Donna ts’uw’xilum by Elwood Modeste Recorded by Donna Gerdts 1980 at Koksilah Reserve.Thanks to Arnold Guerin for help with transcription and translation. (1) sqwul’qwul’ ’u kwthu ts’uw’xilum.The story of Tzouhalem. (2) ’i’ stl’i’s kws hwu shne’ums.And he wanted to become an Indian doctor. (3) sus ’uw’ stl’i’s kws hays ’i ’u tthu tl’elhum qa’ kws suwq’s … Read more
tthu nu shtun’naalhtun Where I Am From
kwus hwu hulq’umi’num’ tthu shwunim’a’lh nuhiimat How the English Name Changed in Hul’q’umi’num’ (1) ’een’thu sti’tum’at. nu shhwuw’weli, qwulsimtunaat ’i’ xit-sulenuhw. I’m sti’tum’at. My parents were Cecelia Leo and Basil Alphonse. (2) ya-a-ath ’uw’ ch hwuhunum’ tthunu shhwuw’weli ’utl’ mulyesi. My parents always talked about [someone called] Mulyesi. (3) ’i’ yathulh ’uw’ hiin’atul tthu … Read more
(1) hwi’ nilh tse’ kwu’elh ni’ulh nu suluthut kw’un’us ’ilh ’uw’ hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh; nilh tse’ nu shhwun’em.I will now talk about how I grew up as a child. (2) nanulh ’uw’ hwun’ ’uhwin – wuw’a’ ’apun ’i’ kw’ nuts’a’ sil’anum ’i’ ni’ulh tsun ni’ ’utl’ ley’qsun kwunus mukw’ stem ni’ nu sul’u’thut ts’uhwle’ ’i’ stth’oom.When … Read more
(1) ’a.a.a sii’em’ nu s’ul-hween, hay tseep q’a yath tseep nuw’ ts’ets’uw’ut tu stl’ul’iqulh.My most honoured elders, thank you all for helping our children. (2) ’uwu kw’us nulup lhtsiws suw’ ’aatalu ’i’ wulh m’i tseep.You never tire of coming whenever you are called. (3) nilh ’uw’ wal’u tu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ ’un’ stth’etth’uy’ukwulup.It’s the children that … Read more
(1) ’een’thu tun’ni’ ’utl’ snuw’nuw’us.I am from Nanoose. (2) swutamut tthunu sne.swutamut is my name. (3) hwun’ [tsun] stl’i’tl’qulh tsun ’i ni’ tsun ni’ ’utl’ shts’um’inus kwun’atul’ ’u kwunu men ’i’ ten.I grew up in Chemainus with my father and mother. (4) ’i’ wulh thuytum kwu thi lelum’ ni’ ’u kwey’.They built a longhouse there. … Read more
