Bill Seward, Snuneymuhw First Nations
Speaking at the Vancouver Museum
April 2, 1998.
Videography – Chris Bouris
Video post production – Sean Milliken and Zoey Peterson
Translation and titles – Theresa Thorne and Donna Gerdts
Transcription – Donna Gerdts
Thank you – Loraine Littlefield
- I’ll tell you a story about our ways, our teachings, our culture, about sports. Everything is combined. Cleansing especially, which we’re pretty near losing today. You got to be a clean person. When you go hunting, the way I was taught by the Elders, you’ve got to cleanse yourself. You go into a longhouse, you got to be cleansed, you’ve got to be a clean person. You get on a canoe, you got to be a clean person to get on a canoe.
- sii’em’ nu siiye’yu, sht’es ’ul’ kwu suw’ thuythut, thuythutuhw.
- My most honoured friends, this is about how you prepare, prepare yoursself.
- xut’ust-hwusulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw snuw’uyulh tu st’e ’ukw nuw’ ’ikw’ut tun’a kweyul.
- The way our elder lectured about cultural teachings that are being lost today.
- ha’ ch tse’ nem’ ’um’mush, ’i’ nem’ ch thuythut.
- When you go hunting, you go prepare yourself.
- nem’ ch nem’ ’u tu smeent, thuythut ch, kw’aythut, shakw’um ch.
- You go up the mountain to prepare yourself, take a spiritual bath, go for a bath.
- xu’athun skweyul m’i yu hwkwekwiyul’ ’i’ m’i ch hun’umut.
- You do this for four days, when it’s early in the morning and then you come home.
- ’uwu wulh q’iltus ’i’ yelh sus nem’, nilhulh sht’es tthu mustimuhw.
- Do not go late in the morning, that was the way of our ancestors.
- ha’ ch nem’ tse’ ’aalh ’u tu snuhwulh, ha’ tse’ qul tu kwun’etuhw, ’i’ ’uwu ch ’aalhuhw ’u tu snuhwulh.
- If you are going to go on a canoe, if you are hold bad thoughts, you are not permitted on the canoe.
- nilhulh snuw’uyulh.
- That was the teaching.
- nilhulh niis st’e ni’nuw’uthe’lut kwunus ’aalh ’u tu snuhwulh, nu steti’.
- That was I was advised about when I was on the canoe, pulling.
- ha’ ch tse’ nem’ ’u thu stheew’t-hw, ’i’ ’uwu ch hun’wul’umuhw ’u tu stheewt-hw, ’uw’ kwun’etuhw tu qul shqwaluwun.
- If you are coming to the longhouse, you will not enter the longhouse, if you are holding any bad thoughts.
- s’e’tl’qstuhw ch ’ul’.
- Leave them outside.
- ha’ ch ’uwu s’e’tl’qst-hwuhw ’ul’ ’i’ uwu ch nem’uhw hun’wulum’.
- If you cannot leave it outside then you cannot go in.
- nilhulh snuw’uyulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst.
- That was the teaching of our Elders.
- tun’a kwey’ul ’i’ ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ ’uw’ ni’ hwuw’hwul’uq ’i’ ni’ ’ikw’ tey’ snuw’uyulhsulh.
- Today the teaching of the Elders is almost forgotten.
- na’ut hwu kwikwun’tul’ tu mustimuhw sun’iw’ ’u tey’ stheew’t-hw.
- Today there are a lot of conflicts in the longhouse.
- suw’ ’aalhsulh ’u tu snuhwulh ’i’ na’ut tl’uw’ st’e.
- Canoe races are also like that.
- na’ut tl’uw’ hwu kwikwun’tul’.
- Fighting has also started there.
- nem’ tse’ ’um’mush ’i’ ni’ tl’uw’ st’e ’ul’.
- Same as the hunters very same thing.
- nilh tey’ snuw’uyulhsulh kwthu s’ul’eluxw tst ni’ st’e ’uw’ s’i’kw’ ’u tun’a kweyul.
- It seems that the teachings of the Elders is lost today.
- tth’ihwum tseep, sii’em’ stlul’i’qulh, ’i’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ hwu’alum’stuhw hwq’uq’inustuhw kwthu sht’esulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst
- Please, my most honoured childen, return to the ways of our Elders
- ’i’mushs ’i u’ tun’a sulewe’ tumuhw.
- who were walking on our own land.
- ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ ni’ xwuw’xwuwul’uq ’i’ ni’ ’ukw’nuhwut.
- It seems that we have almost lost our teaching.
- ’uw’ st’e ’ul’ ’u tey’ kw’unus ts’iitalu, sii’em’ stl’ul’iqulh.
- And so I want to thank you, respected children.
- hay tseep q’a’, sii’em’ stl’ul’iqulh.
- Thank you respected children.
- kwunut tseep tu sii’em’ shqwaluwunsulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst.
- Hold on to the cherished thoughts of our Elders.
- ni’ hay.
- The end.