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)

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Jim Bob: Longhouse Days

(1) ’een’thu tun’ni’ ’utl’ snuw’nuw’us.I am from Nanoose. (2) swutamut tthunu sne.swutamut is my name. (3) hwun’ [tsun] stl’i’tl’qulh tsun ’i ni’ tsun ni’ ’utl’ shts’um’inus kwun’atul’ ’u kwunu men ’i’ ten.I grew up in Chemainus with my father and mother. (4) ’i’ wulh thuytum kwu thi lelum’ ni’ ’u kwey’.They built a longhouse there. (5) nanulh ’uw’ ’iyus kwey’

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Eva Thomas: Berry Picking

(1) mukw’ stem lhemts’tus—stsi’yu, tsqw’iil’muhw, tstsulqama’, tsq’e’lux sqw’iil’muhw.They picked everything—strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, black blackberries. (2) ’uy’.They were good. (3) ts’ey’hwtus tthu s’ul’eluhwulh.The elders used to dry them. (4) They dry it. (5) ts’ey’hwtus thu stsi’yu.They dried the strawberries. (6) lumnuhw na’nuts’a’ s’eluhw, wulh s’e.e.eluhw, suw’ lhumts’tus kw’am’kw’um’, suw’ ts’uy’hwtus…I saw one elder, when they were far along, who picked them

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Eva Thomas: Nursing My Foster Child

(1) suw’ q’aq’i’ lhunu skw’umilhum.My foster child was sick. (2) suw’ yuthusthelum qw’uqw’um’ tthu she’ituns tl’eel’uqt tthu she’ituns.So, they told me to cut off her hair; her hair was really long. (3) sus ’uw’ qw’uqw’um’.So, it was cut. (4) suw’ yuthusthelum yathulh ’uw’ q’aq’i’.They told me to do that if she’s sick. (5) yuthusthelum, “t’e’t kwunut tthu tl’i’nu.”Somebody told me,

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Theresa Thorne: Native Medicine

(1) [In English:] Good morning. (2) I’m Theresa Thorne, from Cowichan band. (3) suw’siw’ tthunu sne.suw’siw’ is my name. (4) kw’unus tuw’ qwul’qwul ’ul’ ’u tthu sht’es tthu slhexun’, slhexun’s tthu hwuhwilmuhw.I’ll speak a little about medicine, the native medicine. (5) st’e ’uw’ ni’ut yu ’i’kw’nuhw.We have forgotten how to use it. (6) kws m’iis hwu’alum’ tthu slhexun’.We should bring

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Hazel Good: Memories of my Childhood

(1) nem’ tsun skwoul tuli’ kw’i sta’luw’ suw’ ’a’ulh tst ’u thu miner’s train.I traveled to school along the river, aboard the miner’s train. (2) yul’ew’ tth’a’kwus tintun tu netulh ’i’ ni’ tst wulh ’aalh ’u thu hwuy’qwul’ulh ni’ wuqw’ilum.Around seven in the morning, we’d get on the train, pile right on. (3) nem’ tst ’uw’ skwoul nii’ tu tuytuxun.We

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