Section 2.5 贬补濒辩'别尘茅测濒别尘 - SKWI鈥橧KWEXAM QES TE WET鈥橭T鈥橢 SLEXWELH
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
贬补濒辩'别尘茅测濒别尘 translation by: Siyamiyateliyot, Kwelaxtelot, and Kwosel, Seabird Island First Nation
Lheq鈥櫭ses m谩qe swiq贸llh te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m, wey贸:th kw鈥檈s 贸lsu qw茅lqwel. Sta: sq鈥檕 te s铆sles qaste s铆las, kwa wey贸th 茅wes ts鈥檌w茅lmetem te l谩ts鈥檈 skw贸yxthets t煤tl鈥櫭�. Loy kw鈥檈su hih贸ytes tl鈥檈 s铆la te sxet鈥檏w鈥櫭s stl鈥檈tl鈥櫭el l贸thel tlow谩yel. Iy贸lem kw鈥檈s las kw鈥檈 satl鈥檘 ew贸lemstexwes ye si:y谩:yes te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m. Yu:w te sw铆wel, temqw鈥櫭璴es sw谩yel, qesu xwalx谩lems ye swowiqe鈥櫭砽lh stet铆s te qo, kw鈥檈s ew贸lems.
Small Number is a five year-old boy who gets into a lot of mischief. He lives with his Grandma and Grandpa, who patiently put up with his antics most of the time. Today, Grandpa needs to finish carving a feast dish and decides that Small Number should go out and play with his friends.
Me:kw鈥� stam kw鈥櫭﹖slexwes t煤tl鈥櫭瞝em qesu thet铆wel l谩 kw鈥檈 xaws sew贸lem qe kwa te siy谩yes te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x谩m, Stitl谩kw鈥檈, thet: 鈥淭ew谩t iy贸lem lem茅lstexw kw鈥檈 seml谩t ts鈥櫭﹖s鈥檈l chokw sts鈥檈ts鈥檛l鈥櫭璵lexw schelh贸lwelh te qo?鈥� Kw鈥檈 xwem t茅lexwes ye swowiqe鈥櫭砽lh kw鈥檈s las xwa chokws te seml谩t lo::y kw鈥檈su yelxws, sp鈥櫭璸e鈥檈lhs qesu tu st铆tel谩kw鈥檈鈥櫭瞞exs.
It is a beautiful, sunny, spring day, and the boys run down to play near the water. Everything they see sparks a new game, and Small Number鈥檚 friend Big Circle suggests they see who can make a stone skip the farthest on the surface of the water. The boys quickly learn that for a stone to go far it needs to be smooth, flat, and oval shaped.
La shxwh茅lems la xwa chokw lhe鈥櫭� te 铆yelth te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m sawq鈥� kw鈥檈 stl鈥檈xw茅leq seml谩t.
Small Number wanders far along the shore looking for a winning stone.
S鈥檕wth lhe鈥櫭� te tl鈥櫭eqt s贸xwel qesu lh茅kw鈥檟el tselh贸lwelh kw鈥檈 stam, kw鈥檈ts鈥檒铆qwem la te wet鈥櫭硉鈥� sl茅xwelh skw贸kwelt li te s贸xwel.
He scrambles through tall grass and trips over something, falling headfirst into an old canoe hidden in the grass.
Xw铆lex te Skw'铆kw鈥檈x脿m, y贸yetl鈥檈tes te sqw鈥櫭﹎els kw鈥檈ses kw鈥櫭砶w鈥檈tstes selts鈥� te sl茅xwelh. Lu s谩:yemstexwes te sx贸yes t煤tl鈥櫭�, qe lu ts鈥櫭硑exw猫m xwel谩 te thexl谩xwes qesu t谩metes ye si:y谩yes, emi ye xw贸mxelem t煤tl鈥櫭瞝em.
Small Number stands up, rubbing his forehead as he looks around at the canoe. Even though his head hurts, he is very excited at his discovery and he calls out to his friends, who come running.
Lhexlhex茅ylex ye swowiq贸llh selts鈥� te sl茅xwelh q谩txtes te shxwe鈥櫭砽es貌mexs. Ste鈥櫭�:mex kwes olu wet鈥櫭硉 qesu hi::kw xwel谩 t煤tl鈥櫭瞝em. Pet谩m te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m 鈥淜w鈥檈l谩la mest铆yexw kw鈥檈s xet鈥檈 iy贸lem el鈥檈l贸lh?鈥�
The boys stand around the canoe, running their hands along its smooth shape. It looks very old and very big to them. Small Number asks, 鈥淗ow many people do you think it could hold?鈥�
Pet谩m te Stitel谩kw鈥� 鈥淜w鈥檌l yexw sq鈥檈q鈥櫭硉el te lulh la yel谩w kw茅selh h脿:y kw鈥檈w谩tes?鈥� M茅lqlexwes ye swowiq贸llh te ilh siw贸lems qesu hi:th kwes qwoqw茅leses xwel谩 te sl茅xwelh qas tew谩t yexw kw鈥檈 ilh hekwh贸kwex te sl茅xwelh.
Big Circle asks, 鈥淗ow many generations ago was it built?鈥� The boys forget their previous game and spend a long time talking about the canoe and who might have used it.
Kw茅selh ye qw贸qwel y煤tl鈥櫭瞝em, iy贸thet qw鈥櫭硑exwem te kw鈥櫭﹍es te Stitel谩kw鈥� 鈥淭sel qw鈥檃y, xwemtl鈥� la 茅lhtel鈥� th茅tstexwes ye si:y谩:yes t煤tl鈥櫭�. Ye ew swowiqe鈥櫭砽lh t茅lexw kweses ew kw鈥櫭砽ekw鈥檌 qesu me:kw鈥� la xwalx谩lem la te st鈥檈lt鈥檈l谩wtexw.
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. The other boys realize they are hungry too, and they all run back to the village.
?茅w茅ltil xwe t鈥櫭硉鈥檈kw鈥� te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m shxwel铆s kw鈥檈s x谩t鈥檏w鈥檈ls te s铆la stslh铆tsels te t谩鈥檃l kw鈥檈s hikws syolh l贸thel. Lexw sth铆qel te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m sts鈥櫭硑xwemqel qesu xwep贸sem te s铆la. Kw鈥櫭﹖slexwes te st鈥櫭璽鈥檈qel lite sqw鈥櫭﹎els te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m. Pet谩:m te s铆la 鈥淐hexw xwe鈥櫭璽?鈥� M茅lqlexwes te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m kwes qw鈥檈qw鈥櫭﹍eqw t煤tl鈥櫭� qesu iy贸thet y茅thestes te s铆la xwel谩 te thexl谩xwes te sl茅xwelh. 鈥淭sel thexl谩xw te wet鈥櫭硉鈥� sl茅xwelh lite 铆yelth. Tsel铆l qe ulh l茅ts鈥檈 l谩ts鈥檞ets syil贸lem.鈥�
Small Number races home, where Grandpa is carving the surface of a huge wooden dish. Small Number is shouting excitedly and Grandpa looks up. He sees the bruise on Small Number鈥檚 forehead. 鈥淲hat happened?!鈥� Grandpa asks. Small Number has forgotten that he bumped his head and starts to tell Grandpa about finding the canoe, 鈥淚 found an old canoe down on the beach! It must be at least a hundred years old!鈥�
Xwel铆yemes te s铆la. 鈥淭sel lheq鈥櫭﹍exw tetha sl茅xwelh. Lets鈥櫭w kw茅selh tl鈥檕 贸lu xwemxw茅m tetha sl茅xwelh ite s鈥櫭砽h st鈥檈lt鈥檈l谩wtexw. Ilh tl鈥檕 tel m谩lelh qas te y谩ysela 谩lexs e鈥� h脿:y te sl茅xwelh.鈥�
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�
E鈥� ye鈥櫭﹜ te s铆la sqwelw茅lmethets, 鈥淢e:kw鈥� te m谩meles tel s铆la鈥檈lh lheq鈥櫭﹍em kw鈥檈s schew茅tmetes kw鈥檈s x茅t鈥檏w鈥檃ls kw鈥檈 syolh鈥�.
Grandpa proudly continues, 鈥淎ll the sons of my grandfather were known as great wood carvers.鈥�
鈥淐hexw lheq鈥櫭﹍exw te lhexlhex茅yelex sl贸qwleqw sxw铆thi exel茅smels te Sm矛lhe鈥櫭texw? Sl茅ts鈥檒ets鈥檈 tl鈥檕 sx茅t鈥檏w鈥檃ls yel shxweml谩lekw.鈥�
鈥淵ou know those three old totem poles in front of the longhouse? Each of them was built by one of my uncles.鈥�
Tetha xwel谩lt xwel xwew谩 lis 铆tet e鈥� thet铆wel te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m, 鈥渆l stl鈥檌 kw鈥檈ls h脿:y kw鈥檈 sl茅xwelh q鈥檈lsu xet鈥檏w鈥櫭s kw鈥檈 sl贸leqw ste鈥櫭� yel siw谩lelh. Tsel cha pet谩met te s铆la lis kw鈥檈l谩la el谩lexs te ma:ls: y谩ysela, lhexw谩le, xeth铆le, lheq鈥櫭ses脿le, qew lis ew qel谩t 貌鈥�.
That evening, just before falling asleep, Small Number thought, 鈥淚'd 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︹��
Speta:m Selch铆m kwes ste鈥櫭el te Skw鈥櫭璳w鈥檈x脿m kwes la kw鈥檈l谩la te el谩lexs te sth鈥櫭砿eqws.
Question: Why did Small Number think that his great-grandpa might have two, three, four, five or more brothers?
