Bill Seward: Orca Dream

by

Recorded in 1998

  1. I’ll tell you a story about myself. I had a dream about the Orca.
  2. kwun’a wulh hithulh ’i’ st’e’ukw’ ’uw’ yath ’uw’ ’uy’ … ’iy’etus tthu s’ul’eluhwulh tey’ q’ullhanumutsun.
    1. Long, long ago the elders treated the orca with great respect.
  3. ’i’ ni’ tsun qul’qul’uthun’ ’u kwthu nuts’a’ sil’anum.
    1. I had a dream of an orca that recurred for one year.
  4. ni’ tsun ’u tthu tsetsuw’ yu sqa’qa’ tsun ’u kw’unu men ’i’ tu qux s’ul’eluhw.
    1. I was at the beach with my father and many elders.
  5. ni’ ’u tu tsetsuw’ ’i’ wulh mi’ wil’ tu yuse’lu q’ullhanumutsun.
    1. Down by the beach, two orcas came close to shore,
  6. ’ewu ’u kwthu s’uthnuts ni’ ’utl’ suneymuhw.
    1. coming into the bay at Nanaimo.
  7. mi’ ’uw’ lheel thu ’e’uhwiin’ q’ullhanumutsun ’i’ qwaqwul’stam’shus,
    1. A very small orca came close to shore and spoke to me,
  8. “m’i lhe’, nu stl’i’ kw’unus … stl’i’s kw’unu men kws lumnamut.”
    1. “Come, my father wants to see you.”
  9. suw’ yuthustham’shus kw’unu men,
    1. My father told me,
  10. “nem lhu sixwum! nem’ nem’! stl’i’ kws lemuthamut.”
    1. “Go wade out! Go! He wants to see you.”
  11. nus nuw’ nem ’uw’ sixwum. ’aalh ’u tey’, sus nem’ ’uw’ taalustam’hwus nem’ ’u tthey’ mens.
    1. So, I waded out, got on, and he took me out in the bay to his father.
  12. suw’ thut-s tthu mens, “m’i lhu! ’aalh lhe’ ’u tun’a!
    1. The father orca commanded me, “Come! Get on!
  13. nuwu tse’ nem’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ lumstamu tsun ’u tthu sht’es tun’a quliima’ sht’e ’u kw’uw’ shhw’i tst.”
    1. I am going to show you how dirty our place has become.”
  14. nem ’uw’ sults’ ’u tun’a s’uthnuts.
    1. He took me on a tour of the bay
  15. “lemut tu tl’itl’up, ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ quliima’.
    1. “Look deep down below, how it has ended up so filthy.
  16. mukw’ stem nuw’ qwsutum ’ul’.”
    1. All kinds of stuff has been thrown into the water.”
  17. ni’ xut’u tu q’ullhanumutsun, “nilh shhw’i tst tun’a.
    1. The orca said, “This place here,
  18. nilh lelum’ tst.
    1. it is our home.
  19. ’i’ na’ut st’e ’u kw’uw’ tl’uhw la’ustalum’ul’.
    1. No one seems to care. No one cares about us.
  20. ni’ tst teem, ’i tseep ’a’lu tstamut?
    1. We shout out, what is the matter with everyone?
  21. ’uwu tseep nihw st’e ’ukw’ le’lum’utal’hw.
    1. No one is taking care of us.
  22. ’i’ xut’u’eelh tthu s’ul’eluhw le’lum’utal’hw ch?”
    1. Didn’t the elders say for you to take care of us?”
  23. ’i niilh yath ’uw’ s-huy’thustham’shus kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst,
    1. Always our elders told me,
  24. “’uwu tseep set’q’usteep tu q’ullhanumutsun.
    1. “Don’t ever harm an orca.
  25. nilh na’nuts’a’ nilh tul’li’ ’utl’ lhnimulh.”
    1. He is one of us.”
  26. ’i’ tun’a kweyul ’i’ na’ut wulh hwu quliima’ tu shni’s kws sht’es ’ukw’ ’uw’ t’it’utsum’.
    1. Today, it’s all dirty, the place that they swim.
  27. nan ’uw’ quliima’ skw’eys kws tl’e’s hetth’um.
    1. The filth makes it hard for them to breathe.
  28. nilh kwu’elh shus st’e ’u kw’uw’ muw’ st’e ‘u kw’uw’ huy’thusta’lum’.
    1. This is the reason they are telling us,
  29. ’i’ ’uwu kws ni’ ts’i’ts’elhum’.
    1. But, no one seems to listen.
  30. nilh tuw’ skw’ey ’ul st’e ’ukw’ nuw’ hwu shte’s tun’a ’uw’ ne’ullh.
    1. It is not right, the way they are treated today.
  31. nan kwu’elh ’uw’ tth’itth’uhwuthut.
    1. They are begging,
  32. “tth’ihwum lhe ’i’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ thuytal’hw.
    1. “Please make things better for us
  33. ’i’ st’e tst kw’uw’ thuthi’ kws st’e’ tst ’u kw’uw’ musteyuhw.
    1. so that we may enjoy our home.
  34. lhnimulh p’e’ tl’uw na’nuts’a’ mustimuhw,!”xut’ustam’shus.
    1. We are people too!” they told me.
  35. niw’ qwul’qwal’stam’shus tuw’ne’ullh ’i’ nilh tuw’ s’aa’lh thathun ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ ha’kwushu,
    1. They all spoke to me in our own language,
  36. ’i’ nilh ’uw’ nus st’ee kw’uw’ nus yuthustalu, sii’em’ nu siiye’yu.
    1. so, I am passing this message to you, my honoured friends.
  37. tth’ihwumee ’i’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ tth’ihwum ’i’ st’e kw’uw’ le’lum’ut tun’a
    1. Please look after this problem here
  38. st’e ’ukw’uw’ yath ’uw’ ’iy’etus tthu s’ul’eluhw tst ni’ ’ikw’.
    1. just like our ancestors always took care of things,
  39. ’i’ ni’ tst ’uw’ hwu tl’uhwla’ust-hw ’ul ’u tun’a kweyul.
    1. but we do not care today.
  40. ’uw’ st’e kwu’elh ’u tey’ ’i’ tth’ihwum tseep kwu’elh ’i’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ hwu le’lum’ut.
    1. You must, please, take care of this situation.
  41. hay tseep q’a’, sii’em’. hay tseep q’a’.
    1. Thank you, honoured friends.
  42. ni’ hay.
    1. The end.