Bill Seward: Jack Point

JACK POINT | lhtse’mun
by Bill Seward

shni’sulh tu.. tl’e’ wulh shni’s tu hwulmuhw, snuneymuhw hwulmuhw
At the location of the Snuneymuxw First Nations,

yey’sul’u shne’um tun’ni’ ’u tey’.
two people who were Shamans lived there.

na’nuts’a’ shne’um slheni’ thu mun’us.
One had a daughter.

’i’ tu na’nuts’a’ shne’um swuy’qe’ tu mun’us.
The other had a son.

nilh kwu’elh …nilh st’ee kw’uw’ ’iye’qtum ni’ hwu kw’a’luhwstum
They were changed to a dog salmon,

ni’ hwus… thu na’nuts’a’ slheni’.
and then also the other girl.

susuw’ huye’ ni’ nuqum ’u tu qa’.
She dove into the ocean.

sus tl’uw’ ’iye’qtus tu mun’us na’ut tl’uw’ hwu kw’a’luhw.
They were both turned to a dog salmon.

na’ut nuqum na’ut huye’.
So, he also dove into the ocean and swam away.

niis ts’twa’ kw’in xu’athun sil’anum ’i’ ’e’ut m’i hwu’alum’
Maybe four years later they returned

’e’ut m’i yu kwun’etum’ tu hay ’ul’ qux kw’a’luhw.
with many other dog salmon.

nilh s-hwun’a’sulh m’i wil’ tu kw’a’luhw ’i’ ’u tu sta’luw’ ni’ ’utl’ snuneymuhw.
This was the very first time for a big run of dog salmon at Nanaimo.

hay ’ul’ qux kw’a’luhw m’i tetsul.
A large run of dog salmon go here.

yuw’en’ tey’ slheni’ ’i’ tu swuy’qe’ m’i yu kwun’etus tey’.
The woman came first, and then man, bringing those one.

niilh s-hwun’a’sulh ’a’luxutus tu hwulmuhw tu kw’a’luhw.
This was the very first time the First people were harvesting dog salmon.

skwoukwme’tum.
Theywere cooked for them.

lemutum tu….na’ut thuytum tu huy’qw kw’e’sutum sq’i’lu.
They looked for (fire wood) and then build a fire, and heated it over the flames, making smoked salmon.

’i’ na’ut tl’e’ wulh huye’ tu yey’sul’u mustimuhw, they’ slheni’ ’i’ tu swuy’qe’.
And then the two people took off again, the woman and the man.

’i’ tl’e’ wulh m’i tetsul ’u tu (next) qul’et sil’anum.
The woman and man came another year,

’i’ tl’e’ wulh yu kwun’etus tu qux.
and they brought another big run of dog salmon.

nilh kwu’elh s-hwun’a’s ’ul’ m’i wil’ tu stseelhtun ’i ’utl’ snuneymuhw.
So, this was the very first time the salmon appeared here at Snuneymuxw.

’i’ nan ’uw’ wulh hith tun’a yath m’iw’ yu wiwul’.
And it’s been a very long time that they have always been appearing.

’i’ st’ee tun’a kweyul ’i’ na’ut tl’e’ wulh yu ’ikw’ tu stseelhtun,
Today we are losing our salmon,

stseelhtunsulh kwthey’ sheymun xut’ust-hwus tu hwunitum’.
the salmon of those shaman, as the white man call them.

’i’ tun’a lhnimulh ’i’ hay tst ni’ nets’ mustimuhw.
And us people today, we are very different.

ni’ kwu’elh m’i tetsul qul’et ’i’ na’ut hwu nets’,
So, when they arrive again, it is very different,

na’ut tst hwu nets’ ’u tun’a kweyul sht’esulh ’uw’ t’at mustimuhw.
It is very different today from how it was with our ancestors.

tun’a kweyul ’i’ na’ tst wulh yu ’ikw’nuhw tey’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ m’i hwuni’ wiwul’sulh tu ‘uw’ t’at mustimuhw m’i ’ewustuhwus tu stseelhtun.
Today, we have lost the about how our ancestors appeared here, bringing the salmon.

’i’ na’ut ste’ ’u kw’uw’ hwu ’iye’q ’u tun’a kweyul.
And it’s changed from those ways today.

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.