Fiyongori Horofati by Isauro Andrew
The Story of Horofati

In February 2010 in Koror Isauro Andrew told this story to Peter Black in English and then in Tobian. Isauro recorded the story in Tobian.

To see Felicia Andrew reading this story in 2014, go to the Tobian deposit in the Endangered Languages Archive: Documenting Ramari Hatohobei. Once you click on the New User link and register, you will be able to search for and view all content in that deposit.  Felicia’s video is at https://elar.soas.ac.uk/Record/MP1849452 .

Click on the Tobian to hear Isauro tell the story of Horofati.

1.	Horofati ma iteri teberihara worobeiri panangirim.  Horofati is the name of the cross brace that is part of the framework under the thatch on a roof.
2.	Mere huhau teberiha euru feiteng ifiri sehe panangi ewee X. There is one on each side; it is made of two poles forming an X.|
3.	Ehapouh panangikae ba ebe pou. They help to hold the whole roof together.
4.	Horofati ma iteri maree. Horofati is also the name of a man.
5.	Ifiri ma efas Horofati nga matamar esoh ba ebera isobures. When Horofati was born, his father announced that he was leaving on a long journey.
6.	Ehangar ma hir ba ebe henee ma raur ren tahahuhep etawai [ren] tahahumat. He told his wife be sure to only give our son his food in the bottom of the coconut shell, not the top half with the eye hole in it.
7.	Efah mere uruterihari nga Horofati esa mour tarapari moar.  She did this every day and Horofati grew bigger and stronger.
8.	Sahari nga ma sin emaruhehi esa henee ma raur ren tahahumat. One day she forgot and gave him his food in the top half of the coconut shell.
9.	Ifiri menachah nga ma raur esa heken me tamar ma nitawarae. Suddenly the boy could see his father, far far away.
10.	Nga Horofati sa hangar ma sin, “irou bira iyohar papai meihara.” Then Horofati told his mother, “I will go to my father now.”
11.	Horofati esachuh nga ehas yar uwasei hosorfeie. Horofati started off carrying with him a knife made from the barb of the sting ray.
12.	Ifiri ma Horofati efefeter wor yourung esa heken samaru toh esuwehita yawar. When Horofati was walking on the reef, he looked down and saw an open clam.
13.	Esahas meyar hosorfeie esa touhorongo ren Yawar esa ramaram, “esa sohu ba mir ba fauhum.” He used his knife to punch a hole in Clam saying, “Clam from now on you will always have a hole in you.”
14.	Horofati esabar feterecha saroh, saroh esawah huhamarih.  Horofati continued his voyage until he encountered two fish.
15.	Ihara samar ra Tefitef ra eroh ngara ihara samar ra Tahuwo ra etoroh. One was Boxfish who was the fastest fish in the ocean and the other was Tuna who could only swim very slowly.
16.	Horofati efohoh Tahuwo ba eteroh esahas pachari Tefitef sa herie tahuwo ba pachar. Horofati took pity on Tuna, who was so slow, and gave him Boxfish’s tail.
17.	Esahangar Tahuwo ba, “her ma hauhuhurah ih ma retepi.” He told Tuna, “now you will be the fastest fish in the ocean.”
18.	Esahas we pachari Tahuwo sa herie Tefitef ba pachar esa hangeri ba “meihara hobe chawachaw riir.”  Then he gave Tuna’s tail to Boxfish and said, “from now on you will swim very, very slowly.”
19.	Horofati sabar feterichah saroh saroh era birongo wosewo faruh. Horofati continued to travel and reached another island.
20.	Esa wehih pahur moar hahasusu fare. There he saw some old men making a canoe house.
21.	Esa mototuh sa meehih. He sat with them and watched.
22.	Ifiri ma mousuu hesa fatat nga ferewe esa chapachapatiho. When the roof was almost finished and the men began to attach the thatch, the top of the canoe house shifted and the whole thing collapsed.
23.	E hasabar beisaroh yosokawe ma teberihakawe hasabar hasuutafarie. They untied all the thatch and started over by reassembling the stringers and the rafters.
24.	Marakawe hasahahateh ba hebei fatat, nga wor ferewe esabar chapachapatiho. Once again the men climbed up to start work on the thatch, but the whole thing fell apart again.
25.	Ifirimena ma Horofati sa hangerih ba, “Houbito ba hoube puhuyera fariworuworu ba sibehasita ma yai teberiha.” Now Horofati said to them, “Come with me to the forest and I will get my poles.”
26.	Urteh hasa puhuhoroh ba hebei hasito fayu teberiha. Everyone went to help him find four good poles.
27.	Ifiri ma hasa mour hasito teberihawe nga Horofati sa hanangarih ma hebe fauhungar worobeiri sehe ma sehe panangi. When they came back Horofati showed the people how to make those poles into cross braces, one for each side of the roof.
28.	Meihara maesachuh ba hebehabangi fereye. This time they were able to finish the roof.
29.	Eira ma yari Horofati worobei ehapouh fereye sara waterengir! Since then Horofati braces have made thatch roofs very strong.

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