Here is a short, humorous story about a little deer who manages to trick a river full of crocodiles. This is another story we found in the Pacific Languages Collection at UH Manoa, several years ago. I had been trying to find this story for weeks because I couldn’t remember the title, and luckily my friend Alicia pulled up this story in no time. In this post, the Chamorro text, an English translation, and a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le are included. Happy reading!

Si San Kansit

Tinige’ as Rita Hocog-Inos

Si San Kansit un binådu ni kulang i cha’ka. Dikike’ gue’ na binådu lao gof malåte’ yan mampos maolek manhasso.

Un diha ha siente si San Kansit na gof ñålang gue’. Sigi lumíliko’ gi halom tåno’ manalíligao nengkånno’. Åpmam nai lumíliko’ ya ti mañóñodda’ ha’ kinanno’-ña.

Pues gi durånten i liliko’-ña måtto gi un fina’saddok. Tumohge gi kanton såddok ya manatan. Ha li’e’ gi otro båndan såddok un trongko ni gof meppa’ tinekchå’-ña. Ha li’e’ lokkue’ na esta manggof måsa i tinekcha’ gi hilo’ i trongko.

“Ai! På’go nai malulok¹ yu’! Gof ñålang yu’ esta. Håfa taimanu para hånao-hu guatu esta i otro bånda? Ti hu tungo’ ñumangu.”

Tumohge nåya si San Kansit ya manman. Duru ha na’fanhasso i malåte’ ilu-ña, “Håfa nai siña hu krusa este na såddok?”

Ni ti apmam, tisu i talanga-ña ya ilek-ña na maisa, “Debidi u guaha kaiman siha guini na såddok. Ya buente ti unu ha’ na kaiman lao mégeggai. Bai hu li’e’ kao siña yu’ ma’ayuda.”

Pues kahulo’ ya umessalao kuanto i nina’siñå-ña, “Todus i kaiman ni manggaige guini. Fanhuyong gi hanom ensigidas. Todus hamyo ni mañåsåga guini fanhuyong listo! Ha tågo’ yu’ i rai na para bai hu tufong hamyo guini huyong. Yanggen ti manhuyong hamyo, siempre guaha kastigon-miyu.”

Pues kada unu gi kaiman gumama hulo’ gi saddok. Guaha siha manggof dångkulo’ na kaiman. Guaha lokkue’ mandikike’. Guaha na kaiman anåkko’, guaha kadada’. Basula ha’ i halom saddok ni manadan-ñiha. Duru i hanom ni bisbes pues lumebok yan umapplacha’. Sigi manátotpe gi halom hånom. Ilek-ña si San Kansit nu guiya, “Estague’ på’go para tollai esta guatu gi otro bånda.”

Pues umessalao ta’lo si San Kansit, ” Fanékungok! Pot fabot fanékungok. Todu hamyo ni manggaige guini fangetu ya en fanékungok. Esta på’go para bai hu tutuhon mamfong.” Pues mangetu i kaiman siha ya manlisto esta para u fanmatufong.

Pues tuma’yok guatu esta i mås hihot na kaiman ya ha tufong, “Unu!”

Pues tuma’yok esta i otro, “Dos! Tres! Kuatro!” Unu dångkulo’, unu dikike’, yan unu anåkko’. “Sinko, sais, siette!” Unu åmko’, unu hoben, yan un dångkulo’ yan gof yommok!

Ha tufong todu i guaha na kaiman. Kada ha tufong, tuma’yok esta i otro kaiman. Mås ki siento esta tinifong-ña. I uttimo ni ha tufong gaige na sumåsåga gi fi’on i cha’guan gi otro båndan i saddok. Gaige guihi na bånda i manmåsa siha na fruta.

Manatan hulo’ si San Kansit. Ha li’e’ na esta para u fåtto ha’ gi otro båndan i saddok. Tuma’yok hulo’ ya manggoppe guatu esta i hilo’ tåno’. Ha bira gue’ si San Kansit ya ha essalaogui siha i kaiman.

“Kaiman, Kaiman, esta hu fa’baba hamyo. Hu chogu’e ha’ este put para bai hu fåtto mågi guini. Si Yu’os Ma’åse put i ayudon-miyu. Si Yu’os Ma’åse ta’lo yan adios!”

Pues humånao guatu esta i trongko ni mitinekcha’ ya ha tutuhuni chumocho. Ai na hinaspok si San Kansit!!!

San Kansit

Written by Rita Hocog-Inos

San Kansit was a deer that was like a rat. He was a small deer, but very smart and very good at thinking.

One day, San Kansit felt that he was very hungry. He kept going around in the jungle, searching for food. He went around for a long time, and he still was not finding any food for him to eat.

Then during his wandering, he arrived at something like a river. He stood at the edge of the river and looked. He saw on the other side of the river a tree that was very fruitful. He also saw that the fruit was also very ripe on top of the tree.

“Oh! Now I am saved! I am already very hungry. How will I go there to the other side? I don’t know how to swim.”

San Kansit stood for a moment and stared blankly. He kept making his smart head think. “How can I cross this river?”

Soon, his ears stiffened and he said to himself, “There ought to be some crocodiles here in the river. And probably not just one crocodile, but many. I will see if I can be assisted.”

Then he got up and shouted with all he could, “All of the crocodiles who are here. Go out into the water immediately. All of you who are living here, come out right away! The king has commanded me to count all of you out here. If you all do not come out, you will definitely be punished.”

Then every one of the crocodiles floated up in the river. There were very big crocodiles. There were also small ones. There were some long crocodiles, there were short ones. The inside of the river was just littered with crocodiles, from their multitude. The water kept splashing, then it became muddy and dirty. They kept colliding with each other inside the water. San Kansit said to himself, “Here now is the bridge to the other side.”

Then San Kansit shouted again, “Listen! Please listen. All of you who are here, keep still and listen. Already now, I will start to count.” Then the crocodiles held still, and they were ready to be counted.

Then he jumped there to the closest crocodile and counted it, “One!”

Then he jumped to the other, “Two! Three! Four!” One big, one small, and one long. “Five, six, seven!” One old, one young, and one big and very fat!

He counted all of the crocodiles that there were. Every one he counted, he jumped to the other crocodile. He counted more than one hundred. The last one he counted was staying next to the grass on the other side of the river. He was there at that side with the ripe fruit.

San Kansit looked up. He saw that he already would arrive on the other side of the river. He jumped up and leaped there to the top of the land. San Kansit turned around and he shouted to the crocodiles.

“Crocodiles, Crocodiles, I already fooled all of you. I only did this so that I will get here. Thank-you for your help. Thank-you again and goodbye!”

Then he went to the tree that had a lot of fruit and he began to eat. San Kansit was oh so full!!!

Notes

¹ malulok: This word has several different meanings, one of which is to be “free”. In the context of the story, the deer sees the fruit and realizes that he will be alright, he will be saved from his hunger. ( back to text )

References

Hocog-Inos, Rita, “Si San Kansit.” Pacific Area Language Materials. Honolulu, HI: Pacific Area Languages Materials Development Center, accessed August 1, 2024, http://hdl.handle.net/10125/43767