SALT LAKE CITY, UT—Wiik eo ļo̧k jaar kōjemļo̧k column in kōn kōkajkaj in “em̧aat aō raan.”  Kōnke jej watōk bwe kōkajkaj im jabōn kennaan kein jaar jei ijin reaorōk n̄an kajin Majōl im enaaj juōn likjap ļapļap elan̄n̄e rejako jān kajin in ad, je kar jino likiti ijin n̄an kakemejmej kōjwōj kaki.  Ilo juōn wāween ba, men in jej kōm̧m̧ane ijin ej juōn “kiddid kwōjkwōj.”  Eokwe “e kiddid kwōjkwōj”—e naanetok jukjukin pād in ad, jouj im etale laajrak in ilo Mōttan 5.

Jekōņaaņ ijjino kōn kōkajkaj in “dik jatdik,” eo im melele eo an ej  bwe juōn armej emaron̄ dik dettan im ānbwinin jimor, ak men ko ej kōm̧m̧ani relļap.  Melele in e bar maron̄ jelōt m̧wilin im mantin armej in.  N̄e kōjerbale ilo tone in kōraat ak elotaan, kwōj ba ejjab bun̄buruōm kōn armej in.

Naan in ”dik jatdik,” kom naaj kile ke naan in im jet ian jabōn kennaan kein ad, eļaptata, ej oktak wāween ad kōjerbali barāinwōt.  Wanjon̄ok in men in ej itok ilo naan in Laddik in Eoon Ere.”  Jān raan ko etto m̧ae 90 ko, naan in kōto ņe im n̄e kwōj ejerakrōk kōn tipn̄ōl, kwōn aikuij joon wōt kupaak bwe ej itok bwe en lōn̄jak jān eoon lojet—em, kōnke kōto jab in ebwe an kōņaaņ emakroro.  Ak jān 90 ko melele eo an “Laddik In Eoon Ere” ej band eo an kar Irooj Leikman Robert jān Arno Atoll im eaar kanuij em̧m̧an aer al im kar kōbakbak al ko aer.

Ak n̄e jej ekkonono kōn kadkad ko an armej im baamle, eokwe naan in “an kien” meleleen leen an lien ej ri pālele ak ri marre.

Juōn eo im ewōr laanbwilekūmkūm im m̧on ilo an jerbal ak ekkonono ej juōn eo me “e itok i’laļ tok.”  Armej rot in elukkuun pen am jeļā ej jutak ia ilo bebe ko am ippān.  E lukkuun naaj pen kōjatdikdik kake e bwe elōn̄ m̧wian̄ōn naan im makitkit ko an im rej lipopo kōn etao ak re lak ekkonono, em̧m̧an in wōt.  N̄e armej in em̧m̧an dettan, kwo maron̄ ba “e dik jatdik” ilo men in “itok i’laļ tok.”

Kwo maron̄ bar ba e “ri kabōd laļ.”  Juōn ri kabōd laļ ej pukōj laļ ilo men otemjej men̄e e ejjab tello̧kin kar itōn pād im̧aan an le jān ro jet.  E kōpoojak im letlet tok kōn nuknuk ko re karbōb ak ejjeļo̧k ekanuij pok loan m̧ween imōn.  E jaje ak e ban ba e jaje bwe ej lōmņak wōt in kwalok e im̧aan armej.  Ejaad bedet armej armej in.

“Keen laļ” ekkā am ron̄ kōjerbale ilo ikkure; kaaj, iakiu, volleyball, im ko āierļo̧k wōt kein.  Ak kwōj bar lo aer kōjerbale ilo politics im jikin jerbal.  Naan eo juōn jej ron̄ kōjerbale enan̄in āinwōt “keen laļ” ej “dāpij laļ.”

Ak kwo nan̄in ron̄ ke aer ba: rar itōn “kāāj in kōpakoko kake eō” ak ijibwe kōtōbalbal eo aer?  N̄e kwōj “kāāj in kōpakoko” kōn bar juōn, men̄e jet iien kwōj kōjak ak ikkure bajjōk, kwōn melele ke emaron̄ jorrāān etan armej eņ.  Juōn nukū eaar mej jinen im eaar ba in lelok wōņāān im kwobban pōjo̧ eo an n̄an jako eo an lellap eo.  “Juōn wōt income,” eaar ba n̄an n̄a, “ak e pelļo̧k lalem ņe.”  N̄an rainiin ejjan̄in pelļo̧k muri in ak ejorrāān credit e aō n̄an rainiin.  Eļap mo̧ņ ippān armej rot in ej “kāāj in kōpakoko” kon ro jet; rej doon devil.

Bar juōn naan ej ekkejel ļo̧k n̄an pako—im jej jab jeļā elan̄n̄e ej kōkajkaj ak jabōn kennaan—ej “lattilpako.”  Lattilpako ej ek ņe ewōr juōn men ioon kilin bōran ej kōm̧m̧an bwe en eddāļo̧k ilkilin ek ko relļap ilometo.  Ek in ejjab kakijen bwe ek ko relļap rej najidiki jān būrar in men kijier im rejjab aōō bwe ek ko relḷap, elaptata pako ko, rej aō n̄an e.  N̄e rej ba kwo lattilpako rej ba kwo jowat im ban, kwo tijemļo̧k un̄ar im kwo ban jejļo̧k jān jinōm im jōmam.

Ewōr ke eņ enan̄in ba n̄an eok kwōn jab “urur in lat?”  Āinwōt lat eņ em̧ōkaj an urur im barāinwōt m̧ōkaj an mej, men eo rej kajjeon̄ in ba n̄an kwe in en m̧ōkaj an itok limo eo ilo kwe urur im m̧ōkaj an jako āinwōt lat en n̄e ej urur.  Jet pie rej ba “jab urur in ujooj” ak meleleen naan kein wōt juōn.

Kōkajkaj in “jab ine” ilo tu aetokan ej “kwōn jab inept.”  Kōkajkaj in raan kein men in im kwo naaj ron̄ wōt ippān epepen in eaar jebar jān 80 ko ilo Majōl.  Ewi wāween im eaar jebar jān ta?  Jej jab jeļā.  Bar juōn wāween an peperen jab in ba ej “lale kwaar ine.”

N̄e em̧ōj bōk kwobban juōn ni ak waini, kwōr eņ ej pād wōt. Kwōr ej bar jerbal n̄an mijak, leln̄o̧n̄, tabur, im ekkōl.  “Mejān kwōr” ej jerbal n̄an ba ewōr mijak, ekkōl im leln̄o̧n̄ imājen juōn armej.

Ak “mej metak eo an eņ/ņe” ej letok melele in ke armej eo kwōj mej ilokan eņ.  Jet iien kwōj mej jokkar ilskan armej eņ ak ejjeļo̧k an lōmņak rot in kake eok n̄an jidik; kōn men in, “mej metak eņ” emaron̄ itok wōt jān kwe, mejkaiie.

Juōn ajiri eo jinen ej kakikiki ak ejjab kiki, naan in “kilep in mājen wōt allōn̄” ej jarbal n̄an e. Melele eo ejjan̄in kiki jekdoon n̄e em̧ōj an jinen popowe, al n̄an e, inon̄ n̄an e, ak ejjan̄in lōmņak in kiki n̄an jidik.

Ak n̄e kwe ri “aeleele laļ” eokwe kwe ri kōjjerak, ri kōm̧m̧an poktak im ri iakweleel.  Ejjeļo̧k aenōm̧m̧an ippān juōn eo ej aeleele laļ; kōn men in lale bwe elan̄n̄e kwōj aheléele laļ re ban watōk eok “nejin Anij” im kwo jamin “jolet e laļ” āinwōt an book in Matu ilo Kalim̧m̧ur Ekāāl ba.  Kwōn oktak!

Juōn jabōn kennaan eoktakļo̧k jidik jān allele laļ ej “toojlo̧k in edwaan.”  Armej rot eņ ej “toojļo̧k in edwaan”, āinwōt bōb en, ej make wōt ineaa im aetok, ak ejjeļo̧k tokjān āinwōt eiwaan eņ.  Kwo ban ebbeltok am maan̄ jān e, kwo ban odod jān e, ej make wōt im waan Ian bōb otemjej ilo mour in.

Āliktata ilo Mōttan 5 in, jej kōjjemļo̧k kōn jabø̄n kennaan kein “kōbjar wōt men eņ ejjeļo̧k lan̄ in” im “tutuun koleej” im kōkajkaj in “sweep en āliktata ruo kwobban.” 

“Kōbjar wōt men eņ ejjeļo̧k lan̄ in” meleleen ˆelan̄n̄e kwe lukkuun em̧m̧aan, enaaj wōr lan̄ūm.  Unin am jeļā ke juōn em̧m̧aan lukkuun kapen kōnke e lak uwaake ro rej kajjitōk ippān ‘kwo jeplaaktok n̄aat jān tūreep ņe’ ekkā aer uwaak ikōtaan dāpeej im likabwiro.  Kōto elļap men kein ruo im em̧m̧aan eo e jeļā n̄āāt eņ rej bun̄lo̧k im wāween ejerakrōk ijelmāer lukkuun ņakņōk ilo jeļā lojet im lan̄ im ilo mantin Majōl jej watōk e lukken em̧m̧aan—mail ettoļo̧k jān “ri jeļā” rane rej kabwebweik doon rainiin ilo NIT IN JEĻĀ ņe ad.

“Tutun koleej” —Kwo nan̄in ke kar lo an juōn koleej tutu?  Aaet ij ekkonono kōn bao ņe ekkā am loe an kapeljojo ippān iur in kōtkōt kane iaar in aelōn̄ kaņe ad i’Majōl.  Bao ņe e lak tutu ej m̧ōkaj im katulo̧k bōran, bōran wōt, ilo dān eņ im juōn, ruo alen an kōjeboulul bōran ilo dān en e pelļo̧k im m̧oot.  Eokwe kwe eo kwōj tutuun koleej, kwōn jook, em̧ōj ņe am riab tutu, eņ let ļo̧k jidik am tutu jān jon̄an ņe.

Joļo̧k bōd ad em̧ōj ad tōpartok tōrre rej ba “sweep eņ āliktata ruo kwobban” kōn naan kein, men̄e naan I n e kar jarjartok jān ijkure ņe “sweep kwo̧o̧t” ak ej bar jerbal n̄an makitkit ko ad armej.  Lo kom wiik in laļ.

Kwalok am lōmņak: email I tok naan in kōkajkaj ko kwo jeļā n̄an monkaruk10@gmail.com.