Willie Seymour: Beaver Story
squl’ew’ sxwi’em’
The Beaver Story
told by Willie Seymour qwulthuts’tun
Stz’uminus First Nation
(1) nanulh ’uw’ ’iyus tu sxwi’em’s tu s’ul’eluhwulh.
Many beautiful legends were told by our Elders.
(2) nilh tu … ’uw’ ’iyus ’ul’ q’puthut
They were always happy to get together
(3) ’i’ ’iyus xwi’em’, xwi’em’.
and tell stories.
(4) suw’ hwun’ ’uhwiin’ ’ul’, ’uw’ stl’i’tl’qulh ’ul’
When I was very young
(5) ’i’ sq’uq’a’ tsun ’u tunu si’lu
I stayed with my grandparents
(6) kws q’puthut-s tu s’ul’e’luhw ’i’ wulh xwi’em’.
and the Elders gathered to tell stories.
(7) nuts’a’ ni’ ts’elhum’uteen’ ni’ tsun tuw’ he’kw’.
This is one that I heard and still remember.
(8) ’i ts’u wa’lu thuytum tu q’xuw’lh.
The people were building a canoe
(9) ’i ts’twa’ ’u kw’i. . . stutes ’i kw’i tsa’luqw
way up in the mountain.
(10) ’i’ wa’lu shishuts’, ni’ shni’s
Up in the bushes and trees
(11) kwus thuytum tu q’xuw’lh.
they built a voyager canoe.
(12) ’i’ sis ’uw’ tsakwum’ tu suw’wuy’qe’ ni’ ya’yus, ya’yus.
So the men went uphill and worked and worked.
(13) hwun’ xut’u ’i’ ni’ wulh shuqnehwus.
Finally, it was finished.
(14) ’i’ ni’ kw’i tsa’luqw
And, because it was way up in the mountain,
(15) suw’ q’puthut-s tu hwulmuhw
the people got together
(16) m’i t’uhwstum tu snuhwulh, thi snuhwulh.
to bring the canoe down, the big canoe.
17) sis ’uw’ q’puthut tu stl’ul’iqulh slhunlheni’
Even the children and women gathered
(18) sis ’uw’ tsam
and went up into the mountains
(19) hwkw’astum yuhw tse’ tu snuhwulh.
to drag that canoe down.
(20) sis ’uw’ yu they’tum’ lhelhuq’utum’ tu ni’ shni’s tse’
They cleared a path
(21) kws nem’s yu ’i’mushstum’
to make way
(22) tu ni’ tse’ hwkw’astum’ tu thi q’xuw’lh hwutus.
to drag this heavy canoe.
(23) sis ’uw’ sq’uq’ip tuw’ne’ullh
They got together
(24) suw’ q’eputum tu xwi’lum’.
and gathered up ropes.
(25) sis ’uw’ kw’iinu yu hwakw’ul’s,
Many people were pulling,
(26) sis ’uw’ yu kwukwtseem’ tuw’ne’ullh. . . “Hup ho! Hup ho!”
and they hollered. . . “Hup ho! Hup ho!”
(27) hwkw’els tuw’ne’ullh.
They all pulled.
(28) ni’ nem’ tuyqul tu snuhwulh
They moved the canoe
(29) ’i’ ni’ nem’ tuyshum tu syalh
and each time they would move the wood from underneath,
(30) ni’ hunum’ustum’, tuw’ shul’akw’ syalh.
they would bring the round wood.
(31) ni’ kw’in skweyul kwus sq’uq’ip
It took many days
(32) yelh sus hun’tsuwunum.
before they managed to get it down to the beach.
(33) ni’ kwu’elh ’uw’ wulh hith
Many days later,
(34) ’i’ ni’ nem’ tsam ’um’mush tu na’nuts’a’ swuy’qe’.
one man was going hunting up in the mountain.
(35) hwun’ yu ’i’mush ’i’ wulh ts’elhum’utus. . . “Hup ho!”
As he was walking, he heard. . . “Hup ho!”
(36) “a. . . hwi’ nutsim’ yuhw ’a’lu?
“Oh, I wonder what’s going on?
(37) mukw’ tu ts’lhhwulmuhw suw’ ’a’mut.
Everyone is at home.
(38) ’i’ hwi’ ni’ yuhw ’a’lu nuts’uw’muhw tu’i tsa’luqw.”
It must be a stranger up here on the mountain.”
(39) sis ’uw’ yu tl’itl’uts’ul’s nem’ lemutus tu’i
So he decided to go and see what was happening
(40) ’i ’u kw’i tsa’luqw.
up here on the mountain.
(41) ni’ wulh hwu stutes
He snuck up closer
(42) kwus yu ts’its’elhum’utus. . . “Hup ho!”
and could hear. . . “Hup ho!”
(43) sis ’uw’ yu tl’itl’uts’ul’s suw’ lemutus ’i’ squl’ew’
He crept closer and saw beavers
(44) sq’uq’ip kwus yu hwakw’tus tu thqet
tugging together on a tree
(45) [yu] hunum’ust-hwus ’u tu qa’. “Hup ho!”
bringing it to the water. “Hup ho!
(46) ni’ wa’lu yu xi’xlhem’utus tu. . .
They must have been watching
(47) kwus yu t’at’uhwstum’ tu snuhwulh, tu q’xuw’lh.
when they brought down the canoe, that big canoe.
(48) ’u shus tl’uw’ yu xut’e ’u tey’ tuw’ne’ullh.
So they were copying.
(49) ’i’ hay ’ul’ ’iyus kws nilhs tu s’ul’eluhw xwi’em’ ’u tey’.
And the elders were very happy telling stories like that.
(50) nilh kwu’elh ni’ nuts’a’ ni’ hekw’me’teen’, nuts’a’ sxwi’em’.
This is one story that I remember.
(51) hay ch q’a’.
Thank you.
Hul’q’umi’num’ transcription and translation by Theresa Thorne and Donna Gerdts. Latest version edited May 30, 2021. Funding from Canada Heritage, First Peoples’ Cultural Council, SSHRC, and SFU.