Lussy Aleck: The Story of John Slocum

Elizabeth (Lussy) Aleck of Stzuminus First Nation speaking at Snaw-naw-as First Nation October 29, 1995

Recorded by Donna Gerdts, and transcribed and translated by Donna Gerdts and Theresa Thorne

  1. na’nuts’a’ mustimuhw, suw’ ya.a.aths ’uw’ t’ut’i’wi’ulh.
    1. This is about one person, the one who was always praying.
  2. ’i’ na’nuts’a’ tthu qu.u.ul mustimuhw, qul mustimuhw.
    1. He was a bad person, a really bad person.
  3. mu.u.ukw’ stem ’i’ ’uw’ shey’qs, ni ’uw’ t’ut’upul’, luhel’.
    1. He was always stealing stuff,  playing cards and bone gaming.
  4. kwuw’ stem kws tl’e’hwun’uqs.
    1. He could win at anything.
  5. hwun’ xut’e ’u tey’ ’i’ ni’ wulh q’ay, q’ay.
    1. Then, suddenly, he died, died.
  6. Four days [xu’athun skweyul] kwus sq’aq’i’ ’i’ m’i ’umut.
    1. Four days he was dead and  he came back to life (rose up).
  7. inaudible ’uw’ yu kwey’xum’ yu kwey’xum’.
    1. And he was shaking and shaking.
  8. “nem’ ch ’aat kwey’ ,”  suw’ neetum. “nem’ ch ’aat! m’i ch ’ewu. m’i ’aatum.”
    1. “Go call that one!” He named him. “Go call him! Bring him here! Call him!”
  9. ’i’  nu’as ’u tthu huy’qwoon’.
    1. And he was facing the light.
  10. nu’as i’ neetus, “thq’ulhxe’um ch, t’i’wi’ulh.
    1. He was facing them and called to them, “Kneel down and pray.”
  11. wulh sus… wulh sus m’i shlheq’utewut tthu shikus mustimuhw.
    1. This was the beginning of the Shaker faith.
  12. mukw’ nem’ tus ’i’ thq’ulhxe’um, tus susuw’ yu kwey’xum’.
    • Everyone who came knelt down, and they started shaking.
  13. nilh kwus wil’ tun’a st’i’wi’ulh, tun’ni’ ’u kwey’ s’ey’q mustimuhw.
    • This is how the prayers started, from that one lawless person.
  14. yu qulama’stum, yu qulama’stum ’u shus xte’stum ’u kwey’.
    1. He went around doing evil, evil things, this is why it happened,
  15. shtun’ni’ kwus na’nuts’a’ m’i wil’, John Slocum kw’ snes, John Slocum.
    1. It originated with this one person, John Slocum was his name.
  16. suw’ kw’uye’tum, “’uwu ch tum’te.e.emuhw hwi’ tl’e’tl’ehwitul’ kwus mustimuhw.
    • They were forbidden, “You’ll never win at gambling again for as long as you live.”
  17. ’i’ ha’ ts’u nem’ tsmekw’e’ tthuw’ne’ulh, nem ’u tthu skwthe’, suw’ nem’ ’uw’ taal.
    1. When they had a funeral over at the island, they would go down to the shore.
  18. wulh m’i hwu’alum’ m’i wulh yula’ulh ’u tthu snuhwulh ’i’ ’uw’ ’a’mut ’ul’.
    1. Then he would came back and he would be on a canoe just sitting there.
  19. wulh taantum tthu p’e’ shhw’ula’ulh, suw’ kwunutus tthu sq’umul’.
    • Once when he was heading off, he stole a paddle.
  20. ’uwu niis yu hekw’ kwunutus tthu sq’umul’ suw’ ’ushul.
    1. He had not remembered the warning and he just took a paddle to paddle with.
  21. nuw’ hun’umut-s ’ul’ ’i’ ni’ q’ay.
    1. He just dropped dead when he got home.
  22. nilh kwus … nilh ’uw’ ’i skw’uyu’tewut kwey’, ni’ q’ay, nilh kwus kwunutus kwu sq’umul’ inaudible .  mmm
    1. He was warned about this so he died because he stole the paddle.
  23. ni’ ’u ch ’uw’ ts’elhum’, ’u Leonard”
    1. Did you hear that, Leonard?
      (Leonard Edwards from snuw’nuw’us was in the room that day, along with Ann and Jim Bob). 
  24. shtun’nis tun’a st’i’wi’ulh kwus m’i wil’ kwey’. mm mm.
    • That is how this prayer first started.
  25. John Slocum, mm mm.
    • John Slocum.
Lussy Aleck