Stories Relating to our Places

Bill Seward: How Grandmother Stopped the Wars

How Grandmother stopped the Wars by Bill Seward ’uw’ xwi’em’ tsun tse’ ’ul’ ’u kwsunu si’lu’elh, tens kw’unu men. I am going to tell you a story about my grandmother, mother of my father. hwun’ xuxi’luxsulh tu mustimuhw During the times when we were at war amongst each other hwuw’ees m’iis tetsul tu hwunitum’, before the white people came, ’i’

Bill Seward: Jack Point

JACK POINT | lhtse’munby Bill Seward shni’sulh tu.. tl’e’ wulh shni’s tu hwulmuhw, snuneymuhw hwulmuhwAt 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’luhwstumThey

Bill Seward: Snake Island

SNAKE ISLAND – hw’ulhqi’um I will tell you a story about Snake Island. It’s been passed down to our people for thousands of years, which I’ve learned from my Elders. And we used to call that place hw’ulhqi’um. ni’ ’ulh ’uw’ hwun’ ni’ ’utl’ stl’iilnup tthu hwulmuhw, snuneymuhw hwulmuhw. When the First Nations people, the Snuneymuhw First Peoples, resided at

Bill Seward: Snake Island (English)

A story from Bill Seward, Snuneymuxw First Nations, Nanaimo, British Columbia. Recorded by Chris Bouris. Thanks to Chris Bouris, Sean Milliken, and Zoey Peterson for video and post-production. Please also view the Hul’q’umi’num’ version of Bill’s story at: Bill Seward: Snake Island

Bill Seward: The Young Man and the Orca

The young man and the orca I will tell you a story about the orca. This was also passed on from 1000 years ago. There was a hunter, seal hunter. nem’ pi’atulh tu na’nuts’a’ swiw’lus. One young young man went hunting on the water. shes ’es-hw tu yath ’uw’ ’a’luxutus yu t’at’ukw’. Sea lions and seals were what he always

Bill Seward: The Man Who Was Turned Into A Rock

xewtl’uqs | The man who was turned into a rock by Bill Seward I’m going to tell you a story about xewtl’uqs, that’s in Nanaimo, the lighthouse. The man was turned into a rock. kwunus hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh, When I was a young child, ’i’ sq’uqa’ tsun ’u tu s’ul’e’luhw, skw’oukw’iyukwum’s ni’ ’u tey’, I went along with the elders fishing