qwuni ’i’ tthu spaal’ | The Seagull and the Raven

Arnold Guerin

Arnold Guerin learned this story from James Point. He told this version in Hul’q’umi’num’ to the UBC field methods class in spring 1976. Donna Gerdts, a student at the time in that class, has transcribed and translated it. This version Nov 3, 2022.

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1. lhilhq’a’ultsuptul’ ts’u, tu qwuni ’i’ tu spaal’.
   1. They live on the opposite side of fire from each other, the Seagull and the Raven.
2. ’uw’ nets’uw’t-hw ’al’ ’uw’ nuts’a’ ’al’ lelum’ tu shsun’iw’s ’eelhtun.
   1. There was only one house, they lived in only one house.
3. hay tu qwuni hay skw’ey kws kw’ey’s. 
   1. The seagull never went hungry.
4. ’uw’ yath kwsuw’ quxs s’ulhtuns.
   1. He always had a lot of food.
5. ’uw’ yath ’uw’ saay’stuhwus tu tth’umeens ’i’ tu tuxwa’t-s.
   1. He always keeps his arrows and his bow ready.
6. skw’ey kws tum’tems ’i kw’ey’.
   1. He never gets hungry.
7. ’i’ hay tu spaal’ ’uw’ hay kwsuw’ hwt’im’lhne’num’s.
   1. But the Raven, all he does is beg for food.
8. hay sqi’qul’ kws nem’s suwq’tus kwthu stem q’aaytus sts-’ulhtuns.
   1. He doesn’t know how to go and look for anything to kill for his food.
9. skw’ey kws nem’s ’um’mush nem’ ’u tu smeent ’i’ tsshun’tsu ’ukw’ stem smuyuth.
   1. It is impossible for him to go hunting in the woods, to go to the mountains and get game, like some deer.
10. st’e ’u tthey’ suw’ nem’s ’u tu qwuni suw’ pte’mut-s, “stsekwul’ ch tu nuwu ’ush skw’eys kw’us ’uwu ’uw’ yu tsum’eemuhw ’u tu smuyuth kws nuwus hun’tsew ’u kw’us nem’ tsam ’u tu smeent?
    1. At this point, he goes to the Seagull and asks him, “How is it possible that you never come back not carrying something, the deer, when you get down from the great heights, when you go up into the mountains?
11. ni’ ch tsukwsta’mutulh ni’uhw ’i’mush ’u tu tsa’luqw?
    1. What are you doing when you are walking up in the hills?
12. ’ush ni’ yath ’uw’ tsshun’tsu ’u kw’us ni’ sewq’t kwthu kwunutuhwus ts-’ulhtun.”
    1. [Tell me] the reason for always getting something when you go to look for [it,] what you are going to take for your food.”
13. suw’ qwals tu qwuni, “hay p’e’ tu nu swe’ nu shsaay’ yath tsun ’uw’ shahwukw’um.
    1. And the Seagull said, “My method is to always bathe.
14. skw’ey kw’unus sht’eewun’ kw’unus tsam nem’ suwq’t kwthu stem kwunuteen’ ’i ’uwu tsun nem’een’ yuw’en’ kw’unus yu shakw’um. 
    1. It’s impossible to think that I would go up go and look for whatever I’ll take and not first go take a bath.
15. nilh nuts’a’ nus yuthusthamu.
    1. That’s one thing I’ll tell you.
16. ’i’ tu’inulh: n’an ch ’uw’ smetth’un’ tu nuwu, n’an ch ’uw’ smetth’un’.
    1. And it’s this: you are proud, you are too proud.
17. ’uw’ hwun’ tsakw ch ’u kw’un’s ni’ thut nem’ hwsuwq’lhnenum ’i’ wulh yu hwiyune’muthaam’ ’u kwthun’ siye’yu ni’ ’u tu tsa’luqw ni’ ’u tu shishuts’.
    1. When you are still far away when you say you are going to look for something to eat, your friends up in the hills, in the bush, are already listening to you.
18. n’an ch ’uw’ qul thuhaaythun.”
    1. You are a very bad bigmouth. 
19. “hihi’ hihi’,” thut ts’u ’al’ tu spaal’.
    1. “Hee hee hee hee,” is what Raven said.
20. hun’tsew ’i tl’e’ wulh ’uwu te’ stem yu kwun’etus ’u kws thut-s nem’ tsam ’um’mush tl’uw’ wulh hwt’iim’lhne’num’ ’u kwsuw’ wulh qw’ulums tu qwuni.
    1. He gets down from the hills with nothing again, and intends to go up hunting again, and he is begging for the food Seagull is going to barbecue.
21. ’u kws ’uw’ wulh qw’ulums tu qwuni ’u tu smuyuthsulh hun’tsuwnuhwus
    1. Seagull is going to barbecue the deer when he gets it down.
22. tl’e’ wulh tus, “huhu, m’i lhu ’ehwe’! m’i lhu ’ehwe’, si’em’!
    1. Again, Raven asked, “Huhu, Give me some! Give me some, sir!
23. m’i lhu ’ehwe’ ’u tun’ sqw’ulum.”
    1. Give me some of your barbecue.”
24. tl’e’ ts’u wulh ’ehwe’tum ’utl’ qwuni ’u tuw’ ’uhwiin’ ’al’.
    1. Again, the Seagull gave him just a little bit.
25. ’uw’ tl’atl’um’utum ’al’.
    1. He just gave him enough.
26. ha’ qux tu s’amustewut ’i ’uw’ n’an ’uw’ squnuhw tu spaal’.
    1. If he is given lots, Raven would be such a glutton.
27. ni’ kwu’elh tus ’u tu nuts’a’ skweyul ’i’ ni’ hwi’ skw’ey ’al’ kws ’uwus niis hun’umut tu qwuni. 
    1. One day Raven got there and Seagull hadn’t managed to get home.
28. sis ’uw’ kw’ey’ tu spaal’ ’uwu te’ tl’e’ stem shtuni’stuhws.
    1. And Raven was hungry and there was nothing there for him. 
29. sis ’uw’ sht’eewun’,  “yelh ts’e’ nus nem’ t’e’t kwthu ni’ sqwaqwul’muthe’ult ’u kwthu qwuni.”
    1. Then he thought, “This time, I will go try what the Seagull told me.”
30. sis ’uw’ thut nem’ shakw’um ’i’ ’uw’ hay ts’u ’al’ tu sxuxi’nus ni’ qwsutus ’i’ tu’i muqsuns ’uw’ hay ’al’ ni’ tth’hwatus ni’ ’u tu qa’.
    1. Then, he went to bathe, and it was only his feet and his nose he put in the water; it was only these he washed in the water.
31. suw’ sht’eewun’s, “ ni’ tl’am. ni’ tl’am.
    1. He thought, “That’s enough. That’s enough.
32. ni’ ts’twa’ tl’am st’ee ’u tthey’.”
    1. That must be enough like that.”
33. sis ’uw’ huye’ tsam ’um’mush ’u tu tsa’luqw.
    1. Then he went away to higher land to hunt, up in the hills.
34. hwi ’uwu kws hwu’int-s.
    1. This time he didn’t say anything.
35. hwi ’uwu te’ ni’ yu … ni’ yu hwiyune’mut kwus ’uw’ wulh nem’ ’imush nem’ ’u tu tsa’luqw.
    1. This time, there was nobody listening to him when he went walking into the hills.
36. ’i ’uw’ thu’it ni’ hwunin’sus tu ni’ sewq’tus.
    1. It was true, and he got up to what he was looking for.
37. kwulushtus ’i ’uw’ thu’it ni’ q’uynuhwus kwthu ni’ kwulushtus.
    1. He shot it, sure enough, and he killed what he shot.
38. nem’ kw’its’utus smuyuth tu skwulushs.
    1. He went and butchered the deer that he had shot.
39. ’uwu te’ stem snass…hay yuhw ’al’ qiqluw’s tu ni’ kwunnuhwus. 
    1. There was no fat…It must have been poor, lean meat that he got.
40. ni’ wulh st’e ’u tthey’ sis ’uw’ t’uhwstuhwus ts’um’utus t’ahw yu t’at’uhw ’i’ hwi’ mukw’ lhwet ’uw’ statul’stuhw ni’ tsshun’tsu kwthu spaal’.
    1. Then, he took it and carried it down, and on his way down, everyone knew Raven made a kill.
41. ’uw’ hwun’ tsakw ’i wulh hwiyune’mutum kwus yu q’i’shun’eem’.
    1. He was still far away and they could hear him hollering.
42. ’uwu ni’us ’a’mut tu qwuni ’i’ ni’ hun’nuw’ tu spaal’ ’u tu lelum’s ’i’ ni’ thut ’uw’ statul’stum ’utl’ qwuni ni’ wulh yuthustum ’u kw’u’i sye’yus ni’ tsshun’tsu kwthun’ ts’lhhwulmuhw.
    1. Seagull wasn’t home when Raven got to their house, but he knew that Seagull was already told of his friend’s kill.
43. spaal’ sis ’uw’ hun’umut sis ’uw’ yuqwul’tsup ’uw’ wulh st’e ’u tthey’ ’uw’ wulh ’uy’ tu huy’qws.
    1. When Raven got home, he made a really nice fire.
44. sis ’uw’ muq’unutus tu ni’ shts’qw’iwut-s tthu shun’tsus ni’ wulh kw’its’utus.
    1. And then he stood up his spit and put his butchered kill on it.
45. suw’ hwu lhxi’lushs tthu ni’ sqw’ulums tse’ ’i’ n’an ’uw’ slhtsiw’s sis yuhw ’uw’ nuqwnuqw ’uw’ stutes ’u tu huy’qw.
    1. After standing up what he was going to barbecue, he was very tired, and he must have fallen asleep near the fire.
46. ’uw’ wulh st’e ’u tthey’ ’uw’ hun’neluw’ tu stulqeye’ sis ’uw’ lhuylhuyxultstum ’u tu skwulushs tsul’im’ tu tuw’in’ ’uwu ni’us sqw’uqw’iyul ’i’ ni’ tl’uw’ ’uwkw’tum.
    1. And right away, a group of wolves got into the house and ate it all up, even the raw part, and they finished it all.
47. t-hw’uwu te’ stem tu sqw’ulumsulh ni’ hay sis ’uw’ xuqw’xuqw’tum tuw’ ’uhwiin’ ’al’ smuyuth ’u tu’i thathun ’utl’ spaal’ kwus sun’iqw st’e ’u tthey’ sis ’uw’ taantum.
    1. They stuffed a little bit of deer into Raven’s mouth while he was sleeping, and they left him.
48. ni’ tus ’u kwthu ni’ shtuss ’i’ ni’ hwuy tu spaal’, ni’ hwuy yu kw’ekw’i’ hay ’al’ yu kw’ekw’i’.
    1. After some time, Raven woke up hungry, very hungry.
49. lemutus tu huy’qws.
    1. He looked at his fire.
50. na’ut ’uw’ lhuxlhuxi’lush tu smiq’muq’ ’i’ ’uwu te’ stem tl’ kwun’el’s ’u kwthu sqw’ulumsulh.
    1. There were things standing stuck in the ground, but there was nothing hung on his barbecue.
51. suw’ ’umut-s ’i’ nem’ tuw’ lhxilush lemutus.
    1. He got up and went to stand and look at it [the ruined barbecue].
52. ni’ wulh tul’nuhwus ’i sxuluxekw’ kw’u’i.
    1. He now found out something jammed in here [his mouth].
53. ni’ulh tsun wa’ hwi’ ’ulhtun kw’unus ’i ’i’tut.
    1. “I must have eaten while I slept.
54. ni’ yuhw ’u nu squlquluthun ’i’ ni’ tsun ’uw’ lhxilush ’al’ ’i’ ni’ tsun lhilhuyxt kwthu nu skwoukwulh.”
    1. I must have dreamt and just stood up and ate all my cooked food.”
55. nem’ ’u tu shni’s tu hwuw’e ni’us … hwi’ ’uw’ hwun’ kw’ekw’i’ nem’ ’u tu shni’s tu t-hway ni’ saay’ tuni’ ’u kwthu ni’ qw’ulutus.
    1. He was still hungry, and he went to where what he had not touched, had not cooked, should have been.
56. t-hw’uwu te’ stem ’uw’ t-hwstth’alum’ ’al’ tu slheq’luq’ ni’ ’u tu ts’unt.
    1. There wasn’t anything; there were only bones lying in that area.
57. stu’e ’u tthey’ sis ’uw’ tul’nuhwus, “’aa, ni’ yuhw ni’ kw’u’i hwu’insam’sh.
    1. Like that, he found out, “Ah, someone must have got to me.
58. skw’ey kw’unus lhuyxt tu tuw’in’ stem ’usulh yuhw kw’u’ hwu’insam’sh.”
    1. It is impossible that I would eat something uncooked, so someone must have got in here.”
59. nilh kwu’elh kws thuhaythuns kws skw’eys kws ’uwus ’uw’ qwiil’qwul’us ’u kwthu stem syaays.
    1. Because of his big mouth, it is impossible that Raven doesn’t speak about whatever he does.
60. ni’ ’ushush yu statul’stum ’utl’ stulqeye’ kwus tsshun’tsu sis ’uw’ m’i ’uwkw’ulhtstum ’u kwthu s’ulhtunsulh.
    1. That is the reason that the wolves knew he had made a kill; that’s the reason they came to finish up his food for him.
61. ’uw’ st’e ’al’ ’u tthey’ kwthunu sxwi’a’mustalu.
    1. That is all of my old story to you people.