Bill Seward: Welcome Speech

(1) ’a.a.a sii’em’ nu s’ul-hween, hay tseep q’a yath tseep nuw’ ts’ets’uw’ut tu stl’ul’iqulh.
My most honoured elders, thank you all for helping our children.

(2) ’uwu kw’us nulup lhtsiws suw’ ’aatalu ’i’ wulh m’i tseep.
You never tire of coming whenever you are called.

(3) nilh ’uw’ wal’u tu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ ’un’ stth’etth’uy’ukwulup.
It’s the children that you are worried about.

(4) ’i’ nan tsun ’uw’ ts’iitalu tu sii’em’ shqwaluwun’ulup yath ’uw’ kwun’etulup ’i’mushstuhwulup
The honoured teachings are what you hold and continue forward.

(5) nan tsun ’uw’ ts’italu.
I express my thanks to you all.

(6) hay tseep q’a.
Thank you.

(7) kwthey’ lelum’, niilh lelum’ ni’ulh yuqw, ’een’thu hwun’a’ ’ul’ ni’ st’e’ ’ukw’ ’uw’ thuyt.
In regards to the longhouse, the house that was burnt, it’s me who started rebuilding it.

(8) nilh shni’s shni’sulh kwthu s’ul’eluhw tst, nilh shni’sulh tthu snuw’uyulh.
That is the way of our elders, where the teaching stems from.

(9) tun’a kweyul ’i’ ni’ st’ee ’u kw’uw’ s’ikw’ tu snuw’uyulh tst.
Today, we have lost our teaching.

(10) ni’ st’ee ’u kw’uw’ hwu tskwey’kwuy’ ’ul’ tu stl’ul’i’qulh tst.
Our children are at sea.

(11) m’is lhu hwq’unqun hwu’a’lum’ tu snuw’uyulhs kwu s’ul’eluhw tst ni’ taantal’hw.
I hope we will return to the teaching of the elders who have left us.

(12) ’i’ nan tsun ’uw’ ts’iitalu tu lhwulup s’ul’eluhw yath ’uw’ ’i ts’ets’uw’ut tu stl’ul’iqulh.
I want to thank you, elders, for always helping the children.