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From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Subject: Re: Quechua phrases in BBC Explorers program: Pizarro
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References: <vincent-101194102059@blv-pm3-ip21.halcyon.com> <1706B1328DS86.GRFG128@twnmoe10.edu.tw> <Cz4446.606@spss.com> <1707010337S86.GRFG128@twnmoe10.edu.tw>
Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 18:50:47 GMT
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In article <1707010337S86.GRFG128@twnmoe10.edu.tw>,
Robert Matthews <GRFG128@TWNMOE10.Edu.TW> wrote:
>Here are the phrases for anybody else who wants to try:
>"Valverde {the priest} urged {Atahualpa} to abjure the errors of his
>faith and embrace Christianity." Atahualpa is proferred a Bible, which
>he examines and drops to the ground disdainfully. He then shouts:
>kEika mAnani mAtari mariuwAnchu. kamarI kuchUmku!
>I assume he his making some comment on the uselessness of this form
>of magic (?) and givng his soldiers the order to attack

The division of words in your transcription doesn't match the stress pattern
of Quechua very well (normally the penult is accented).  Recast as

kayka manan imata rimariwanchu

the first sentence can be interpreted "This thing isn't speaking to me",
which seems to work in the context well enough.  

I can't quite work out the second sentence.  _-chunku_ is an imperative,
which seems appropriate, but I can't identify the verb (neither _kamay_
'order' nor _rikuy_ 'see' make sense).  
 
>Atahualpa is being offered a chance to avoid hanging by converting to
>Christianity: Una chAska chaskingkIshu

I'm not going to be much help here either, I'm afraid.  _Chaska_ means
'star', and _chaskinkichu_ means 'do you accept?', but _una_ isn't in
my dictionary.  Unless it's _uma_ 'head': "Do you accept the head star?"
An invitation to worship the sun god?

Perhaps someone else can help more... or you could check out the
chronicles or other accounts of the conquest based on them; Atahuallpa's 
_mots_ may be well known and translated there.  (My Peruvian wife remembers
being taught a similar story about Atahuallpa and a Bible.)

