t’ut’um’ ’i’ skwitth’uts | Wren and Blue Jay

Andrew Misheal

Recorded by Wayne Suttles 19 January, 1962, in Victoria, BC. Transcribed and translated by Ruby Peter, with assistance from Kaoru Kiyosawa and Sarah Kell. Transliteration and editing by Donna Gerdts. This version: November 21, 2019. Wording in square brackets are edits that Ruby Peter suggested.

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1. xwi’em’ tsun ’utl’ t’ut’um’.
   1. I’m going to tell a story about little Wren.
2. ni.i.i’ nem’ yu ’i’mush ’i’ wulh lumnum ’utl’ kw’uyutsun.
   1. As Wren was walking along, he saw Grizzly Bear.
3. suw’ qwals tthu kw’uyutsun, “nem’ ch ’uw’ yu kwaye’ ’ul’.”
   1. And Grizzly Bear said, “Stay away from me.” 
4. ’i’ ’uwu tthuw’nilh ’uw’ nem’ ’uw’ tasthut.
   1. But Wren was stubborn and kept going closer.
5. suw’ qwals thu … [muq’utum], “’aa! ’e’ut wulh t’ukw’qsun.”
   1. And he said, “Oh, here’s the nose.”
6. suw’ kwunutewut ’i’ ni’ muq’utum [muq’utewut]  thuw’nilh t’ut’um’.
   1. And Grizzly grabbed Wren and swallowed him.
7. ’i.i.i’ suw’ hwu s-hum’q’stam’.
   1. He was swallowed up.
8. suw’ m’i.i.is kw’i’ suw’ tslhaqwthut ’u tthu muqsun ’i’ m’i ’utl’qul.
   1. And Wren started moving around inside him and came out through his nose.
9. ’i’ tl’e’ wulh lumnum ’utl’ kw’uyutsun thuw’nilh t’ut’um’ tsi’tsetl’um’s.
   1. And then Grizzly saw Wren again, jumping around in front of him.
10. suw’ qwals tthu kw’uyutsun, “’i’ hwi’ yu lhuxun’es hwu tl’e che’?”  ’uxin/chsu’uxin [SENCOTEN] “’aa! hwi’ yu lhuxun’ees hw’acha?”
    1. And Grizzly said to Wren, “Where did you come from?” [He speaks in SENCOTEN.]
11. “’a! suw’ melumuns tthun’ shlhkw’eeluqsun,” suw’ thut-s thu t’ut’um’”.
    1. “Oh! I came from one side of your nose,” Wren said.
12. tl’e’ wulh kwunutum ’i’ muq’utum.
    1. And he was grabbed [by Grizzly], who swallowed him again. 
13. suw’ ni.i.i’s ’uw’ ni’ ’ul’ ’u kw’i kwsus ’i’mush ’i’ m’i.i.s tl’e’ wulh ’utl’qul ’u tthu muqsuns.
    He travelled inside him again and came up and out the other side of his nose.
    1. kws ’i’mush m’iis tl’uw’ kwey’ tl’uw’ ’utl’qul ’u tthu muqsuns.
14. tl’e’ wulh lumnum ’utl’ kw’uyutsun ’i’ qwal, “’aa! hwi’ yu lhuxun’ees hw’acha?” SENCOTEN]
    1. And Grizzly saw him again and asked, “Now where did you come from?”
15. “’aa!  suw’ melumuns tthun’ shlhkw’eeluqsun.”
    1. “Ah! I came from the other side of your nose.”
16. wulh kwunutum ’i’ muq’utum, ’iis suw’ niis.
    1. And the Grizzly grabbed him and swallowed him again .
17. hith ’i’ wil’ thuw’nilh tl’e’ wulh yu ’i’mush yu tsetl’um’.
    1. Quite a while later, Grizzly saw Wren jumping around before him again.
18. “’aa!  hwi’ yu lhuxun’els- hw?”    s-hw … you in Sunchathun
    1. [And Grizzly said,] “Ah! Now, where did you come from again?”
19. “’a!  suw’ melumuns tthun’ shlhkw’eeluqsun.”
    1. [And Wren said,] “Ah! I came from the other side of your nose.”
20. suw’ kwunutewut tl’e’ ’i’tl’e’  muq’utum.
    1. And he was grabbed and swallowed again. 
21. ’i suw’ shum’q’stam thuw’nin’lh.
    1. And then Wren started to move around inside Grizzly, And he …
       And then little Wren/little him was swallowed.
22. susuw’ lhukwlhukwtus thuw’nilh tthu tth’ele’s tthu kw’uyutsun.
    1. And he went to the heart and started pecking at it.
       And started pecking at the heart of the bear.
23. susuw’ q’ay.
    1. And he died.
24. ni’ wulh sq’aq’i’ sm’i.i.is ’uw’ ’utl’qul suw’ ’i.i.imushs nem’ tantum tthu ni’ q’ay.
    1. He died, and Wren came out again, and he walked away from the one he she killed.
25. hwun’ yu ’i’mush ’i’ wulh lumnum thu skwitth’uts.
    1. And when he was a-walking , he saw Blue Jay.
26. suw’ qwals, “ni’ tsun q’uynuhw lhu kw’uyutsun ni’ ni’ ’u tuni’[’nulh].”
    1. And then he said, “I killed Grizzly Bear over there.”
27. “’aa!’ilhe lemut.”
    1. “Oh! Let’s go and see.”
28. suw’ nem’s tthuw’ne’ullh suw’ tus.
    1. And then they got there.
29. suw’ qwals thu skwitth’uts, “’aa! ’uw’ hay tthu stth’am’ ’u tthu sun’iw’, ’u tthu stth’am’s nu stl’i’ kwunus lhey’xt.”
    1. And then Blue Jay said, “The bone marrow is the only thing I want to eat.”
30. “’aa, ’uy’ kws kw’its’ut tst.”
    1. “Okay, we’d better butcher it.”
31. suw’ kw’i.i.its’ut-s tthuw’ne’ullh suw’ yu t’aqwt-s tthu stth’am’ ni’ yu hum’ushus
    suw’ kw’its’ut-s tthuw’ne’ullh suw’ yu… yu t’aqwt-s tthu stth’am’ ni’ yu hum’ushus.
    1. So, they started to butcher Grizzly, and Wren was cutting the bones, taking them off.
32. ’i hay kwsus xut’ee ’u tthey’ suw’ qwals, “’uy’ kws t’akw’ tst.”
    1. After he was finished, he said, “We’d better go home.”
33. suw’ t’akw’s hun’umut suw’ yuqwul’tsup suw’ kw’esutum tthu stth’alum’.
    1. When they got home , they started a fire and heated up all the bones.
34. suw’ t’akw’s hun’umut suw’ yuqwul’tsup.
    1. When they got home , they started a fire.
35. suw’ kw’esutum tthu stth’alum’.
    1. Then they heated up all the bones.
36. ni’ suw’ qwals thu t’ut’um’, “ni’ ts’u wa’wu wulh qw’ul.”
    1. And Wren said, “It must be done by now.”
37. suw’ qwals tthu…, “ni’ ts’twa’.” “ni’ ts’u wulh.”
    1. And he she said, “It must be.”
38. suw’ nem’s ’i’ yakw’utus, “’aa! na’ut!”
    1. So, he she went and broke it open, “Ah! It is!”
39. suw’ kwuyxthut-s thu t’ut’um’ ’i’ yakw’uti.i.is yakw’utus, suw’ yu hwu ts’uwut-s tthu stth’am’ ’u tthu stth’utth’usshun’s tthu ni’ yu lhey’xtum’ ’utl’ skwitth’uts.
    1. And Wren started to break them open and started putting the marrow in between what Blue Jay was eating. 
40. suw’ kwuyxthut-s thu t’ut’um’ ’i’yakw’utus.
    1. And Wren started to break them open.
41. suw’ yu hwu ts’uwut-s tthu stth’am’ ’u tthu stth’utth’usshun’sni’ ’uw’ kw lhey’xtum’ ’ ’utl’ skwitth’uts.
    1. And then she started putting the marrow in between what Blue Jay was eating. 
42. suw’ yu lhey’xt-s thuw’nilh.
    1. And Wren was eating it.
43. sisuw’ yu ’i’lhtun’ thuw’nilh …tthu sun’iw’…  ’i’ hay nuw’ yu sthuthi’.
    1. And he was eating, and it was alright.
44. ’i’ wulh qwal thu skwitth’uts, “’e.e.ex, ’ex.”
    1. And then Blue Jay said, “‘eex, ‘ex.”
45. “ni’ ch ’a’lu tstamut?”
    1. [And Wren asked,] “What happened?”
46. “ni’ tsun q’eq’e’lh.”
    1. [Blue Jay said,] “I got a bone in my throat.”
47. o.o! ’uw’ tl’e’ wulh yakw’utum tu’i tl’e’ wulh ’amustum tl’e’ wulh yu ste’ ’ul’, yu sq’uq’a’ tthu stth’am’ ’u tthu ni’ s’aamustewut.
    1. Oh! And they started breaking up some more, and Wren gave it to Blue Jay again, and what was given to blue jay had bones in it again.
48. sus tl’e’ wulh lhuyxtus.
    1. And Blue Jay ate it again.
49. ’i.i.i tuw’ hith ’i’ tl’e’ wulh qwal, “’e.e.x’ex kwesh ’e.e.e.ex kwesh.”
    1. In a little while, he again said, “’e.e.x ’ex kwesh ’e.e.e.ex kwesh.”
50. suw’ yu tse.e.etl’um’ ’i’ nuw’ hwu tsitsulh ’ul’, ’i’ ni’ hwu sqw’ulesh.
    1. And he kept jumping around, going higher and higher, and he became a bird.
51. ’i’ niilh mustimuhw thuw’nilh ’i’ ni’ hwu sqw’ulesh thuw’nilh skwitth’uts.
    1. And that one who was a human turned into a bird, that Blue Jay.
52. nilh kwu’elh ’un’sh le’lum’ut thuw’nilh skwitth’uts kwsis ts’its’usum’ tthu sxuy’usth tuw’ tl’aluqta’qw.
    1. That’s why you see Blue Jay has grown the long plume on his head. [Because he was jumping up and down.]
53. nilh nuw’ sht’es ’ul’ tthey’ kw’unus nilh xwi’xwi’a’musthe’ult ’u tthuw’nilh skwitth’uts, kwsus hwu q’eq’e’lh ’i’ ni’ nem’ lhakw’.
    1. This is the story that I was told about Blue Jay, that he got a bone in his throat.
54. nilh kwu’elh ’u shus lhalhukw’.
    1. And that is why he flew.
55. ni’ hay!
    1. The end!