Bill Seward: Sharing & Helping

Sharing and Helping

(Hul’q’umi’num’ starts at 2:20)

kwunus hwun’a ’ulh ’ul’ nem’ kwulusht(um) smuyuth,
When I first started going shooting deer,

’i’ skw’ey kwunus ’uw’ kwun’et ’ul’ nem’ tsun ’amust tu s’eluhw.
and I was obligated to take some and go give it to the Elder.

nilh ’uw’ sht’esulh tthuw’ t’at mustimuhw nilh snuw’uyulh.
That is the way it was with our ancestors—that’s their cultural teaching.

huy’thustham’shus kw’unu s’ul’eluhw,
The Elders were telling me,

“ha’ ch nem’ ’aluxut tun’ s’ulhtun ’i nilh tu s’ul’eluhw yuw’en’.”
“When you go gather food, it’s always goes first to the Elders.”

tun’a kweyul ’i’ na’ut ’ikw’,
Today that is being lost,

’uwu kws nilhs hwu ts’its’uw’atul’,
and they are not helping one another,

ni’ hay kws ts’its’uw’atul’sulh st’e ’u kwthuw’ sht’es ’ulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst.
and helping one another is the way that our Elders did it.

nilh kwu’elh nu stl’i’ kws m’i xunqun hwu’alum’ hwu’alum’ kwey’ sht’es ’ulh kwthey’ ’uw’ t’at snuw’uyulh,
And I want it to come back again, returning to those old traditional teachings,

snuw’uyulhulh kwthuw’ t’at mustimuhw.
the traditional teachings of our ancestors.

’i’ tthu stl’i’tl’qulh, le’lum’ut ch tthu stl’ul’iqulh,
And the children, you have to be looking after the children.

’i’ tun’a kweyul ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ ’ikw’ tthey’ snuw’uyulh.
And today those cultural teachings have been lost.

nilh wa’lu tun’a sqa’qa’ ni’ st’e ’u kw’uw’ hwu shnu’ass tthu stl’ul’iqulh.
Maybe it’s account of the drinking that the children have turned away.

’uweelh kw’unus qa’qa’ kw’unus hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
I never drank when I was a kid.

quxulh s’ul’eluhw ’i’ na’ut kwu’elh hwu s’i’kw’ ’u tun’a kweyul
There were a lot of Elders but now today it’s all lost.

nilh kwu’elh shus st’e kw’uw’ t-sasthut tun’a mustimuhw.
And that’s why today’s generation is so pathetic.

ni’ tst hwu t-sas.
We have become pitiful.

nilh kwu’elh nush m’i hwu’alum’stuhw
And now I’m going to return

qwaqwul’stuhw tthu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ ’u tthu skwoulew’t-hw.
to speaking about the children there at school.

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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.