, chiseupshotta ikittukari

chituyeamset chishireanu. Amset kata

shine okkaipo shirkanuye kokipshirechiu

okai chiki chirara kusu tonchikamani kata

rokash kane. “Tororo hanrok, hanrok!” ari

rekash awa, nea okkaipo tam tarara

unnukar awa, sancha otta mina kane,

“Eyukari ne ruwe? Esakehawe ne ruwe?

na henta chinu.” itak wakushu

chienupetne, “Tororo hanrok, hanrok!” ari

rekash awa nea okkaipo ene itaki: —

“Eyukari ne ruwe? Esakehawe ne ruwe?

na hankenota chinu okai.”

hawashchiki chienupetne, outurun

inumpe kata terkeashtek,

“Tororo hanrok hanrok!” rekash awa

nea okkaipo shui ene itaki: —

“Eyukari ne ruwe? Esakehawe ne ruwe?

na hankenota chinu okai” hawash chiki,

shino chienupetne, roruninumpe

shikkeweta terkeashtek,

“Tororo hanrok, hanrok!” rekash awa

arekushkonna nea okkaipo matke humi

shiukosanu, hontomota shi apekesh

teksaikari unkaun eyapkir humi

chiemonetok mukkosanu, pateknetek

nekona neya chieramishkare.

Hunakpaketa yaishikarunash inkarash awa,

mintarkeshta shine piseneterkepi

rai kane an ko ashurpeututta okayash kanan,

pirkano inkarash awa, useainu unchisehe

ne kuni chiramuap Okikirmui kamui rametok

unchisehe neawokai ko

Okikirmui nei ka chierampeutekno

Iraraash ruwe neawan.

Chiokai anak tane tankorachi toi rai wen rai

chikishiri tapan na, tewano okai

terkepiutar itekki ainuutar otta irara yan.

ari piseneterkepi hawean kor raiwa isam.

 

Media Atttributions

“Rana pirica” by harumkoh is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

 

 

 

  1. Strong, Sarah M. 2011.Ainu Spirits Singing: The Living World of Chiri Yukie's Ainu Shin'yōshū. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press ↵
  2. 知里幸惠. 1926. アイヌ神謡集.郷土研究社.東京 ↵

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Indigenizing the Japanese Language Curriculum Copyright © 2023 by Nina Langton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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