Bill Seward: Sharing And Helping Redux

Always share what you catch

suw’ q’ups tthu mustimuhw ni’ ’u thu thi lelum’,
When the people gather in the longhouse,

thuytum tey’ smuyuth ’uw’ stemus, ma’uqw ’uw’ stemus, ’es-hw.
they fix deer or whatever, ducks, seal.

wulh q’putum tu mustimuhw, suw’ ’amustum tu s’ul’eluhw ’u tey’
When the people are gather, they give to the Elders

ni’ st’ee kw’uw’ sq’uq’ip s’ulhtun.
whatever kind of food they have gathered.

nilhulh sht’es tey’, ’i’ ni’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh they’tum’
When it was all ready, the children would be fixing it

kws hwu sthuthi’s tun’a snuw’uyulh.
and that’s was proper way acoording to our cultural teachings.

’i’ ’uw’ nilh tu stl’ul’iqulh nem’ ’e’um ’u tey’.
And it was the children that would come and then gift it out.

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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.