Ruby Peter: Nicknames

kwus hwu hulq’umi’num’ tthu shwunim’a’lh nuhiimat

How the English Name Changed in Hul’q’umi’num’

 

(1) ’een’thu sti’tum’at. nu shhwuw’weli, qwulsimtunaat ’i’ xit-sulenuhw.
I’m sti’tum’at. My parents were Cecelia Leo and Basil Alphonse.

(2) ya-a-ath ’uw’ ch hwuhunum’ tthunu shhwuw’weli ’utl’ mulyesi.
My parents always talked about [someone called] Mulyesi.

(3) ’i’ yathulh ’uw’ hiin’atul tthu hwulmuhw ’u tthu nuhiimut-s ’u kwsus lamtul.
My family and other Indians used to call each other by their Indian names whenever they met.

(4) ’uwu kws hakwushewut tthu shwunitum’a’lh snes.
They never used their English names.

(5) ni’ qwulqwultul ’i’ ’uw’ nilh tthu shwulmuhwa’lh snes [ni’ ha’kwushus].
When they spoke to each other, it was always by their Indian name.

(6) ni’ qwil’qwul’tul’stum tthunu men ’i’ ’uw’ xit-sulenuhw
When they spoke to my dad, they called him by his Indian name, xitsulenuhw.

(7) kw’ s-hunutew’ut, wuswasulwut thunu ten nilh shtl’i’tl’qulhten snes wuswasulwut.
My mother’s childhood name was xusxasulut.

(8) ’i’ yathulh ’uw’ ne’nuts’uw’t-hwum tthunu shhwum’ne’lukw shhwaqw’a’s tthunu men, shuyulhs ’i’ tthu stsuwtelhs lapi,
My dad’s older sister and brother-in-law Lapi, they always came to visit.

(9) ’i’ nilh kwunus ’uw’ hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulh ’i’ shteewun tsun kws ’uw’ shwulmuhw’a’lh snes kwsus (xut’ustum’) [hun’utum’] lapi
That’s when I was still a child, and I thought that was his Indian name: Lapi.

(10) ’i’ yath ’uw’ ch hwuhunum tthunu sul’si’lu ’utl’ mulyesi.
And my grandparents always talked about Mulyesi.

(11) “’iilhe ’uw’ tetsul lhun’ shuyulh mulyesi,” ’i’ sht’ewun tsun kws shwumuhwa’lh snes, kws nilhs shwulnuhwa’lh snes thunu shhwum’nikw thu mulyesi.
They would ask my father if his older sister Mulyesi coming, and I thought that was her Indian name when they called her by that name.

(12) ’i-i-i wulh hith wulh… ’i tsun wul hwustatul’us ’i’ ’i tsun chhwhunum’.
A long time after, I was married, and I was talking with my father about Mulyesi.

(13) ’i’ nilh kw’unu men nilh ni’ … kwunus ni’ hun’ut thunu shhwum’nikw mulyesi nus ’uw’ xut’ustuhw, “nilhu ’uw’ shwumuhwa’lh sne ’utl’ ’enti lhunu shhwum’nikw kws mulyesis?”
I asked my dad, “Is that her Indian name?”

(14) wulh qwul’qwul’ tthunu men, “’uwu, nilh shwunitum’a’lh snes.”
My dad said, “No, that’s her white man’s name.”

(15) “tsune, ’i’ st’e q’u ’uw’ shwulmuhwa’lh sne’us.”
[And I thought,] “What the heck? It sounds like an Indian name.”

(16) [thut tthunu men,] “’uwu nilh shwunitum’a’lh snes.
[But my dad said,] “No, it was her white man’s name.

(17) nilh tthu Mary Ann, nilh ni’ ’uye’q sus ’uw’ hwumulyesi,”
It’s from Marianne, and it’s changed from Marianne to Mulyesi.”

(18) nilh shni’s ’i’ ni’ tsun tl’lim’ ’uw’ tul’nuhw kws quxs tun’a shwuntim’a’lh sne ni’ yu’eeye’q ’u kwsus nuhels tthu hwulmuhw.
That’s when I really realized that names can change—a lot of the English names were changed when a First Nations person says it.

(19) nilh kwus Mary Ann ’i’ ni’ hwi’ hwu mulyesi [squyipulwut].
Like how Marianne became Mulyesi.

(20) Robby [’i’lhuws] ’i’ ni’ hwi’ hwulapi.
Robbie became Lapi.

(21) Basil ’i’ ni’ hwupusil.
Basil became Pusil.

(22) ni-i-i yelh nus ni’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ tal’nuhw kwsuw’ thu’it ni’ nan’ts’thut tthu sne ’u kwsus nuhels tthu hwulmuhw ’u tthu shwunitim’a’lh sne.
That’s when I really realized that names changed when a First Nations person says an English name—it changes to different sounds.

(23) ni’ tl’lim’ wulh hith yelhnus ni’ tl’lim’ ’uw’ tulnuhw [sht’es tthu sne].
That’s how I came to realize about the names.

(24) hay ch q’a.
Thank you.

(25) ni’ hay.
The end.