Section 2.4 Gitxsan - AM TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI GANHL LOG滩OM M鈥橝L
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
Gitxsan translation by: Jeanne Harris, Catherine Blackstock, and Barbara Harris Sennott
XSTINS G滩A滩BIHL X滩KUULXW鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI II G滩AN WILA HA鈥橳AKW鈥橳
Small Number is a five year-old boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
SIL JOKED TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 GANHL NII YE鈥橢鈥橳 II AP W鈥橭DIIT 鈥楴IIT II NEEDII A鈥橪鈥橝X DIIT LOOT TS鈥橝A G滩AL 鈥楳ALU 鈥楴IT
He lives with his Grandma and Grandpa, who patiently put up with his antics most of the time.
SA TUN DIM II鈥橳 HLIISANHL鈥橲 YE鈥橢鈥橳 TS鈥橝K鈥橫 LILIGET II SA鈥橤OOTXW鈥橳 DIM MA鈥橭S鈥橳 DIP TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI G滩ANHL ANSIPSIIPINSXW鈥橳 GOOHL GYALK滩
Today, Grandpa needs to finish carving a feast dish and decides that Small Number should go out and play with his friends.
LUGWIL AMA SA II SIM TS鈥橝TXWHL HLOX滩S AHL GW0OYIM II Y鈥橝G滩A GUL DIIT LAX TSEEHL AKS
It is a beautiful, sunny, spring day, and they (the boys) run down to play near the water.
LIP LIGI AGWIHL GY鈥橝A DIIT IIT HO JAP DIIT SII MA鈥橭S GANHL TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI GANT W鈥橧I T鈥橝ABEEK滩鈥橷W DIM X滩STAAHL LIGI鈥橳 NAA DIM ANT M鈥橝TSHL LO鈥橭P WAGYT N鈥橝GWIT
Everything they see sparks a new game (play), and Small Number鈥檚 friend Big Circle says the winner will be whoever throws the stone farthest.
II SA鈥橤OOTXWS WIIT鈥橝ABEEK鈥橷W DIM鈥橳 GYA鈥橝HL NAA DIM ANT AL鈥橮A M鈥橝TSHL LO鈥橭P W鈥橤YT N鈥橝GWIT TSIM AKS
Big Circle suggests they see who can make a stone skip the farthest on the surface of the water.
WILAAK KUBA TILX鈥橶M GYAT SGIDIM HOX DIIT YAHLXW鈥橫 TABEEKWIM LO鈥橭P II DIM 鈥楴AKW DIM WIL G滩OSHL YAHLXW鈥橫 LO鈥橭P
The boys quickly learn that for a stone to go far it needs to be smooth, flat, and oval shaped.
II鈥橳 GI鈥橧S TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI TABEEKWIM YAHLXW鈥橫 LO鈥橭P
Small Number wanders far along the shore looking for a winning stone. (smooth, flat, and oval)
II YEET LAX HABASXW II DEEX鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI II鈥橳 YATS鈥橦L T鈥橧MG滩ES鈥橳 LAX LOGAM 鈥楳AL TSIM HABASXW
He scrambles through tall grass and trips (over something), falling headfirst into an old canoe hidden (in the grass).
HETXW鈥橳 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI HLIBA鈥橪鈥橳 DITHL HUPX滩鈥橳 AHL YUKW鈥橳 GY鈥橝HL LOGUM 鈥楳AL
Small Number stands up, rubbing his forehead as he looks around at the canoe.
TSAA LIGI SIIPXWHL T鈥橧MGES鈥橳 II AP LUU AMHL G滩OOT鈥橳 WILT W鈥橝HL LOGUM 鈥楳AL II鈥橳 EETXWHL ANSIPSIIPINXW鈥橳 II G滩UN G滩UL DIIT
Even though his head hurts, he is very excited at his discovery (of the old canoe) and he calls out to his friends, who come running.
II GUN LITXWHL GYAT IIT DAS DIITHL II SAAM YA鈥橦LXW鈥橦L LOGUM 鈥楳AL II SIM YAHLXW鈥橳 AHL AN鈥橭N DIIT
The boys stand around the canoe, running their Hands along its smooth shape.
WIHL AP LIGI WII 鈥楾IS IDYHL LOGUM 鈥楳AL
It looks very old and very big to them.
GIDAG滩AS AM TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI HINDAHL GABIHL GYAT DIM NII WANIT LAX 鈥楳AL?
Small Number asks, 鈥淗ow many people do you think it could hold (in the canoe)?鈥�
GIDAG滩AS WII TA鈥橞EEKWXW HINDAHL GABIHL K鈥橴UHL JIS WIT JAP DIITHL 鈥楳AL GI?
Big Circle asks, 鈥淗ow many generations (years) ago was it built?鈥�
鈥楾AGIHL KUBA 鈥楾ILXW WILT MATS DIIT YALXW鈥橝 LO鈥橭P G滩AL T鈥橧SHL ALALGYAX DIIT AHL WILA WIHL 鈥楳AL II鈥橳 NAA DIM ANT HOOX鈥橳?
The boys forget their previous game (of throwing the rock) and spend a long time talking about the canoe and who might have used it.
YUKHL ALALGYAX DIIT II DALHL G滩ALOOST鈥橲 WII TA鈥橞EEKWXW 鈥榅WDAX NII鈥橸. DII! TOOKW鈥橧M ANSIPSIIPINSXW鈥橸
As they are talking, Big Circle鈥檚 tummy starts to growl. 鈥淚鈥檓 hungry. Let鈥檚 go eat.鈥� he says to his friends.
WILAYHL HLO鈥橤OTSUUHL 鈥楾IHLXWM IIXWT WIL HOTI HU DAX DAA II 鈥榃ALG滩A G滩UL DIIT GOOHL GALTSAP
The other boys realize they are hungry too, and they all run back to the village.
BAX鈥橳 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI GOOHL NIYE鈥橢鈥橳, YUKW鈥橳 JAPHL NO鈥橭HL鈥橫 G滩AN
Small Number races home, where Grandpa is carving the surface of a huge wooden dish.
YUKWHL G滩ELXWS TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI II MIIN GYA鈥橪AASXWS NIYE鈥橢鈥橳 II鈥橳 GYA鈥橝 WIL MU鈥橩WHL HUPX滩鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI GIDAG滩AS YE鈥橢 鈥淗INDAHL 鈥榃IN?!鈥�
Small Number is shouting excitedly and Grandpa looks up. 鈥淲hat happened?!鈥� Grandpa asks.
鈥楾AGIS TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI WILT G滩OGANHL HUPX滩鈥橳 II SITAA鈥橫A DIM鈥橳 MAHLIHL AS YEE鈥橳 WILT 鈥榃AHL LOGAM 鈥楳AL
Small Number has forgotten that he bumped his head and starts to tell Grandpa about finding the (old) canoe:
鈥榃A鈥橸HL LOGAM 鈥楳AL LAX XSIIP! II HANI G滩OOT鈥橳 JI LIGI XSTINS WIL KYAP DA GIL BIL X滩KUUHL鈥橳
鈥淚 found an old canoe down on the beach! It must be at least a hundred years old!鈥�
MUMK滩鈥橳 YE鈥橢. WILA鈥橸HL 鈥楳AL TUUST G滩YAA AYEEHL 鈥楳AL TUUST GO鈥橭HL G滩AL鈥橳SAP鈥橫 JABIS 鈥楴IGWOOD鈥橸 GANHL BAGA DILI鈥橳HL HU WAKXW鈥橳
Grandpa smiles. 鈥淚 know that canoe. It was once the fastest canoe in our village. It was built by my father and two of his brothers.鈥�
HLO鈥橭HL G滩OOTS YE鈥橢 II HET, WALK滩A 鈥楴ITHL HLGUUHL鈥橫 II UX鈥橳 ANT WILAX GYAHL G滩AN
Grandpa proudly continues, 鈥淎ll the sons of my grandfather were known as great wood carvers.鈥�
WILAYANHL GWILA鈥橪鈥橳 G滩YADIM G滩AN LITXWIT HLA KOOGHL WII 鈥楴AKW鈥橫 WILP AA? NIBIBII鈥橸 ANT JAPHL TAX滩 鈥楴ITSXWHL GYADIM G滩AN
鈥淵ou know those three old totem poles in front of the longhouse? Each of them (totem poles) was built by one of my uncles.鈥�
HLA GOOKXW鈥橫 DIM WOKS, TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABI AHL YUXWSA, II鈥橳 TIL X滩HOOTXW鈥橳 DIM 鈥淗ASAGY NIM JAPHL 鈥楳AL GANHL GYAYHL G滩AN WILA WIS DIP NI鈥橸E鈥橢鈥橳XW鈥橸 SKIDIM GITAGASXW鈥橸 AS YE鈥橢 鈥楾AAHLAK HINDAHL GABIHL WAK鈥橲 NIGWOOT鈥橳?鈥�
That evening, just before falling asleep, Small Number thought, 鈥淚鈥檇 like to build canoes and totem poles just like my ancestors. I have to ask Grandpa tomorrow how many brothers his father had. Two, three, four, five or more鈥︹��
HINDAHL: HINDA G滩AN WIHL HANI G滩OOT鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXWM G滩ABIHL NIYE鈥橢鈥橳XW鈥橳 GANHL WAK鈥橳 JI LIGI BAG滩ADIL, GWILUN, TX滩ALPX滩DUL, XWSDINSUL?
Question: Why did Small Number think that his great-grandpa might have two, three, four, five or more brothers?
