Section 12.4 Gitxsan - TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI G?ANHL OS G?ANHL G?AX G?ANHL KI¡¯IHL DIHLXW K?AWATS
Written by: Donna Gerdts and Veselin Jungic
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Gitxsan translation by: Jeanne Harris, Barbara Harris Sennott, and Catherine Blackstock
TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABIHL WAHL T¡¯ILXW¡¯M GYAT G?AN WILA LUU GIIS ¡¯NIT. SIL TS¡¯UK?IT DIP NOX?¡¯T WIL BAX?HL HLUGUU AXS. II TS¡¯OK?S TS¡¯IITS TSIM WILP HLAG?A DO¡¯OHL HLGUU AKS.
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. He lives with his family in a house near the creek while his grandmother lives in a house on the other side of the creek.
LUGWIL AMA SA, AHL SINT TUN. II HE¡¯HL NOX?S TSUUXW¡¯M G?ABI, ¡°TSUUMXW¡¯M G?ABI GYUP! YUKWMA DIM YEEX?SIS TS¡¯IITS SA TUN. DIM II HLIMOOY¡¯SIM ¡¯NIT DIM G?AS. ¡¯K?OTIS SIMHL LAKW DIM II ¡¯MIIN DOX¡¯T. DIM HLIMOOYASIM ¡¯NIT AHL WILA WIHL SA ANDUUYAN¡¯T. ¡¯TIS ANHAHLAA¡¯ALST AHL WILA WIHL K¡¯UUHL TUN.¡±
It is a beautiful summer day and Small Number's mom tells him, ¡°Small Number, get ready! You are going to visit Grandma today. You will help her cut up and stack her firewood. You will also help her with her garden. There is so much work to do at this time of the year.¡±
HE¡¯S TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI, ¡°AM, DIM YEE ¡¯NII¡¯Y. NEEHL AM JA¡¯N STILHL OS XW¡¯Y AA?¡±
Small Number says, ¡°Good, I will go. Can I take my dog with me?¡±
¡°EE¡¯E. HLGUUHL SIM STILIN CURLY. II DIM II¡¯M AP TSA¡¯GA BUTSIT GOOHL HLGUU AKS. NEEDII¡¯T ANOOKW DIM WANKSI¡¯T.¡±
¡°Yes, son, you can take Curly Hair. But you will have to carry her across the creek because she doesn't like to get wet.¡±
¡°CURLY, AP LUGWIL AMA HLGUU OS ¡¯NIIN. DIM G?OL ¡¯NU¡¯UM!¡±
¡°Curly Hair, you are such a good little dog. Let us run!¡±
JI DIM DIP ¡¯WAHL WILPS TS¡¯IITS DIM II JAGA HLOO¡¯M JAGA HLGUU AKS. DIIYEE¡¯AT TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI G?AN¡¯T CURLY. HLO¡¯OO DA HINDA WIL HLAKHL HLGUU AKS. MOOJA TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?YAKSHL AKS G?OSUUST. ¡¯MIIN BUTS DIS TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI. CURLY II WIHL G?OS¡¯T SPAG?AYT LO¡¯OP WAGA¡¯T WILK WAHL AN DOSTA.
To get to Grandma's house, Small Number and Curly Hair have to cross the creek. They go to where there is a bend in the creek. The water is a little slower there. Small Number picks Curly Hair up in his arms and jumps from rock to rock until they are on the other side.
¡°NIT TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI!¡± HE¡¯S TS¡¯IITS, II¡¯T LUU DA¡¯MIXSXWHL. ¡°LUKWIL LUU AMHL G?OOD¡¯Y, NU WIL GYA¡¯A¡¯N.¡± GY¡¯A¡¯A¡¯S CURLY NIDIIT II LUU AMHL G?OOT¡¯S¡¯T G?AN WILT SAXW WIHL K¡¯UUKW¡¯T.
¡°Hi, Small Number!¡± said Grandma giving Small Number a big hug. ¡°I am very happy to see you.¡± Curly Hair was watching them and happily wagging her tail.
HIHLUUXW TUN IIT TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI, II YATS G?AN IIT ¡¯TAHLIHL GO¡¯OOHL WILPS TS¡¯IITS¡¯T. II JI HLA SILKSA II DIM HAHLA¡¯ALST DIIT TS¡¯IM ANDUUYN.
Small Number spends the morning chopping wood and stacking it against his grandmother's house. Then in the afternoon, they work together in the garden.
IIT GWUN GYA¡¯A¡¯Y DIS¡¯T TS¡¯IITS¡¯T ANWANNAT ¡ª SUSIIT, BEAS GANHL K?AWATS. ¡°II HLA MUKWHL K?AWATS II DIM¡¯N GUN GYA¡¯A¡¯T DIHL AS ¡¯NIIN DIM DAMG?AN DIPUST, II DIM LUU ¡¯TAHLIHL DIPUST TS¡¯IM DIHLXW.¡± DAMG?AN¡¯S TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABIHL HELDA K?AWATS. II HOTI HLIMOOMSIS CURLY IIT SI¡¯IIX WOK?HL YIP IIT HLIMOOS TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI.
Grandma shows him all the different things she has planted ¨C potatoes, cabbage, and carrots. ¡°The carrots are ready, and I will show you how to pull them out of the ground, clean them, and put them into sacks.¡± Small Number pulls up many carrots, and Curly Hair digs around and helps too.
UU¡¯IS TS¡¯IITS, ¡°TS¡¯UUSXW?M G?ABI DIM¡¯T GUPHL IIJAM ANAAX GANHL DII JAB¡¯T.¡± II HLA HLISXW TOOK?XW DIIT II HE¡¯T, ¡°HAA¡¯MII¡¯YA AS ¡¯NIIN MU WIL HLIMOO¡¯Y. SGIDIM HOWASIM G?ANT CURLY GUU¡¯N.¡±
Grandma makes tea for Small Number, and then she says, ¡°Thank you so much for your help. You and Curly Hair better head home soon.¡±
¡°HASAG¡¯Y DIM G¡¯INAM¡¯NHL KI¡¯IHL DIHLXW AHL K?AWATS AS NOX?¡¯N. SKIMIDIM DA¡¯AKW MIDIM WALXHL, II DAX? GYAT¡¯M TILXW¡¯M GYAT ¡¯NIIN.¡±
¡°I would like you to take one sack of carrots to give to your mother. You are a big and strong boy now, so you will be able to carry it.¡±
¡°II ¡¯NAA ¡¯WAHL LIGI AGWII DIM ¡¯NAA GYUKXW¡¯S AS ¡¯NIIN.¡± K?¡¯AK?T DIS TS¡¯IITSHL X?BIIST II XSAG?OOSHL X?SLOG?A LO¡¯OP GAX?. ¡°HAA¡¯MII¡¯YA TS¡¯IITS!¡± G?EHLX?XW¡¯S TSUUSXWM G?ABI.
¡°And I have a surprise for you.¡± Grandma opens a box and a small, gray rabbit jumps outside of the box. ¡°Thank you, Grandma!¡± yells Small Number.
II MUMK?¡¯XWS TS¡¯IITS, ¡°HUGWIL¡¯Y WIN YUKW JAGA YUGIN AHL AKS. HOW¡¯UMA JA TAK¡¯S DIP CURLY G?ANT GAX?. LUGWIL AMA OS¡¯T CURLY, II AP GYA¡¯A¡¯HL WILA GYA¡¯A¡¯HL HLGU GAX? TUUST. HAWI TSIM ANOOK?HL GAX?. DIM GUUBITHL GAX? K?AWATS II NEEDIM DII MANT AS NOX?¡¯N.¡±
Grandma smiles, ¡°Just be careful when you cross the creek.¡± ¡°Make sure that you do not leave Curly Hair and the rabbit alone. Curly Hair is a sweet dog but look how she is looking at the rabbit. Also, do not leave the rabbit alone with the carrots, otherwise you will not have any carrots left to bring to your mom.¡±
WALXIS TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI GAX? G?ANHL DIHLXW¡¯M K¡¯AWATS IIT UU¡¯WIS CURLY. II HAW¡¯ DIIT.
Small Number picks up the rabbit and the sack of carrots and calls Curly Hair to follow. And they head home.
¡¯WA¡¯YIS DIP TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI GO¡¯OHL HLGU AKS, II SIM GYA¡¯A¡¯LASXWHL HLGU¡¯ OS.
When they get to the creek, Small Number puts the rabbit and the carrots down, and the little dog is watching.
SIM NEEDIIT WILAYXWS TS¡¯UUSXWM G?ABI, ¡°GWIDIM WILY GYUUN? LUKWIL HIHL YAHLXW LO¡¯OP II AM K¡¯II¡¯IHL LO¡¯OP DIM BUTS DII .¡±
Small Number is puzzled, ¡°Now what do I do? The rocks are very slippery, and I can only carry one at a time.¡±
GWIDIM GIDAG?Y: HINDA DIM¡¯T WILA HUGWAG?UM JAG?A DII YEE¡¯S TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABIHL LIP LIGI AGWI AHL TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABIHL DIM WIHL YEE¡¯T AHL GO¡¯OHL HLGUU AKS?
Question: How can Small Number safely get everything across the river?
