smuqw’a’ | husband (Smuqwa’s Story)

nu sta’lus smuqw’a’ 
My husband great blue heron

Donalda Louie

Transcribed by Ruby Peter
Typed by Elena Barreiro
Edited by Donna Gerdts

[Note: Donalda’s husband, Francis Louie’s native name is xutth’xatth’uqluq.]

---

1. kwunus ’iilh ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
   1. [This happened] when I was still a little child.
2. ’uwu te’ nu shtatul’stuhw ’uw’ ’iin’ ts’twa’ kw’in lhihw, xu’athun sil’anum, ’i’ yath nuw’ ne’nut’suw’t-hwum’ kwthu s’eluhw swuy’qe’,
   1. I don’t know how old I was, maybe three or four, and an old man used to come visit my grandfather.
3. m’i nets’uwt-hwum ’u kwthu nu si’lu, sul’si’lu, ha’ m’i tetsul ’i’ nilh nus nem’ ’uw’ nem’ t-suthut ’u kwthu swuy’qe’ nus ’uw’ _ _ _ _.
   1. Each time, when he arrived, I would go to him and say hello and welcome him in; he would tell me I was growing up into a lovely young woman.
4. suw’ putum’s, “’i.i.iw’ ’a’mut kwthun’ sta’lus?”
   1. He would ask me, “Is your husband at home?” 
5. “aa, ’uwu te’ ’a’mut ni’ heew’u.”
   1. [I would say,] “He’s not home; he went out.”
6. “ni’ ’a’lu hwtsel?”
   1. “Where did he go?”
7. “aa ni’ yu ’um’mush ni’  nem’ tsam ’u thu smeent nem’ yu ’um’mush suw’q’ ’ukw’ smuyuth m’i tse’ t’ukw’stuhwus.”
   • “He went hunting up in the mountains to look for deer that he will bring home.”
8. “’m-m-m lhwet ’a’lu kwu’elh kw’ snes kwthun’ sta’lus?”
   • “What’s your husband’s name?” [he would ask, very seriously.]
9. “’o-o-o nilh p’e’ smuqw’a’.
   1. “Oh, my husband is Crane. 
10. smuqw’a’ tthu snes tthunu sta’lus.”
    1. My husband’s name is Smuqwa.”
11. “o-o-o smuqw’a’. ni’ kwu’elh ’untsu kw’ lelum’s ’utl’ smuqw’a’?”
    1. “Where is Smuqwa’s home?” 
12. “o-o ni’ p’e’ shnu’ath, ni’ shnu’ath ’u tthu sta’luw’, ni.i.i tnana.
    1. “It’s across the river, way over there. 
13. nii’ ch le’lum’ut tthu thqet, tleqt thqet tthey’?
    1. Do you see the tree, that tall tree?
14. nilh kwu’elh lelum’ ’utl’ smuqw’a’.”  START HERE
    1. That’s Smuqwa’s home.”
15. “o-o-o nilh ’u kwu’elh tuni’ ’u tuni’?”
    1. “Is it that one?” 
16. “hee’ nilh p’e’ tthty’ ’uw’ hay ’ul’ thi thqet nilh lelum’ ’utl’ smuqw’a tthey’.”
    1. “Yes, that is the one; the biggest tree is Smuqwa’s home.” 
17. “’o.o.om tl’lim’ nan ’uw’ ’uy ’uy’ swuy’qe’ tthun’ sta’lus.
    1. “Oh, your husband is a very good man. 
18. h-hun-n’ ni’yath ’uw’ yu ’um’mush mukw’ stsekwul’ sul’uthut-s nan ’uw’ ’uy swuy’qe’.”
    1. He always goes hunting and does many things; he’s a good man.” 
19. nilh kwu’elh kwthey’ kwunus ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’i’ yathulh tsun ’uw’ xut’ee ’u tthey’ xwixwuy’em’ ’u tthu _ _ _.
    1. Every time anyone would come to visit my grandfather, they would tease me and ask about my husband, and this was always my answer when I was small. 
20. huy’thus tthu s’ul’eluhw ’u tthunu sta’lus.
    1. Each time, I would tell the story of Crane, my husband, Smuqwa, to the elders who came to see my grandfather. 
21. nilh kwu’elh kwunus ’i wulh ts’isum ’i’ ’i tsun mulyitul, tsta’lus ’utl’ Francis Louie.
    1. When I grew up, I got married; I married Francis Louie.
22. hwu smel’yitul’ suw’ t’ukw’stelum.
    1. He brought me to his home. 
23. xut’u tthunu sta’lus, “thuyt tse’ kwthu lelum’ tst ni’ ’utl’ xwul’qw’selu ni’ ’u kwthunu tumuhw.
    1. He told me, “We’re going to build a house on my land. 
24. m’i ch kwu’elh ’ewu, yu suw’e’ ’utl’ ’unthu nem’ tst suw’q’ ’uw’ nem’ut hwtsustuhw, niit tse’ ’untsu kws thuyt kw’ lelum’ tst.”
    1. You come along with me, and we’ll look for a place to build, a place where can put our house.” 
25. sutst nem’ ’uw’ ’imush nem’ suw’q’, ’i tst kwu’elh ’uw’ lumnuhw kwthu ’uy’ tumuhw ni’ sht’eewun’ nilh tse’ shni’ tst kws thuyt tst kw’ lelum’.
    1. So, away we went, traveling until we arrived there, and we found a good place to build our house. 
26. ni’ qux thqet ni’ .. ni’ suw’ xut’u tthunu sta’lus kwsuw’ yeq’ut-s tse’ ’i’ thuyt tthu tumuhw so’hwu sth[uthi’s] [kw’ sh] nem’ustuhw tst kw’ lelum’ tst.
    1. There were many trees there, and my husband told me he was going to fell those trees, clear them and put our house there.
27. ni’ tst kwu’elh yath ’uw’ hunum’ ’u kwthey’ ’ukw’ niis ts’twa’ kw’in lhqel’ts’.
    1. So, we kept going out there each day, preparing the site for our future home; I don’t know how many months we kept at it, working. 
28. kwsutst hunum’ they’t wuw’a ni’ lhihwus lhqel’ts’ ’uw’ niis kwthu tumuhw ’i’ ni’hwu sthuthi’.
    1. I think it must have been about three months or more that we spent preparing the land, and then, at last, he built our house.
29. sis ’uw’ thuytum thu lelum’ tst ’i’ yath ’uw’ yaay’us kwthunu sta’lus, mukw’ skweyul ’i’ nem’ ’uw’ huy’u.
    1. My husband used to work all the time, as well; he had to leave to go to work, and work on the house on his days at home. 
30. ni’ kwu’elh nuts’a’ hwune’unt ’i’xut’u, “tse’ kweyul ’i’ ni’ tsun tse’ ni’ ’u tuni’ kwunus yaay’us ni’ ’u tthu smeent.”
    1. Then, one evening, he said, “Tomorrow we are going to go to where I work, up in the mountains.”
31. suw’ xut’uste’lum’ ni’ ’utl’ Copper Canyon. nilh tse’ ni’ shni’s suw’ ’iiw’ustham’shus ’u thu smeent.
    1. He told me that this was at Copper Canyon, and he pointed the mountain out to me. 
32. “o.o.o ’uy’ ’i tsun tse’ lemut ’uw’ kweyulus.”
    1. “That is where we are going to go tomorrow.” 
33. kweyul ’i tsun he’kw’ nus ni’ nem’ ’u tthu shhwulmastun nus ’uw’ lemut tthu s’et’l’q.
    1. I thought about this, and I went to the window and looked outside. 
34. nus ’uw’ le’lum’ut, “o.o.o niihw tsa’luqw ni ’u tuni’ kwunu sta’lus kwis yaay’us.”
    1. I was thinking, “That’s where my husband works.” 
35. suw’ hwsaw’q’us ni’ ’u tthu [s’e’tl’q] _ _ ’i tsu[n] tuw’ kw’a’usum ’i’ ’i tsu[n] wulh lumnuhw tthu thqet, hay’ ’ul’ tl’qet.
    1. I looked around, and then I looked up, and suddenly I saw a tree—it was a really tall tree.
36. [laugh] ni’ tsun wulh putnuhw, “’i’ nilh p’e’ kwthu thqet ’iilh ’iiw’ustum’ kwunus ’iilh ’uw’ hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
    1. I recognized the tree—it was the one I used to point out when I was a small child. 
37. ’iilh tsun xut’u nilh lelum’ ’utl’ [laugh], nilh lelum’ ’utl’ smuqw’a’.
    1. I used to say it was Smuqw’a’’s home. 
38. nuw’ hwu thu’it kwthu ’iilh nu sqwaqwul’ kwunus ’uw’ hwun’ [laugh] stl’i’tl’qulh ni’ tsun tus ’u kwthey’.
    1. We had built our house near Crane, near Smuqw’a’, and what I used to say as a small child became true. 
39. ha’ kwu’elh lumnum ’utl’ Francis tthu smuqw’a ‘’u kwsus nem’ yu huy’luw’ yu lhalhukw’ ’i’ xut’u [st-hwus], “nem’ ’eli, nem’ eli ’uwu ch m’iihw ’e’wu nilh nu sta’lus [laugh].
    1. Whenever Francis saw a crane, he would tell him, “Go away, go away—she’s my wife—she’s mine now.”