Bill Seward: Rebuilding The Longhouse

they’t thu thi lelum’ |Rebuilding the Longhouse

’een’thu p’e’ niilh thuyt thu thi lelum’ tst
I was indeed the one responsible for building our longhouse

’i’ kw’unu sqe’uq ni’ wulh s’i’kw’ ’u tun’a kweyul.
along with my younger brother who is now deceased.

suw’ thuyt ’i’ huy’thustham’shusulh kw’unu s’ul’eluhw,
We were building and my Elders were tell me,

“ha’ ch tuw’ t’et’iyuq’ ’uw’ niihw t’et’iyuq’ ’i’ ’uwu ch thuy’tuhw.
“If you are at all angry, mad at something, don’t be building.

s’ul’ey’ ch ’ul’ ’u tey’ lelum’.”
Treat this house right.”

nilh kwu’elh nush ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ they’ yuthust ’ulh kw’unu sqe’uq kwutst wulh thuyt, they’t they’ lelum’.
And so it was like the way it was told, when my young brother and
and were building that house.

’i’ tun’a kweyul ’i’ na’ut hwu s’i’kw’ tey’ snuw’uyulh.
But today we have lost those teachings.

’uw’ nanulh ’uw’ xe’xe’st-hwus tu t’at mustimuhw.
It was very sacred to our ancestors.

lemut tu qiquq’ul’s ’i’ niilh ’uw’ ts’ets’uw’utham’shus
Look after the bad ways and we will help you

kwsutst wulh thuyt they’ lelum’.
to build that house.

’i’ tun’a kweyul ’i’ hwul’hwul’uq tst ’i’ ’ukw’nuhw tun’a snuw’uyulh.
Today, we have almost lost our tradtional teachings.

nilh wa’lu tu ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ qaaqa’ kwun’etus tu qul mustimuhw.
Maybe it’s on accout of the drinking that has addicted the people.

tth’ihwum ch kwu’elh st’e ’u kw’uw’ ts’ewutal’hw.
Please then won’t you help us.

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A story in Hul’q’umi’num’ by Bill Seward, Snuneymuxw First Nations, Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Recorded by Chris Bouris.
Transcribed by Ruby Peter, typed by Sarah Kell, and edited and translated by Donna Gerdts.
Thanks to Chris Bouris, Sean Milliken, and Zoey Peterson for video and post-production.