Lussy Aleck: The Girl Who Gave Birth To Puppies

Elizabeth (Lussy) Aleck

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. na’nuts’a’ mustimuhw, si’e.e.em’ mustimuhw kwuna’tul’ ’u thu sta’luss, ’uy’etus thu mun’us, na’nuts’a’ slheni’ mun’us.
    1. One person, a very rich person, and his wife, took great care of their daughter. 
  2. ’uy’ le’lum’utus ’eelhtun.
    1. They really looked after her.
  3. ’i’ nuw’ hwkwun’eem’ ’ul’ ’u thu stl’i’tl’qulh, lhey’ mun’us.
    1. But their daughter became pregnant. 
  4. suw’ xi’xe’ tthuw’ne’ullh sis nem’ ’uw’ taantus sus ’uw’ t-hway ’ul’ ni’ ’u  tu ni’ shni’s.
    1. And they were very embarrassed, so they deserted her there alone where they lived. 
  5. tsqeq kwus wulh tsqeq ’i’ qwuli’qwmi’.
    1. When she gave birth, they were puppies.
  6. tahw ’uw’ nine (toohwelu) qeqs ’i’ sqwuli’qwmi’.
    1. She had nine babies altogether and they were puppies.
  7. suw’ taantum kwus taantum t-hway ’ul’ le’lum’utus [tthu me’mun’us].
    1. So they abandoned her to care for her children. 
  8. nem’ t’at’uhw t’ut’hwa’ulh kws xulhust-s tthu me’mun’us.
    1. She’d go down to the beach digging clams to feed her kids.
  9. ts’uhwle’ ’i’ xut’e ’u tthey’ tl’e’ wulh ts’elhum’utus kwi’ na.a.anum’.
    1. Sometimes she would be doing this and she would hear someone having a conversation.
  10. hwun’ xut’u ’i’ wulh me’shus tthu chekut-s suw’ ’a’kw’ustus ’u tthu sqeluxs ni’ ’u tthu tsetsuw’.
    1. Then she took off her jacket and hung it on her pitchfork down at the beach.
  11. sus nem’ ’uw’ tl’i.i.its’utus thu le’lum’s, thi lelum’.
    1. And then she snuck over to the her house,the longhouse.
  12. nem’ tus kwus wulh tus ’i’ ni.i.i’w’ mustimuhw, tl’lim’ ’uw’ ’eli’ mustimuhw, toohwelu suw’wuy’qe’.
    1. And when she looked in, there were people, very good people, nine males.
  13. suw’ kwey’xhut tthu na’nuts’a’ sel’q’t tthu ha’kwushus kw’ qwumey’ulwut-s.
    1. One of them was moving around swinging the things he wore as his dog coat.
  14. sht’eewun’ thu mam kws sqwuli’qwmi’ tst, ’i’ ’uwu ’uw’ mustimuhw xxx.”
    1. “Our mother thinks that we are dogs, and not people.”
  15. suw’ tus nem’ tus ’u tthey’ suw’ q’putus [tthu] qwumey’ulwut-s [tthu] me’mun’us suw’ yuqwtus.
    1. And she went there and gathered all the dog coats of her children and burned them.
  16. sis ’uw’ hwu mulstimuhw, nnnu, mulstimuhw.
    1. So they stayed human beings.
  17. sis ’uw’  hwu thi.i.i si’em’ thuw’nilh kws lelum’utum’ ’u tthu me’mun’us. hmm.
    1. She became very rich because she was taken care of  by her children.
  18. nilh nexun’s ’ul’ kwey’. hmm.
    1. That is all.
Lussy Aleck