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, “Try giving her oolichan oil.”

(6) ni’ tsun ’uw’ shtatul’stuhw kws nuts’eluqups.
I knew it was fairly stinky.

(7) ni’ tsun tuw’ t’e’t ’amust ’u tthu ’uhwiin’.
I tasted it first, tried a little.

(8) yu t’e’t tsun yuw’en’, yelh nus ni’ ’amust yelhsus kwunutus.
I tasted it before giving it to her.

(9) ’i’ ’uw’ thu’it p’e’—’i’ m’i ’uw’ thuynamut ’u thu tl’i’nu nu skw’um’i’lhum.
And it was true—the oolichan oil really did make my foster child better.

(10) ne’mustuhw ’u hwunitum’, ’u?
Shall I put it in English now?