MG - Clallam Stories: Fighting the Likwultook
(1) nilh tens kwthu nu men ’ulh lhu tun’ni’ ’u tthey’ shtl’ayum’, ’i’ hay tthu swuy’qe’ nu si’lu kwa’mutsun.
It was my father’s mother that was from there, from Stl’e’lum’, and my grandfather was from Quamichan.
(2) ni’ kwelh lhsuq’ kwthu nu men ’ulh kws shtl’e’lum’s mustimuhw, suw’ kwun’et-s tthu shtl’a’luma’lh sne’, nilh shis kwexchtun.
So, my father was half Stl’e’lum’ and half Quamichan, and that’s why he had a Stl’e’lum’ name, Kwexchtun, that came from Stl’e’lum’.
(3) ’i’ hay kws ’is ’u ti’i kwa’mutsun syalukwuthut.
But when he’s from Quamichan he is Syalukwuthut.
(4) nilh shtu’es kws yuse’lus tthu shkwans tthu mustimuhw nilh tl’ulim’ ’uw’ stutes ’un’ shkwan.
This is how it is, how you are born to each of the families, your ancestry on your parents’ sides.
(5) mukw’ mustimuhw ’uw’ stu’e nilh nush ni’ tsqwiil’qwul’.
Every person is like this in their ancestry, and this is why I am telling about it.
(6) ts’elhum’utus tthu stl’ul’iqulh ’i’ tul’nuhwus kwthu st’e ’u tthey’.
If the children hear, they will know and understand how they are.
(7) ’uwu te’ wet statul’stuhw kwthu shkwans kwthu na’nuts’a’ mustimuhw, skw’ey kw’us tul’nuhw, ’i’ ’uw’ q’ay ch ’al’.
If you don’t know your background, where you are coming from, then when you die, then you will just die.
(8) ’i’ hay kwthu shwuhwe’ kws qwaqwul’s stu’e ’u tthu ni’ nu sqwaqwul’ ’i’ ts’elhum’ut ch kwthu stu’e ’u tthey’.
But those that will speak out like the way I am speaking out now, you will know many different things.
(9) ’i’ ’uwu ’uw’ hay ’us kwthu ni’ ni’ sqwiil’qwul’ stu’e.
And it is not just one thing.
(10) mu.u.ukw’ mustimuhw ’uw’ stu’e, qux kwthun’ lelum’.
Every family has a different background, they have many different homes.
(11) hun’utum’ qux tthun’ shkwan kw’us mustimuhw.
When you are born, you are born from many different places, on your ancestry line.
(12) ’uweelh kws yaths ’uw’ ’i ts’u ’u tun’a kwthu nu men kws stl’i’tl’qulhs.
My father never stayed over here as a child.
(13) yath ’uw’ ni’ ’u tthu ’i’lhxwa’.
He always went to Elhwa.
(14) nilh kwelh ’ush shle’lum’ut-s kwthu xut’e ’u tthey’, ’i ’u tun’a, ni’ wulh hay nus qwiil’qwul’.
That is why he saw what I was talking about.
(15) ’u kw’un’a wulh hith ’ulh.
['A long time ago.']
(16) le’lum’utus tthu swe’s tiy’a’xweens tthu ni’ ’u tthey’ mustimuhw.
He saw all the problems that were surfacing over there at his other home.
(17) tl’uw’ stu’e ’al’ tthu ’i ’u tun’a mustimuhw ’u tthu ’i’lhxwa’.
The people around here are identical to Elhwa.
(18) ’u kwthu ’uw’ mu.u.ukw’ stem s’ulhtuns.
They have all different kinds of food.
(19) le’lum’utus kwthu nu men ’ulh, tl’uw’ tsakwum’ suw’ q’ayt-s tthu kwewe’uts.
That’s what my father used to do, go up the mountain and get elk.
(20) ts’ey’hwtus kwthu ’uw’ mukw’ stem s’ulhtun, qwunus, mukw’ stem stsa’tx, nilh sqwuqwis ’u tthu tl’elhum qa’ s’ulhtuns.
They would dry different kinds of food: whale, halibut, all different kinds of food from the sea water.
(21) tsam ts’u tthu nem’ q’ayt kws kwewe’uts ’i’ nem’ sq’uq’a’ tthu slhunlheni’ nem’ kw’i’ ’u tthu smeent.
They would go up the mountain to kill elk, and the women would go along [up the mountain].
(22) suw’ tuss ’u tthu shnem’s kws q’ulum’s tse’ ’i’ wulh yu lhalhutsthut, suw’ qwulmut-s tthu sq’a’shun’, “’uy’ kws nem’ tst ’imush ’u kw’uw’ qe’is ’al’.”
When they arrived at their destination, it was getting dark, and then they decided, “Let’s go for a short walk.”
(23) ni’ ts’u lumnuhwus tthu hay ’al’ qux sqw’uqwtsus.
They saw a lot of huckleberries.
(24) nilh kwelh ’ush nem’s nem’ tthu slhunlheni’.
That’s where the women started walking.
(25) suw’ nem’ ’imush tthuw’ne’ulh kwis ’uw’ wulh tsulel ’i’ lhatsthut.
She walked until it was almost dark.
(26) ’i’ ’uwu hwu tsakwus ’i’ wulh kwulush, ’i’ tl’uw’ wulh qul’et kwulush, ’i’ tl’uw’ wulh qul’et kwulush.
And they didn’t reach very far, and someone shot something, and then there was another shot [, and another].
(27) ’i’ ni.i.i’ ’uw’ huye’ kw’i’ ’u tthu smeent kws yu he’kwul’ushs.
And he kept going up the mountain and kept shooting and shooting (arrows?).
(28) ’uwu kws q’ays tthu kwewe’uts.
The elk wouldn’t die, and they kept shooting at it.
(29) le’lum’utus kw’u nu men tthu s’athus tthu kwewe’uts.
Every time he shot the elk, it would be on its face.
(30) tthu niw’ shtu’es tthu nuts’ehw skwulush ’i’ ni’ hwu st’iyam’ ’u tthu s’athuss, tthu niw’ shtu’es tthu nuts’ehw skwulush ’i’ ni’ hwu st’iyam’ ’u tthu s’athuss, ’i’ ’uwu kws q’ays, hay ’al’ kw’am’kw’um’.
Every shot landed on its face, but the elk wouldn’t die, he was very strong.
(31) hun’utum’ hwu ’i’muqun ’u tthu smeent yelh sis q’ay.
He reached the top of the mountain, hwu ‘i’muqun, before he died.
(32) suw’ tus ts’u ’u tthu sht’xequn’ thqet ’i’ tl’itl’up ’uw’ stl’atl’um’ kwus se’t kw’un’ q’a’.
They arrived at a tree that was shaped like a prong, and you can lift a person onto this.
(33) kw’us nem’ kw’i’ xkw’athut ’u tthey’ sht’xequn’.
And they went between it to get up the mountain.
(34) suw’ yuqwul’tsups tthuw’ne’ullh.
They built a fire there.
(35) ’i’ ni’ wulh lhatsthut, stutes ’u thu kwewe’uts.
(RP can’t understand.)
(36) ’i’ hay tthu slhunlheni’ niw’ na’ ’al’ ’u thu qux sqw’uqwtsus.
And the women just stayed where there were a lot of huckleberries.
(37) hwuw’e hith ’us hwu ne’unt ’i’ wulh ts’elhum’utus tthu tth’i’utun’.
It was not too long into the evening, and they could hear a low growling noise.
(38) ’i wulh yu ’e’wunusum’ ’u tthu stl’eluqum tth’i’utun’, ’i wulh m’i.i.i hwu stutes.
That noise kept coming closer.
(39) wulh tsulel ’i’ hwu stth’etth’ukw’ ’u tthu huy’qw.
It got really close to where their fire was.
(40) ’i’ yelhs si’si’ tthuw’ne’ullh suw’ se’t-s tthu sq’a’s ts’e’tus ’u tthey’ sht’xequn’ thqet sis ’uw’ hwkw’astum tthu na’nuts’a’ kw’i’stum.
They really got scared, and they climbed up this tree that had the prong and pulled the other person up there too.
(41) ’i’ wulh tus tthu stl’eluqum hun’utum’ kw’uyutsun.
And then that monster arrived, what’s called kw’uyutsun, grizzly bear, got there.
(42) ’uwu stsekwul’us ’i si’si’, ha’ kwulushtum.
When they shot him, he wouldn’t even get scared.
(43) ’u tthu ni’ shni’s st’et’un’ ’u tthu qwlhey’ ’i’ ’uwu stsekwul’us ’i si’si’.
They kept shooting at it and shooting at it, and that thing wouldn’t get scared.
(44) tahw ts’u niw’ ’uw’kw’ tthu shet-s tthu hay ’al’ hith kws he’kwul’ushtewut tthu ni’ shni’s, yelh sis thhweluqup, ni’ yuhw ts’u huye’.
And they used up all their bullets; They ran out of bullets, and that thing just disappeared, so they thought it must have left.
(45) suw’ lumnuhw kw’u nu men tthu kwewe’uts, ’u.u.u ’a hay ’al’ thi they’ ’uwu kwlh ni’ q’ay kws he’kwul’ushte’wut.
And my father saw the elk, and it was a great big elk that was being shot and wouldn’t die.
(46) st’e ’u kw’u hay ’al’ thi mousmus.
It was bigger than a cow.
(47) n’an ch ’uw’ qxe’luts kwus m’i tsum’ut tuhwstuhw ’i’ skw’ey kw’us ’uw’kw’nuhw.
Many people would bring it down, but we would never finish it.
(48) suw’ t’ahw thuw’ne’ullh.
So, they came down from the mountain.
(49) ’uw’ sxuxits ’al’ tthu shni’s kws q’uq’ulum’s ’ukws nem’s suw’q’tus they’ kwewe’uts ’i’ nilh kwis lumnuhwus tthu sqw’uqwtsus sis ’uw’ q’a’thut tthu slhunlheni’ sis ’uw’ ne.e.em’ qul’et hwtskwilum.
They had only a certain place that they camped when they hunted for the elk, but it was because they saw a lot of berries, and the women went along for them, that they had to go further up to do their hunting.
(50) yul’ew’shus tthu q’ul’muns ’u kws ’uw’ yaths.
They went past where they always camped.
(51) hwun’ xut’u, ’i’ wulh tiy’a’xween tuw’ne’ullh.
Pretty soon they had trouble.
(52) ni’ulh tsu tl’uw’ wulh qwiil’qwul’ ’i’ ’uwu ni’us kwun’el’s ’u they’ nu sqwal kw’unus qwiil’qwul’.
I was telling about this trouble that came about, but I didn’t finish it, I didn’t have it recorded.
(53) ’uw’ sxuxits ’al’ tthu shhwunum’s kws q’ayt-s tthu kwewe’uts.
They had only a certain place where they killed the elk.
(54) hay ’al’ tsitsulh smeent.
It was usually at the highest part of the mountain where they went.
(55) ’i’ niw’ sel’ts’ ’al’ st’e ’ukw’ q’uluxun ’i spulhxun tthu tl’itl’up.
This was a certain part where they did their hunting, and it was a place where there was a field surrounded by the mountains, where the elk would always go.
(56) yath ’uw’ shhwunum’s tthuw’ne’ullh ’i’lhxwa’ mustimuhw kws q’ayt-s tthu kwewe’uts.
And this is where all the Elwha people always went to do their hunting for the elk.
(57) ni’ tl’pil tthu kwewe’uts nem’ hunum’ ’u tthu ’uy’ spulhxun tl’itl’up.
The elk would go down into where there was a field of grass, where they ate.
(58) suw’ nis kwis q’aytus ’i’ ’uwu te’ shnem’s kws lhew’s ’uw’ nin’ts’a’ thu she’slh ni’ tl’upul’.
There was only one trail going into this field, and this is where they always hunted and killed their elk.
(59) hwun’ xut’u, ’i’ nem’ tl’e’ tus tthuw’ne’ullh, ’i’ wulh kw’ikw’uts’ tthu ni’ ’u tthu tl’itl’up, nilh hun’tum tth’amuqw’us wulh kw’ikw’uts’utum thu kwewe’uts.
When they arrived there, at another time, they found someone else was butchering elk, and they were giant Sasquatches.
(60) suw’ t’eyuq’s tthuw’ne’ullh, “’uy’ kws xwayt tst. ’uy’ kws xwayt tst tthu tth’amuqw’us.”
And they got angry and said, “We’d better kill all these Sasquatches.”
(61) “’a ’uy’.”
“Good.”
(62) na’nuts’a’ p’e’ tthu thi swuy’qe’, ’i’ na’nuts’a’ tthu ’uhwin’ swuy’qe’ ’u tthu ’i’lhxwa’, suw’ thut-s tthu ’uhwin’ swuy’qe’, “’uwu tseep kwey’xtuhw tthu thi swuy’qe’ nilh tse’ nu swe’.
There was one big person and one smaller person that were from Elwha, and the smaller guy said, “I will take care of the big one, he’s going to be mine.
(63) nilh tse’ hay ’al’ yuw’en’ kws m’is kw’i’.”
He’s going to be the first one to come up.”
(64) sis ’uw’ kw’i’ tthuw’ne’ullh tsum’utus tthu kwewe’uts.
And the Sasquatches picked up the elk meat and carried it out on their backs.
(65) ’uw’ stem ’us kw’u ni’ situns shyusun’iw’stuhws.
I don’t know what kind of things they carried the meat in.
(66) ts’ulel ’i’ ni’ wuts’e’ tthey’ thi swuy’qe’ ’i’ wulh kwulushtum tthu yu lhi’a’uqwt, kwulushtum ’u tthu tuxwa’ts sis ’uw’ xway.
They almost got up the hill, and he shot the biggest one with a bow and arrow.
(67) ’i’ ’uwu kws q’ays tthu thi swuy’qe’, ha’kwulush tthu ’uhwin’ swuy’qe’ ’i’ ’uw’ ’uwu te’ ’al’ shni’stewut.
When the little guy was shooting at him, he wouldn’t die.
(68) ni’ yuhw ts’u wulh xulh tthu thi swuy’qe’ kws he’kwul’ushte’wut tth’amuqw’us suw’ kwunutewut tthu ’uhwin’ swuy’qe’, ’i’ ni’ ts’e’tum ’u tthu stsum’um.
The Sasquatch must have gotten really hurt, and he picked up the little guy and put him on top of what he was packing.
(69) suw’ tseelqum tthu qux kwis wulh q’ay tthu sq’uq’a’s ’ulh tthu tth’amuqw’us, suw’ kwulushtewut tthu thi swuy’qe’.
All the other people followed the Sasquatch and kept shooting at him.
(70) suw’ ni’ xulh tthu thi swuy’qe’ suw’ kwunutewut tthu ’uhwin’ swuy’qe’ sts’uts’e’ ’u tthu stsum’um sis ’uw’ wenshum shits’utum.
And then the Sasquatch got hurt, and he picked up the little guy that he was packing and threw him away.
(71) yelh sis q’ay tthuw’nilh tth’amuqw’us, sis ’uw’ xway tthu tth’amuqw’us
Then, he finally died.
(72) sis ’uw’ tsum’utum tthu stsum’ums ’ulh ’i’ m’i t’uhwstum.
So, they took all the meat and took it down to the village.
(73) suw’ t’eyuq’ tthu tth’amuqw’us kwis tul’nuhwus kwis xwaytum tthu siiye’yus ’ulh.
And the other Sasquatches got mad when they found out that the other one was killed.
(74) sis m’iw ’awunusum tthu sta’luw’s tthuw’ne’ullh ’i’lhxwa’, ’i’ tum’kw’e’lus.
They came to the river of the Elhwa people, [and it was summer.]
(75) ’i’ shishkw’am’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh ni’ ’u tthu ’uy’ tth’xut, ’i’ wulh tus tthu tth’amuqw’us
The children were swimming in the river when the Sasquatches arrived.
(76) ’i’ wulh lumnuhwus tthu hay ’uw’ wulh hwq’ilus kwis pul’akwus le’lum’utum’.
An older child saw them coming.
(77) suw’ qw’ulhnuhws ’i’ ’uw’ lhulhetth’utum ’al’.
She tried to make the others aware, and they just laughed at her.
(78) ’uwu hith ’us ’i’ wulh tsutl’tsutl’um tthu tth’amuqw’us, suw’ qw’qwiwstewut tthu stl’ul’iqulh ’u tthu stth’am’ huy’tun.
And the Sasquatches jumped for them with their weapons and slaughtered the children that were in the river.
(79) ’uw’ nuts’ehw ts’u ’al’ kws qw’aqwutewut tthu stl’i’tl’qulh ’i’ wulh hwt’qw’utsun.
The Sasquatch would just make a swipe, and a child would be slashed in half.
(80) sis ’uw’ thhwam tthu sta’luw’ kwis qwsuthut.
The river just became bloody.
(81) qwsuthut tthu stl’ul’iqulh, ’i’ ni’ hwi’ sqwuqwis kwis qw’aqwutum ’u tthey’ stth’am.
It was because their weapons were made of bone.
(82) ’uwu te’ shsxuxitss kwthu lht’uqws tthu na’nuts’a’ stl’i’tl’qulh.
They couldn’t recognize any of the children’s parts because they were all cut in half.
(83) niw’ t-hw qw’emutum ’al’ sis ’uw’ muqw’iye’ustum, skw’ey kw’us tl’e’ putnuhw.
They couldn’t find which belonged to which, so they just piled them up.
(84) hay ’al’ xulh tthu tswe’ tsme’mun’u <’i’ ’uwu te’ stsla’thut-s.>
The parents really got hurt.
(85) tl’ul’im’ niw’ ’uw’kw’ tthu stl’ul’iqulh, ’uw’ yey’sul’u ’al’ tthu tth’amuqw’us ni’ tsla’thut.
They grieved about their children, about what the two Sasquatches did, it was only two that came.
(86) n’an ’uw’ tl’eqt nu sqwul’qwul’ kwthey’.
That was a very long time ago, those children that I am telling about.
(87) ’uwu tsu tse’ nem’ ’un ’usup’t.
I’m not going to finish.
(88) nilh tl’uw’ st’e ’al’ ’u tun’a s’aa’lh shhw’i kwthey’.
It’s like that around here.
(89) ’i’ hay thulh ’uwu te’ s’aa’lh tth’amuqw’us.
But we have no Sasquatch here.
(90) ’i p’uw’ ’i, ’i’ ’uwu kws lumnuhw tst.
They are here, but we never see them.
(91) nilh kws lhsuq’s kws ’i’lhxwa’s kwthu nu men nilh nush ni’ statul’stuhw tthu swe’s syaa’uss tthu ni’ ’u tthey’ hwulmuhw.
It’s because my dad was part Elhwa, that’s why I know about this story about the Elhwa people.
(92) ’i’ skw’ey kw’unus mel’qt yath tsun ’uw’ hekw’me’t.
['And I cannot forget it; I will always remember it.']
(93) tl’uw’ stu’a’ ’al’ ’u tthu ’i ’u tun’a.
They are just like the people around here.
(94) nilh st’e ’u kw’ syuthus tthu tl’ul’im’ ’uw’ hwulmuhw, syuw’en’s sqwul’qwul’ kwthey’.
This is the true story of their people.
(95) ts’uhwle’ ’i’ m’i hwu ’i ’u tun’a quw’utsun’ kwthu nu men ’ulh kws hays kws ni’ ’u kwthey’ ni’ nu sqwiil’qwul’ ’i’ hwi’ hwu ’i ’u tun’a.
My dad used to come back here to Cowichan after he had been to Elhwa, and he would come stay here.
(96) suw’ le’lum’ut-s kws hwun’ stl’i’tl’qulhs tu sht’es ’ulh tun’a quw’utsun n’an ’ulh ts’u ’uw’ qux mustimuhw.
My father saw how it was here in Cowichan, that there were so many people.
(97) ha’ milhe’ tthu quw’utsun’ ’i’ ’uw’ hay ’al’ tthu quw’utsun’, ’i’ kweyul yelhs hays tthu smilhe, n’an ’ulh ts’uw’ qux.
When they had dances, there were so many people that it would take all night for them to dance.
(98) ’i’ tl’e’ ’ulh ’a’wun’usum ’u tthu hun’utum’ yuqwulhte’x mustimuhw.
And the people from the Likwultook used to come here.
(99) stl’i’s kws xwaytewut ’i’ ’uwu ni’us yu stl’uhw tthu ’i ’u tun’a mustimuhw, ’uwu te’ ni’ xwaytum.
They tried killing off our people, but they didn’t succeed, they used to come here trying to kill the Cowichan people.
(100) ’i’ hay tthu ’i ’u tun’a mustimuhw ni’ xwaytum tthu yuqwulhte’x.
But the Cowichan people killed them off.
(101) ’uw’ nilh ’uw’ qequl, ’uw’ nilh ’uw’ yuw’en’ t’et’iyuq’.
And they were the ones trying to kill us off, the bad people.
(102) ’ush ’is hwtuyutsustum, ’i’ ’uwu te’ ni’ q’uynuhwus ’i ’u tun’a s’aa’lh shhw’i.
Our people just retaliated, they just defended themselves and killed them in defense.
(103) ’uwu tse’ tl’eqtus nu sqwul’qwul’ ’i’ hay tsun.
The story I’m telling you is not very long; This is it, that’s all I’m going to tell.