Snake Island - Arnold Guerin
August 13, 1986
Snake Island
ni’ kwthu ni’ ts’its’usum’ yu lhun’e ’u tthu shelh tst
There is a certain plant that grows by our road.
tuw’ xelu ’al’ tthu swe’s shsaay’s.
Its make-up is rather rare.
’uw’ tuw’ tl’e’tl’qt tthuw’nilh ’i’ ’uwu te’ sts’ala’s.
The plant itself is quite long, but it has no leaves.
tuw’ stu’aa’mush ’u tthu sxuy’uss tthu ’ulhqi’, tthu shsaay’s tthu s’ulquns.
Its top end looks like the head of a snake.
’i’ sxwi’em’ thulh … swi’em’s thulh tthu hwulmuhw tthuw’nin’lh ts’uts’i’ts’usum’.
But the First Nations people have a legend surrounding this little plant.
ni’ulh ts’u ’uw’ le’lum’utus tthu swiw’lus tthu s’ul’eluhw kws kwun’ut-s suw’ qwal’st-s suw’ lhey’xt-s tthey’ sis ’uw’ tel.
The boy used to watch the old people take it, boil it, cook it, and eat it, so he thought he would do the same.
’i’ hay ni’ hwu q’aq’i’ kwus wulh hay kws ley’xt-s.
But he became sick when he was through eating it.
ni’ sal’q’a’qwtum’ suw’ yaths ’uw’ kw’ekw’i’.
He became dizzy, and he was always hungry.
ni’ t’a’thut xlhas, ’uwu ’al’ kws st’es ’u kwu muq’.
He tried to eat, but he didn’t seem to get any satisfaction; he never seemed to get full.
tuw’ ni’ wa’ ni’ kw’u ni’ ’i’mush sun’iw’ ’u tthu kw’ul’us, suw’ lhey’xte’wut tthu smuq’s tthuw’nilh swiw’lus.
There seemed to be something walking around inside his stomach, and that thing seemed to be eating the food that he ate, the boy.
ni’ yuthustus thu si’lus kws tl’uhwla’uss ’uw’ stsekwul’us kws quxs tthu ni’ lhuyxtus ’i’ skw’ey kws tl’ams.
He told his grandmother it didn’t matter how much he ate; he couldn’t get enough.
ni’ stu’e ’u tthey’ sis ’uw’ qwulmutum thu si’lus tthuw’nilh swiw’lus kws ’i wa’wa’s ’ulhqi’ kw’u ni’ sun’iw’ ’u tthu kw’ul’us tthu ’imuths.
Now it was that way, and someone said to the boy’s grandmother, that it might be a snake that is inside of the belly of her grandson.
“’uy’ kws nu’emustuhw tst ’u kwthu skwthe’s shni’s kwthu qux stth’oom.
“Let us take him to that island where there are a lot of berries.
ha’ thumunt kws ’uw’ stth’ooms ’al’ kw’ lhey’xtus ’i wa’wa’ xwum ’i’ thuythut.”
If, for two days, he ate nothing but berries, maybe he would get better.”
’uwu kwelh tsakwus tun’ni’ ’u tthu lelum’s ’eelhtun tthu ni’ shn’emustewut.
Where they brought him is not far from their house.
sis ’uw’ ni’stum ’al’ ’u kwthey’ ’u kwthu lhihw skweyul.
And they left him there for three days.
ni’ hay kwthu lhihw skweyul, sis ’uw’ nem’ lemutum.
At the end of three days, they went to see him.
ni’ tet-s, tthu ni’ nem’ lemut, ’i slhelhuq’ qp’i’elh tthuw’nilh ni’ ’u tthu saxwul.
They got there, those that went to see, and he was lying down on his belly, belly down, face down in the grass.
sis ’uw’ tsuluw’tus ’eelhtun, sis ’uw’ m’i ’utl’qul tthu qux ’ulhqi tun’ni’ ’u tthu kw’ul’us.
They rolled him over, and a bunch of snakes came out of his belly.
hay ’al’ ni’ hwu meen’ tthuw’nilh ’i’ ni’ thulh ’uw’ huli
He became very weak, but he was alive.
sis ’uw’ se’tus ’eelhtun ’i’ ni’ ’aalhstuhwus ’u tthu pout.
They lifted him up, and they put him on the boat.
ni’ t’a’thut tseelqum tthu ’e’ulhqi’, ’i’ niw’ taannuhwus ’eelhtun.
The snakes tried to follow, and they managed to leave them.
hweluq ’i niw’ qwsuthut tthu ’e’ulhqi’ kws tseelqums, ’i’ niw’ taannuhwus ’eelhtun.
The snakes pretty nearly went into the water [when they were trying to follow the man,] but they managed to leave them behind.
ni’ ts’ kwelh ’uw’ stu’e ’al’ kws quxs ’ulhqi’ ni’ ’u kwthey’ skwthe’s ’u tun’a stu’e ’u they’.
Now, they say there are still a lot of snakes on that island at this time.
skw’ey kw’u lheel nem’ ’utl’ hw’ulhqi’um.
You cannot go ashore at Snake Island.
nilh ’uw’ shtu’es ’al’ tthu sxwi’ems kwthu hw’ulhqi’um
That is the story of Snake Island.
ni’ hay.
The End