Bill Seward: How Grandmother Stopped the Wars

How Grandmother stopped the Wars

by Bill Seward

’uw’ xwi’em’ tsun tse’ ’ul’ ’u kwsunu si’lu’elh, tens kw’unu men.
I am going to tell you a story about my grandmother, mother of my father.

hwun’ xuxi’luxsulh tu mustimuhw
During the times when we were at war amongst each other

hwuw’ees m’iis tetsul tu hwunitum’,
before the white people came,

’i’ m’i’ulh ’ewu tu tuyt mustimuhw.
people from the north would came.

suw’ hwun’ ni’s’ulh ’utl’ stl’iilnup tu hwulmuhw tst.
Our native people still lived at Departure Bay.

sus m’is ’uw’ tetsul kws m’is xilux, ’i’ wulh nem’ ni’ ni’ ’u tu le’lum’ut.
When they came to make war, someone was always on lookout.

suw’ lumnuhws kwus wulh m’i wil’ yu’i’shul’
And when he saw them come paddling,

’i’ wulh nem’ xwchenum yuthustus tu hwulmuhw.
he would run to warn the people.

nem’ nem’ ’u tu tuyt wuqw’uxun.
He went to the north and downstsream.

mukw’ mustimuhw ’uw’ yuthustum yu ’e’wu tu shumen tst, m’i xilux.
He told all the people that our enemy was coming to war.

suw’ mukw’s wet ’uw’ kweel,
They all hid away,

’uw’ hay ’ul’ thu na’nuts’a’ slheni’ nem’ xwchenum nem’ ’u tthu tsetsuw’
except for one lady who went running down to the beach

’unuhwst-hwus tu’i’ yu lhulheel’ xilux.
to stop them from coming ashore to make war.

tatul’ust-hwus kwsunu si’lu tu swe’s sqwels tey’ tuyt mustimuhw.
My grandmother knew the language of the northern people.

suw’ ts’elhum’utus tey’ tuyt mustimuhw thuw’ swe’s thathuns,
So, when the northern people heard her speaking their own language,

suw’ ’unuhws, ’aalhst-hwus tu s’unums.
they stopped and loaded up their spears.

sus m’is ’uw’ taant ’aaltus thunu si’lus ’aatum m’i lheel.
And then my grandmother invited them to come ashore.

“m’i nuw’ilum ’u thu thi lelum’ tst. xlhastalu tsun.”
“Come into our big house. I will feed you.”

suw’ nuw’ilum, qw’im.
They came in, they came to shore.

nem’ ’u thu thi lelum’ xlhas tu mustimuhw.
They went into the bighouse, and the people ate.

nilh ’uw’ sht’esulh tu mustimuhw tst, ’i’tal’s.
That was the way of our ancestors, to befriend everyone.

mukw’ m’i nuw’ilum ’u thu theew’t-hw ’i’ wulh xlhastum.
Everyone came into the longhouse to they were fed.

lemut tuw’ shumen tst mustimuhw ni’ tl’uw’ xlhastum.
When you see our worst enemies, they are fed as well.

suw’ hay kwus ’i’lhtun’ ’i’ wulh lhxilush thunu si’lu.
So when they finished feasting, my grandmother stood up.

“ni’ tseep hayuqun, sii’em’ nu siiye’yu, ni’ tseep hayuqun.
“You are finished feasting, honoured friends, you have finished.

nem’ tseep kwelh t’akw’.
So you all go home.

’uwu tseep tum’temuhw ’i’ m’i tl’e’ hwu’alum’ ’i’ ’ewu ’u tun’a.
And you all never return here again.

’uwu tseep m’iihw tl’e’ hwu’alum’.”
Never ever return again.”

sus nem’ ’uw’ t’akw’ ’eelhtun, ’i’ hwuw’e m’is tl’e’ tetsul qul’et.
They returned home, and they have never come back again.

ni’ hay tu sxiluxulh.
That was the end of the war.

ni’ hay.
It was over.

nilh kwus wulh hwun’a’ ’ul’ tetsul tu hwunitum’
It was around the time when the white people first arrived

’i’ ni’ wulh hay tu sxilux.
when the war ended.

’i’ nilh nu si’lu ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ ’unuhwstuhw tun’a st’e ’u kw’uw’ yathulh ’uw’ sxixul’ux mustimuhw.
And it was my grandmother who stopped those people from always making war.

’i ’u’ tun’a kweyul ’i’ ni’ tst st’e ’u kw’uw’ hwu ’i’tal’.
Today we are friendly to each other.

’i’ ’e’ut ’uw’ hwun’ kwikwun’tul’ tu hwunitum’ yath ’uw’ xixul’ux.
But, the white people are still fighting with each other, always making war.

’i’ ni’ tst ’unuhw tu lhnimulh hwulmuhw.
And we First Nations people have stopped.

ni’ hay.
The end.

_______
Story told by Bill Seward.
Transcribed by Theresa Thorne and Donna Gerdts.
Translated by Bill Seward and Donna Gerdts.
Filmed by Chris Bouris
Audio and video post-production by Chris Bouris, Sean Milliken, and Zoey Peterson.
Titles by Donna Gerdts.