kw'i'kw'ushnuts 'i' tu s'eluhw thi sxt'ekw'
(Hul'q'umi'num' Translation)
Hul'q'umi'num' Translation by Ruby Peter (Sti'tum'at), Narration by Thomas Jones (Siwut)
Written by Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by Bethani L'Heureux
Small Number and the Old Totem Pole
My name is Small Number. This is a story that Ive heard from my grandmother and that she heard from her grandmother. It is about an old totem pole built by my ancestors on a beach close to our village.
Translations
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Story Transcript: English and Hul'q'umi'num'
***Also see the Hulquminum Sxwiem (stories) . ***
kwikwushnuts i tu seluhw thi sxtekw
Small Number and the Old Totem Pole
kwikwushnuts tunu skwish.
My name is Small Number.
i yath tsun uw ni u tu tiyahween.
And I am a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
tu shtunaalhtuns i nilh tu sxtekw qwiilqwul u tu ni u tu sqwulqwul.
For my people, making totems poles is our way of telling and remembering stories.
tuna sqwulqwul i nilh kwuelh tunni u kwthey seluhw sxtekw.
This is the story of the old totem pole.
i nilh tu syuwentstulh nilh ni thuyt tuna sxtekw, stutes u tu hulelums.
Built by my ancestors on a beach close to my village.
i nan uw wulh hith kwus tunni u kwthu syuwentst.
that has been shared for many generations now.
nutsa skweyul i wulh sewq tu yuxwule u kw sulhtuns.
One day the eagle was looking for food.
hwun xutu i wulh lumnuhwus tu hay ul thi stseelhtun uw tuw yu tsitsulh ni u tu qa.
He spotted a huge salmon, just below the surface of the water.
sus nem uw lhakw tuwnilh yuxwule i nilh tu sxunus ni shkwunut-s tu stseelhtun.
He plummeted to the river and caught the salmon with his mighty talons.
i nilh kwus nan uw thi tu stseelhtun, ha setus i uw uhwiin ul kwus mi senhwus.
But, the salmon was so big that even eagles strong wings could only lift the salmon just a bit above the surface of the water.
wulh teem tuwnilh yuxwule, tsewuth! tsewuth! i tsun shtsulew!
The eagle called out, Help me! Help me! Im struggling, being flipped!
wulh tselhumutum utl spaal tu yuxwule kwus tuteem, tsetsuwtenum.
The raven heard eagles cry for help.
sus nem uw lhakw nem spaal sus uw lhkwatus tu stseelhtun tsewulhtun setus.
So he flew down and pierced his beak into the salmons body.
susuw hwu kwunatul tu yuxwule i spaal tutathut kwus susetus tu thi-i-i stseelhtun.
The eagle and the raven were pulling the salmon together.
i nan uw thi tu stseelhtun i ni uw uhwiin ul kwus nem senhwus nem setus u tu tsuwmun.
But the salmon was so big that they only moved the salmon just a little bit closer to the shore.
tle wulh qulet tu yuxwule, tsewuth! tsewuth! i tst shtsulew.
Again the eagle shouted, Help me! Help me! We are being flipped!
wulh tselhum tu speuth u tu ni tuteem.
The bear heard the eagles calling.
xwchenum tuwnilh speuth nem tsewutus tu yuxwule.
The bear ran out of forest and grabbed the eagle.
mi hwukwustum utl speuth tu yuxwule, tsetsuwutus.
The bear was pulling the eagle, helping him.
yuxwule i spaal kwunet tu stseelhtun kwus tsitsuwatul.
The eagle and the raven were helping each other hold the salmon.
i nilh kwus nan uw thi tu stseelhtun kwus mi hwu stutes u tu tsuwmun.
But the salmon was so big that they could only move the salmon just a little bit closer to the shore.
hwi nilh tu speuth teem, tse-e-ewuth! tse-e-ewuth! i ch shtsulew!
Then the bear shouted, Help me! Help me! We are being flipped!
wulh tselhum tu stqeeye kwus tuteem tu speuth.
The wolf heard the bears call.
mi xwchenum wuplhuqw u tu hwthuthiqut.
He came running out of the forest.
lhxilush sis uw nilh tu yuwanus sxunus ni shkwunut-s tu speuth.
He stood up and grabbed the bear with his front legs.
mi yu hwukwustus tu speuth tu stqeeye, i hay tu speeth nilh tu yuxwule i mi yu hwukwustus.
The wolf was pulling the bear, and the bear was pulling the eagle.
i hay tu yuxwule i tu spaal nilh tu stseelhtun ni mi hwukwustus.
The eagle and the raven were pulling the salmon.
i nilh kwus nan uw thi tu stseelhtun kwus mi hwu stutes u tu tsuwmun.
But the salmon was so big that they could only move the salmon just a little bit closer to the shore.
hwi nilh tu stqeeye ni teem, tsewuth! tsewuth! i tst shtsheluw!
Then the wolf hollered, Help me! Help me! We are being flipped!
wulh tselhum tu sqeluw tselhumutus tu stqeeye, sus muw hwiwul mi tsuwlhtun.
The beaver heard wolf and he came forward to help.
sus uw kwoons u tu ni tuteem.
And he took hold of the one calling out.
yu hwukwustus tu squlew tu stqeeye, i hay tu stqeeye nilh tu speuth ni yu shkwunelsth.
The beaver was pulling the wolf, and the wolf was pulling the bear.
i tu speuth nilh tu yuxwule ni shkwunelsth, i hay tu yuxwule i tu spaal nilh tu stseelhtun mi hwukwustus.
And the bear was pulling the eagle, and the eagle and the raven were pulling the salmon.
i nilh kwus nan uw thi tu stseelhtun kwus mi hwu stutes u tu tsuwmun.
But the salmon was so big that they could only move the salmon just a little bit closer to the shore.
tle wulh teem hwi nilh tu squlew teem, tsewutalhw! tsewutalhw!
And then next it was the beaver who cried, Help us! Help us!
i nilh tu shtlupinuts-s hwi ni lhalhuqwutus tu qa.
And he slapped the water with his tail.
wulh tselhum tu wuxus sus muw hwiwul, sus muw ewu u tunni shnis tu tuteem.
The frog heard and came forward to the where the shouting came from.
suw kwoons u tu squlew tu wuxus.
And the frog took hold of the beaver.
nilh tu wuxus i kwunels hwukwust tu squlew.
The frog was pulling the beaver.
nilh tu squlew ni hwukwust tu stqeeye,
The beaver was pulling the wolf.
hay tu stqeeye nilh tu speuth ni hwukwustus tu speuth ni hwukwust tu yuxwule,
As for the wolf, the bear was who he was pulling, the bear who was pulling the eagle.
i nilh tu yuxwule i tu spaal nilh ni hwukwust tu stseelhtun.
And the eagle and the raven were pulling the salmon.
hwun xutu i ni wulh mi setus tu stseelhtun mi ewust-hwus u tu tsuwmun.
Finally, they heaved the salmon on to the shore.
nilh ni shnis i ni hay.
And that is where the story ends.
ptem: | Question:
nutsim alu u shus tstsetsuwtenum tu yuxwule, i spaal, i tu speuth, i tu stqeeye i tu squlew?
Why did the eagle, the raven, the bear, the wolf, and the beaver need help?
nutsim alu u shus tstsetsuwtenum u tu wuxus kws mis hwkwastum tu stseelhtun ewustum u tu tsuwmun?
Whey did they need help from the frog to pull the salmon on to the shore?
Credits and Acknowledgements
Written by Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV, and Mark MacLean, UBC; Illustrator: Bethani L'Heureux from the 'Namgis First Nation; Voice: Bethani L'Heureux from the 'Namgis First Nation (English); Thomas Jones (Siwut) Hulquminum Version: Translated by Ruby Peter (Sti'tum'at); Narration by Thomas Jones (Siwut); Language Editing by Donna Gerdts, 間眅埶AV; Sound: David Brigden, 間眅埶AV (English); Donna Gerdts, 間眅埶AV (Hulquminum) Music: Cameron Tatham, Vancouver, BC, and Barry Cardinal from the Bigstone Cree Nation; Producer: Veselin Jungic, 間眅埶AV; Director: Andy Gavel, Ryerson University; Special Thanks To: Tom Archibald, 間眅埶AV; Pam Borghardt, 間眅埶AV; Ozren Jungic, University of Oxford; Department of Mathematics, 間眅埶AV; Department of Mathematics, University of British Columbia; The IRMACS Centre, 間眅埶AV; Faculty of Science, 間眅埶AV; Department of Linguistics, 間眅埶AV; Office for Aboriginal Peoples, 間眅埶AV; Pacific Institute For Mathematical Sciences; **** This story is an adaptation of the Russian fairy tale "The Giant Turnip" inspired by west coast First Nation's traditions and art.