Lussy Aleck: The Coming of the First Whites

Elizabeth (Lussy) Aleck of Stzuminus First Nation speaking at Snaw-naw-as First Nation October 29, 1995
Recorded by Donna Gerdts, and transcribed and translated by Donna Gerdts and Theresa Thorne

  1. huy’thustham’shus kw’unu menulh ’u kwu sht’esulh ’u [kw’uw’] wulh hi.i.ith mustimuhw… hwun’a.a.a’ m’i tetsul ’u tun’a snuw’nuw’us. 
    1. My father told me about the arrival of the first people to come to Snaw-naw-us.
  2. ha.a.a’ qux mustimuhw ‘i’ xlhas kws xlhass ’i wulh ’aam [’u] tthu smeent ’ulhtun tse’ tthu ts’um’ush. 
    1. Whenever there were many people, they would invite them  to eat herring eggs
  3. hwun’ xut’e ’u tthey’ ’i’ wulh m’i tetsul tthu pout, shup, m’i lheel. ’a.a.a.yum ’ul’ ’i’ m’i qw’im. 
    1. While this is all going on, a ship arrived, docked slowly then they disembarked.
  4. suw’ t’ahw tthu chifs tthu tun’ni’ ’u tun’a, ha’kwush tthu ni’ ha’kwushus kws chifs.  
    1. The chief went down—chief from here wearing their regalia.
  5. m’i qw’imutum tthuw’ mu-u-ukw’ stem ha’kwushus tthu hwunitum’, m’i qw’imutum lumstum kwu chifs kwu’i ’u tun’a.  
    1. The white people  unloaded everything they use to show the chief of this territory.
  6. suw’ m’i lemutum kwus wulh qul’et kweyul ’i’ ’a’mut tthu na’nuts’a’ nu’as ’u tthu tsuw’tsuw’. 
    1. They came to see the next day and found one man sitting facing towards the sea.
  7. ha’kwushus tthu shqw’qwum hwi’ shq’asutus ’u tthu ts’xemuns. 
    1. He was wearing an axe dangling on his chest.
  8. suw’ thut-stewut, “’uwu st’es ’u  tthey’ tthey’.
    1. So they told him, “You do not use that like that.
  9. “nilh ’un’ shsq’et,” suw’ lumstewut, “ ‘un’ shsq’et kw’u syalh.” 
    1. “That’s what you use to split wood,” and they demonstrated, “what you use to split wood.” 
  10. suw’ thuyulhtstum t’uyum’shum tthey’ suw’ huy’thustum’, “nilh ’un’ shseq’t kwus ‘un’ syalh.” 
    1. And they helped him and told him that is for, “That’s what you use to split your wood,”
  11. quxulh kwu’elh mustimuhw ’i’ kw’i yuw’e.e.e.en’ulh mustimuhw. ’aaa. 
    1. There were a lot of people in those days, way back then, a lot of people here. Aah.
  12.  qux ’i ’u tun’a.
    1. There were  a lot of people here.
  13. huy’thustham’shus kw’unu menulh, nilh ha-a-ay ’ul’ wulh thi mustimuhw tthu snuw’nuw’us. 
    1. My father told me that Nanoose was the biggest band
  14. nilh ha.a.ay ’ul’ wulh thi mustimuhw—qux mustimuhw. 
    1. It had the most people—lots of people.
  15. nilh kwu’elh shhw’is hwu-u-un’a-a-a’sulh m’i tetsul tthu hwunitum’ ’u tun’a ’ula’ulh ’u tey’ shup.
    1. It was here when the very first arrival of the white man coming off the ship.
  16. ’uwu kws tul’newut ’uw’ nutsim’us shus tl’lim’s ’uw’ p’uq’, sht’eewun’mutum kws spul’qwitth’e’s.
    1. Nobody knew why they why they were so white, and they thought they were ghosts.
  17. ’i’ ’uwu, hwi’ hwunitum’ p’e’. 
    1. But no, they were white people.
  18. nilh shhwun’a.a.a’sulh m’i hun’lhelt tu hwunitum’—hwun’a’sulh m’i tetsul.  
    1. This was the very first arrival of white people—when they first arrived.
  19. nuw’ shnexun’s ’ul’ kwey’ ni’ shtatul’st-hween’. 
    1. That is all I know.
Lussy Aleck