Peter Mitchell
Recorded May 28, 1975
This is a ts’uwxilum story.
- ’uwute’ ni’ st’e ’u kw’ sye’yusulh tthu hwulmuhw ’u kwu nan ’uw’ wulh hith.
- The native people never used to have any friends a very long time ago.
- ’i’ mukw’ ’uw’ hwulmuhw ’i’ ’uw’ q’aytul ’ul’ ’uw’ q’aytus kwu tl’uw’ hwulmuhw.
- And all the native people were just killing each other; they would kill other native people.
- kwthey’ kwelh ni’ nu s-huy’thusthaam [s-huy’thustha’mu] ’i’ qequl’ulh mustimuhw.
- The one I was telling you about, there were bad people.
- ’i’ yey’suleelh tthu ’iitl’ thuq’min, yey’sul’u humn’a’tul.
- There were two of them at Shell Beach, two people, father and son.
- ’i’ tl’uw’ hay’ ’ul’ syaa’yusth kws q’aaytus kwu mustimuhw, q’aaytus kwu mustimuhw.
- The only thing they worked at was to kill people; they killed people.
- skw’ey kwun’s kwunut ’ul’ ha’ nem’ lhew’, ’i’ ni’ stsekwul’ kwu ni’ shnem’s kwus tstl’ums ’u kwu nuts’ehw shtstl’ums ’uwu niis st’e ’u kw mustimuhw, tl’lim’ nuw’ stl’eluqum.
- You couldn’t just get them if they fled, and the manner in which he jumped in one jump, it wasn’t like a human but really like a fierce creature.
- na’nuts’a’ tthu tunn’i’ ’utl’ quw’utsun’, ts’uwxilum.
- There was one from Cowichan, Ts’uwxilum.
- nilh ’uw’ hay ’ul’ syaa’yusth kws ’uw’ q’aayt-s kwthuw’ mustimuhw.
- Their only work was killing other people.
- m’i ’e’wu ’u tthuw’ mu.u.ukw’ ’untsu tumuhw ’u tun’u kws q’aq’i’ut-s tthu mustimuhw.
- And they went everywhere killing people.
- suw’ xuxulh shqwuluwuns tthu siiye’yus ’u tthu ni’ sul’uthut-s tthu sye’yus.
- So, the relatives were suffering about how their relatives were behaving.
- ’i’ ’uwute’ stsqwals nuw’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ stl’eluqum mustimuhw.
- But they couldn’t say anything because he was such a fierce person.
- ha’ ni’ stl’i’s kws q’aayt-s kwthu mustimuhw ’i’ ’uw’ anytime ’ul’ [’uw’ sht’es ’ul’] ’i’ q’aaytus.
- If he wanted to kill a person any old time, he killed them.
- ha’ nem’ yul’e’wul’ kwu mustimuhw ’u kwu sta’luw’ nem’ yu huwqw’ulum’ ’i’ ha’ ’uwu ne’mus yuthustum ’i’ q’ay.
- If a person was just passing by on the river, floating along, and if they didn’t inform him, they would die.
- hay hwuw’e’ nanus ’uw’ hith kwey’ p’e’.
- This wasn’t really very long ago.
- hay kwus ’uw’ ’ulh ’i tun’a skwul’esh tl’e’ thulh ’uw’ ’uwu nilhus tun’a qe’is.
- Then there was a time concerning the gun, but that wasn’t recent.
- nilh kwuw’ t’atulh skwul’eshs tthu hwunitum’ xut’ustum hwun’wul’stum ’ul’ nilh kwu’elh.
- That’s the old type of gun that the white man called hwun’wul’stum ‘musket’, that’s the one.
- mi’mulhu tthu ts’uwxilum ’i’ nilh ’uw’ shkwun’el’s tthu skwul’eshs thu kwutsmins.
- Ts’uwxilum was Indian dancing, and he had the deer-hoof rattles right on his gun.
- ’i’ ha’ nem’ tsyuwun ’i’ skw’ey kws nem’s ’uw’ slhelhuq’stuhws ’ul’ thu skwul’eshs, ’uw’ yu kwun’etus nilh ’uw’ niis q’aaytum stl’eluqum mustimuhw (stl’eluqum mustimuhw).
- He would never let that gun go, and he always had it in his hand, even when he danced, because they might kill him; he was a fierce person.
- suw’ nan ’uw’ xulh shqwaluwuns tthu siiye’yus.
- So, his relatives had very hurt feelings.
- sus ’uw’ st’e ’uw’ niis, xut’ust-hwus tthu hwulmuhw ni’ hw’i’muqnetstus.
- So, it was like that, what the natives called ‘porter’.
- ha’s nem’ ’imush, ’i’ ’uwu stsekwul’us ’i’ nilh nem’ titiya’xw ’i’shul’.
- If he would go traveling, he would never be the one to busy himself with paddling.
- ’uw’ nilh ’ul’ tthu siiye’yus ’i’shul, tsakw shnem’s ’i’ ’uw’ nilh tthu siiye’yus ’i’shul.
- He always depended on his relatives to do the paddling; no matter how far, it would be his relatives paddling.
- stsun’e’wus ’ul’ tthey’ qul mustimuhw.
- The bad person would be lying back, relaxing.
- ’uwu stsekwul’us ’i’ ’ushul.
- He would never paddle.
- suw’ yu ’i.i.i’shul yustsun’e’wus sus ’uw’ nuqwnamut, yu hunum’ ’utl’ hwlhum’elhtsu, yu hunum’ ’utl’ hwlhum’elhtsu.
- And they were paddling, and he was lying back, and he fell asleep, travelling to Hwlhum’elhtsu, going to Hwlhum’elhtsu.
- suw’ kwunutum tthu shet-s sus ’uw’ me’shum ’uw’ qw’elh ’ul’.
- So, they took out the shot and the gunpowder.
- hee’, suw’ ts’imul’ ’u tthey’ hwlhum’elhtsu ’i’ mi’mulhu tthu mustimuhw.
- Hee, when they got close to Hwlhum’elhtsu, the people were dancing.
- ’i’ wulh nem’ hunn’uw’, ’uw’ huy sus nem’ hunn’uw’ nilh ’ul’ sus ’uw’ ’ulh hwxuluxqinums.
- And he went in, and when he entered the place, he started growling.
- sht’es kwun’s ni’ ’a’mut ’u tthu hwlhxul’we’stun, suw’ kwulushtus ’i’ ’uw’ ’uwute’ ’ul’.
- The way the people sit on the bleachers, and he pulled the trigger on the gun, and nothing happened.
- slheni’ kwu’elh mustimuhw kwthu ni’ q’aayt kwey’ qul mustimuhw.
- It was actually a woman that killed that evil person.
- ni’ nem’ hwxutl’qentum ’u tthu xut’ustum’ ’uw’ t’at sqelux, qethulhp ’ul’.
- She pinned his arms with what was called in old times sqelux, ocean spray.
- ’uw’ nuts’a’ ’ul’ sht’ut’hwa’ulhsulh tthu mustimuhw.
- That was the only clam digging stick that the people had.
- suw’ kwunnum ’u thu slheni’, sus muw’ p’uy’tl’tum tu’i, tl’lim’ nuw’ hwu st’e ’u tu’i, ’uwute’ stsla’thut-s suw’ teem they’ slheni’, “huya.a.a, suw’wuy’qe’, ’i tsun kwunnuhw tun’a qul mustimuhw ”
- And the lady got him, and she clamped him here, really like this, and he couldn’t do anything, and the woman called out, “Hey, men, I’ve got this evil person.”
- suw’ quy’a’thut tthu suw’wuy’qe’ ’i’ wulh kwun’etus they’ slheni’ ’unn’ehwstum.
- And the men came out from hiding, and the woman had him, holding on to him.
- suw’ n’umnusum suw’ qw’aqwutum, wa’lu ’uw’ shuptun kwey’ ni’ shqw’aqwutewut, thi shuptun.
- So, they went to kill him; it probably was a knife that they clubbed him with, a big knife.
- suw’ t’uqw’ tthe’ p’e’ sxuy’usth, ’i’ yelh shus kwe’tus thuy’ slheni’.
- So, his head was severed, and then the woman let him go.
- ’i’ ’uwu ts’u niis wulh nilh ’ul’ sus ’uw’ wutl’uts’ kwey’, ni’ tl’uw’ tstl’a.a.am ’i’ wulh ’uwute’ sxuy’usth.
- So, he didn’t fall down right away, but started jumping, even though he was headless.
- nilh kwu’elh ni’ sht’es kwus st’eelh ’u kw’ stl’eluqum tthu yuw’e’nulh mustimuhw ’u tthu hwulmuhw.
- That’s how it was, how fierce the first people were as native people.
- ’i’ wawu’ ha’ xte’stalum ’u tthey’ ’u tun’a kweyul, ’i’ ’uw’ huy ’ul ’ush ni’ t’qw’i’qwthamut ’un’s ’uw’ wutl’uts’.
- And if it was done to us like that today, if they cut your head, you would fall.
- ’i’ huy kwthey’ ’uwu huy ni’ tstl’a.a.am tl’uw’ qul’et qulthat ’i’ wulh ’uwute’ sxuy’usth.
- But that person, no, he jumped around as if he was angry, even though he was headless.
- ’uwute’ ni’ xi’em’ ’u tey’, ’uwute’?
- Has no one told a story about this?
- nilh kwu’elh huy tunn’i’ ’u tthun’ lelum’ulup kwthey’ huy ni’ tunn’i’ ’u tthun’ lelum’ulup, stl’eluqum mustimuhwulh.
- So that person was from your area; he was from your area, and he was a fierce person.
- DL: lhwet kw’ snes tthu ts’uwxilum, lhwet kw’ snes kwthey’ qul mustimuhw?
- What was Ts’uw’xilum’s name; what was the name of the bad man?
- PM: ts’uwxilum, nilh ’uw’ snes.
- His name was Ts’uw’xelum.
- ’uwute’ nu shtatul’stuhw kw s-hwunitum’ulh snes, ’uw’ hayulh suw’ ts’uw’xilums.
- I don’t know what his English name was, just Ts’uw’xelum.
- suw’ t’akw’ taantum tthey’.
- And so, they went home, leaving him.
- suw’ kwunutum tthey’ sxuy’usth, suw’ kwoonstum ’u tthu syalh sus ’uw’ tsiw’tsuw’as ’u tthu qa’.
- They took his head, and they stuck it on a stick facing the water [down by the beach].
- q’uynum tthu qul mustimuhw.
- They managed to kill that evil person.
- ’uwu thulh niis ’uw’ huy’ ’ul’ tun’u ni’ hun’ts’uli ni’ q’aq’i’utus.
- It wasn’t only the people from here that he killed.
- ’uw’ nilh tthu siiye’yus ni’ ’u tthey’ ’un’ lelum’ulup ’i’ ’uw’ q’aytus.
- It was also his relatives from there, at your home, that he killed.
- ’uwute’ stem sye’yus.
- He had no relatives.
- nilh ’uw’ s’uylus.
- That was his power.
- nilh ’uw’ s’uylus qul mustimuhw.
- That was his power as an evil person.
- nilh kwu’elh nuw’ shnexun’s ’ul’ kwey’.
- And that’s all there is.