Bill and his Brother as Soldiers
saay’ kws xiluxs | Preparing for War
Bill Seward
- niilh tst ni’ ’u tu’i tsa’luqw thuythut tst kws nem’ tst xilux ’i’ kw’unu shuyulh.
- Me and my older brother were up the mountain here training to go to war.
- ’i’ wulh nem’ tst xilux, xut’u ’u tun’a kweyulus wulh huye’ tst.
- And we were leaving to go to war the next day.
- xeem’ kw’unu men, xeem’ lhunu ten, ’uwu stl’i’sus kws nem’ tst.
- My father was crying, and my other was crying because they didn’t want us to go.
- ’i tst wulh kwunnuhw tu stem ni’ hay tu xixul’ux, ni’ hay.
- And we got the news that they war was over.
- nilh kwu’elh nilh lhunu ten ’i’ kw’unu men nilh ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ thuyt tey’.
- And it was like my mother and my father had made it happen.
[In the English version Bill quips, “And I told my brother that they heard the Indians were coming so they just quit.”]
Transcribed by Ruby Peter, typed by Sarah Kell, and edited and translated by Donna Gerdts. Thanks to Sean Milliken and Zoey Peterson for video and post-production.