Small Number and the Big Tree
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. With his sister Perfect Number he visits their Grandma who lives in a small village on their Nations traditional territory.
kwi'kwushnuts 'i' tthu thi thqet
(Hul'q'umi'num' Translation)
Hul'q'umi'num' Translation by and narration by Delores Louie (Swustanulwut)
Written by Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by Simon Roy and Jess Pollard
Translations
Links
Story Transcript: English and Hul'q'umi'num'
01. yath uw ni u tthu tiyuxween thu kwikwushnuts i uhwiin stlitlqulh.
Small Number is a young boy who always gets into a lot of mischief.
02. nem netsuwt-hwum tthu kwikweshnuts kwunatul u thu sqeuqs, stlatlum kweshnuts, nem u thu silus ni u kwthu swes tumuhws hunutum kwamutsun.
He goes for a visit, along with his sister Perfect Number, to their Grandma whose land is at Quamichan.
03. uystum utl kwikwushnuts kws sewqs uwu kws unnehws ni u tthu lelum u thu silus.
Small Number likes to stay at his grandmas house.
04. yath uw sewq ul ukw tuw xelu ul, tuw iuymut ul ni u tthu lelum utl silu.
He always like to go looking for valuable and beautiful things there at his grandmothers house.
05. tthu kwikwushnuts kwus imush sewq ni u tthu lelum utl silu, i wulh lumnuhwus thu hay ul tat letsus.
Small number is walking around his grandmothers house looking and he sees a really old basket.
06. hay ul iuymut tthu sxuls.
It had very beautiful markings on it.
07. ni yu peputlutus tthu sxuls tthu letsus kwus hay ul xelunuhwus.
He was touching the markings on the basket, admiring them.
08. tthey letsus. nilh lhunu shhwumnikw ni xtestuhw tthuy letsus, tsitselhumutum utl kwikwushnuts thu silus yu hwsuweemqun kwus yuqwaqwul.
It was my aunt who made this basket, Small number heard his grandmother say in a soft voice.
tthey letsus nilh tthu kwumluhws tthu xpey nilh ni hakwshum.
This basket is made from cedar roots.
09. shtaltthus tthu kwikwushnuts. suw thut-s thu silu, nem tst yukwunatul i lhun sqeuq, stlatlum kwushnuts, uw kweyulus nem aluxut kwthu kwumluhw xpey.
Grandma looks at Small Numbers puzzled face, and says, You and your sister, Perfect Number, will go with me tomorrow to gather cedar roots.
10. xlhas tst kwuelh! nuw uw yuthusthamu uw nutsimus ushus xelu tthu hwkwumluhw.
Now let us eat! Ill tell you why cedar roots are treasured by our people.
i hay ul qux kwus yu nanutstul tthu shtuhims kwus yu hakwushum.
They can be used in many different ways.
11. hunutum yu xaytlthut i ni tsun aluxut tthu hwkwumluhw xpey, unwulh u tthu slhumuhw i tthu xuxun.
When its fall, I gather my cedar roots, between the time of the rains and the frost.
12. kwus wulh nem imush u tthu hwthuthiqut suw qwals thu silu, nu stli kws quxs hwkwumluhw xpey, swes tse tthu letsus.
When they are entering the forest, says Grandma says, I like to have enough supply for the winter to make my baskets,
13. sasxw tthu netulh, ieluqupstum utl kwikwushnuts tthu hwthuthiqut.
It is a misty morning and Small Number can smell the sweet scent of the forest.
14. wulh tselhumutus tthu tiltulum sqwulesh ni u tthu tsilhus thuthiqut.
He hears the birds singing to each other somewhere high in the trees.
15. suw hwqwelqwuliwuns tthu kwikwushnuts, stem kwthu ni yu lhiyauqwt u tthu sulnuts tthu thqet.
Small Number is thinking, What is behind those big tree trunks?
nem yu imush ni u tthu stsushtutsus u tthu tumuhws tthu hwthuthiqut.
He starts walking over the branches on the forest floor.
16. suw thuyuthut-s imush u tthu sqaqitsus thuthiqut, slheqlhuq u thu stsushtutsus, i ni hwuninsus tthu hwthithiqut stutes u tthu statluw.
He moves between dead tree limbs and fallen branches until he reaches the group of trees by a creek.
17. netsuwuts sxunu kws tluqtemutths tthu thqet.
iuymut tthu thekw thqet. suw qpasums lemutus tthu statluw.
The trees are 100 feet tall. They are beautiful straight trees. Then he looks down at the creek.
18. hwu shpalpulxalus tthu kwikwushnuts kwus lumnuhwus tthu hay ul qux xilets stseelhtun sulits u tthu statluw. hwu hay ul xwumxwum tthu ttheles.
Small Numbers eyes widen when he sees that there are alot of spawning salmon in the creek. His heart beats really fast.
19. yathut-s tthu kwikweshnuts u tthu thqet.
hwqweelqwuliwun kws timut-s tthu shqwaluwuns suw lemut-s tthu shlhqath statluw.
Small Number backs up behind the tree. He gathers all his courage and looks over to the other side of the creek
20. wulh lumnuhwus tthu tsqix speuth i tthu lhihw speuthallh sulisiq u tthu xpeyulhp.
There he sees a black bear with her three cubs underneath a cedar tree.
21. suw lhelhuqums tthu kwikwushnuts, aah, uw thuit. lheyxtus tthu stseelhtun.
suw hay ul shiilukw tthu shqwaluwuns.
Small Number whispers,So it is true that bears eat salmon. This is really exciting!
22. kwikweshnuts, i tsun xutusthamu uw yath ch uw stutes utl eenthu.
Small Number, I told you to stay with me all the time!
23. tselhumutum utl kwikweshnuts thu hwsuweemqun sisulus, suw tsalusums, qwumtsustus thu sisulus.
Small Number hears his grandmas quiet voice, coming just from behind him. He turns around and hugs grandma very tightly.
24. aaah, silu, nan ch uw nu stli.
Grandma, I love you so much!
25. tle tsuw ste nan ch uw nu stli!
uwu ch tleuhw siisistamsh. ni tsun hwu stthuykw?
I love you very much too. Please dont scare me like this again! I was frightened.
26. kwus wulh hulunumut ni u tthu lelum utl silu, skwey kws tsehwuls tthu kwikweshnuts kws shhwunums u kwthu xelu ni lumnuhwus.
When they got home to grandmas house, Small Number couldnt stop talking about his adventure of seeing such a rare sight.
27. kwthu ni lumnuhwun lheyxtum utl speuth tthu stseelhtun ni u kwthu hay ul thi thqet.
I saw bears eating salmon under the biggest tree ever.
shtes kws thiis kwthey sulnuts ni tstwa tetsselu u tthu nu siiyeyu kws yu kwunatsustul.
The trunk of the tree was so big that I would need at least eight of my friends to hold their hands to get around it.
28. neet tsun kwuelh ukw speuthiye thqet.
Ill call it the Bear Tree!
29. uwu ch kwuelh huythustuhw lhu mam kwunus ni hwi nanutsa ni u kwthu hwthuthiqut!
Just dont tell Mom that I wandered through the forest on my own!
30. suw ptem: suw stsekwul kws thiis kwthey speuthiye thqet?
Question: How wide was the Bear Tree?
About the Hul'q'umi'num' language
Translation and Narration: Delores Louie (Swustanulwut)
Hulquminum transcription, and Editing by Donna Gerdts (Spaqwumultunaat)
Sound recording and editing: Thomas Jones (Siwut) & Donna Gerdts (Spaqwumultunaat)
Special thanks to: Joan Brown (Quwqumalwut), HLCC
Funding for Hulquminum language: First Peoples Cultural Council, SSHRC.
About the Hul'q'umi'num' language
Translation and Narration: Delores Louie (Swustanulwut)
Hulquminum transcription, and Editing by Donna Gerdts (Spaqwumultunaat)
Sound recording and editing: Thomas Jones (Siwut) & Donna Gerdts (Spaqwumultunaat)
Special thanks to: Joan Brown (Quwqumalwut), HLCC
Funding for Hulquminum language: First Peoples Cultural Council, SSHRC.
Credits and Acknowledgements
Written by Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV, and Mark MacLean, UBC; Voice (English): Willard (Buddy) Joseph of the Squamish Nation; Voice (Hul'q'umi'num'): Delores Louie (Swustanlwut); Voice (Sliammon): Betty Wilson (Oshelle); Voice (Squamish): Norman Guerrero Jr. (Set獺lten); Illustrators: Simon Roy and Jess Pollard, Victoria, BC; Sound (English): Ericsson San Pablo Chu, 間眅埶AV; Sound (Hul'q'umi'num'): Donna Gerdts (Sp'aqw'um''ultunaat) and Thomas Jones (Sewit); Music and Animation: Andy Gavel, 間眅埶AV; Producer: Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV; Director: Andy Gavel, 間眅埶AV; Special Thanks To: Betty Willson of the Sliammon Nation; Jessica Humchitt of the Heiltsuk Nation; Stephani Monkman of the M矇tis Nation; Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford; Pam Borghardt, 間眅埶AV; Alejandro Erickson, Durham University; Department of Mathematics, 間眅埶AV; Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia; Faculty of Science, 間眅埶AV; Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 間眅埶AV; Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences; The IRMACS Centre, 間眅埶AV;