hw’i’ttsus thu sun’tl’e’ | The Jealous Elder Sister

by Elsie Canute

1. ’i’ hay kwthu nuts’a’.
   1. And here’s another story.
2. hey’, nilh kwu’elh tl’lim’ nuw’ shxixutth’ul’, you know.
   1. This is the one that I got offended by.
3. “nutsim yuhw ’a’lu sxut’us ’u tthey’ nem’ tsun ’itut,” ni’ tsun huye’.
   1. “Whatever is going on, I’m going to bed now,” and I left.
4. ’i’ wulh hwya’num’us.
   1. They would be smiling [making fun of her, because she was the eldest sister].
5. ’a.a.a, nilh ts’u yath ’uw’ stl’li’s thu sa’suqwt, yath ’uw’ stl’i’is thu sa’suqwt.
   1. That person really wants the youngest one, always wanting the younger one.
6. “wa’lu ne’mun’ ’itut,” thut thu suntl’e’ [laughter].
   1. “I guess I’d better go to bed,” the eldest sister said.
7. wulh tsta’lus thuwnilh sa’suqwt.
   1. And the youngest one got herself a husband.
8. hwun’ xut’u ts’u wulh ’i’ ni’ wulh hee’wu tthu swuy’qe’.
   1. Then one day, the husband went away hunting.
9. ’i’ ’i ts’u wulh hw’uttsus thu (sa’suqwt) sun’tl’e’.
   1. And the eldest sister was jealous.
10. suw’ xut’u ts’u they’ sun’tl’e’, “ha’ tsun tsmun’u ’i’… ’uw’nilhus ts’twa’ sun’tl’e’ tthu lhqul’ts’.
    1. And the youngest sister was saying, “When I have a child, I will call my oldest child Moon.
11. ‘n’ilh thu ’ul’, lhqel’ts’ tl’lim’ ch ’uw’ lhqel’ts’.’
    1. ‘Moon, you are truly Moon.’
12. ’i’ hay thu na’nuts’a’ sum’shathut.
    1. And the next one will be Sunshine.
13. ’i’ hay thu na’nuts’a’ kwasun.”
    1. And the next one after that will be Star.”
14. le’lum’ut tthey’.
    1. They were watching her.
15. ni’ hwuni’ thu suntl’e’ t’et’iyuq’.
    1. The elder sister came, and she was angry.
16. le’lum’utum’ le’lum’utum’ thuw’nilh ’u thu s’eluhw, tl’e’ wulh s’eluhw.
    1. And there was an old lady that was watching her; this is another old lady story.
17. suw’ tsmun’u, suw’ thu’it st’e, ’i’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ t’et’iyuq’.
    1. And she had her baby, and it was like that, and [the elder sister] was angry.
18. [’i’ lhhwelu ts’u tthu me’mun’us ni’ kwan.]
    1. [And three children were born.]
19. [suw’ yuhun’ut-s they’ sa’suqwt tthu me’mun’us kwus hwun’a’ kwan.]
    1. [And she really did follow what she had said when she named the newborn children.]
20. netus tthu sun’tl’e’ lhqel’ts’, nem’s sum’shathut ’i’ kwasun.
    1. She called the eldest child Moon, and the next one Sunshine, and the next Star.
21. ’i’ ’i ’uw’ hwin’e’ thu sun’tl’e’, wulh t’et’iyuq’.
    1. And her older sister was really mad.
22. suw’ kwelshum tthu me’mun’us, tslhaqwtum ’u kwthu tl’itl’up.
    1. And she hid the children, put them into a deep hole.
23. ni’ulh yuhw p’e’ tl’uw’ ni’ kws sqwumey’.
    1. And there must have been a dog there.
24. tl’e’ wulh sqwumey’.
    1. It’s about a dog again.
25. suw’ hwule’lum’utum’ tthuw’ne’ullh stl’ul’iqulh.
    1. And the dog was watching the children.
26. wulh yut’at’ukw’ [kwthu swuy’qe’ sta’lusth lhu sa’suqwt].
    1. And [the man who was the husband of the younger sister] was coming home.
27. wulh xwchenum thu sun’tl’e’ [hwthqw’astus tthu smetuhwtuns].
    1. And the older sister came running out [to intercept her brother-in-law].
28. [suw’ thut-stuhws,] “’uw’ skw’ey ’al’ kwthun’ me’mun’u.
    1. [And she said,] “Oh, your children are not very good.
29. ’uwu ’al’ sum’shathutus, ’uwu lhqel’ts’us, ’uwu kwasunus.”
    1. They are not Sunshine, Moon, nor Star.”
30. ’i’ ni’ thulh hwi’ ’iya’qustum ’u kwthu quliima’—stem ’a’lu, sqwumey’, ’ulhqi’— hay ni’ ’uw’ qulstum ’ul’ thu ’ulhqi’— sqwumey’, ’ulhqi’, stem ’a’lu kwthu’i sa’suqwtum.
    1. And she changed them into ugly children—whatever, a dog, a snake— they didn’t like the snakes— dog, snake, whatever that youngest one was.
31. [’i’ q’uyatl’un’.]
    1. [And slug.]
32. suw’ t’eyuq’s tthuw’nilh, [thut-st-hwus thu smetuhwtuns,] “tl’lim’ ch ’uw’ shmetth’un’qun.”
    1. And the young man got mad, [and kept saying to his sister-in-law,] “You’re lying.”
33. suw’ t-sastum thuw’nilh [sa’suqwt].
    1. And then they tortured the [younger sister].
34. suw’ hwukwun’atul’ they’ sun’tl’e’ [ni’ hwusta’lusth tthu smetuhwtuns].
    1. And the oldest sister got together with [took for a husband her brother-in-law].
35. ’i’ ni’ yuhw ’uw’ le’lum’utus kwthu sqwumey’ kwthu stl’ul’iqulh.
    1. And the dog that was watching started looking after the children.
36. ’i’ ni’ tl’e’ wulh hwustth’istum’ thuw’nilh q’e’mi’.
    1. And in torturing the girl [the mother], they had her nailed.
37. ’i.i.i wulh hith ’i’ ni’ nem’ lhu sqwumey’ ’uw’ sht’es thu sqwumey’ kws qwaqwulstuhw [tuw’ q’e’wum’s], “m’, m’, m’.”
    1. And the dog that was there kept kind of speaking [howling] [to the mother], “mm, mm, mm.”
38. hw’i’unt, “yuhw ’a’lu q’u.”
    1. And she was wondering, “What is this dog saying?”
39. [suw’ tselqumutum.]
    1. [And she followed the dog.]
40. wulh lemutum, [’i’ hwuni’ ’u kwthu stl’ul’iqulh].
    1. And she saw them, [and the children were brought out].
41. tl’lim’ ts’u ’uw’ ’uliy’as tthu me’mun’us kwus wulh m’i quye’tum.
    1. And they looked very beautiful.
42. sis ’uw’ tl’e’ wulh hulinamut thuw’nilh q’e’mi’.
    1. And the young lady was saved.
43. ’uwu ni’us q’ay, nilh ’al’ kwus qwamuxwul.
    1. She didn’t die; she just got real skinny.
44. ’i’ wulh m’i ts’e’lusum tthu me’mun’us.
    1. And her children all grew up.
45. nutsi’mus ts’twa’ p’e’ ’ushus hwi’ hun’utum ’ukw’ sumshathut lhqel’ts’ [kwasun] lhhwelu.
    1. I don’t know why they were called Sunshine, Moon, [and Star,] the three of them.
46. suw’ hwukwun’atul’ [hwu’alum’stum ’u kwthu sta’lusth].
    1. And they got back together [her husband took her back].
47. tl’e’ wulh qulqe’lum’ lhu [sun’tl’e’ nilh hw’i’ttsus].
    1. [The elder one who was jealous] lost out.
48. RP: thu hw’i’tsus?
    1. The jealous one?
49. EC: Yee, hw’i’tsus ’ul’ p’e’ nilh kwu’elh nush xut’u sun’tl’e’ [laughter].
    1. Yes, she was jealous because she is the oldest. 
50. hmm ’een’thu sun’tl’e’—’aasha ni’ hwi’ xwum kws ’itut-s.
    1. Ah sha! I’m the oldest—so, I went to bed really early.