Section 6.4 Gitxsan - TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI G滩ANHL 鈥榃II G滩AN
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy and Jess Pollard
Gitxsan translation by: Barbara Harris Sennott, Jeanne Harris, and Catherine Blackstock, of the Gitxsan Nation
G滩AN WILA HA'TAG滩UM 鈥楾IHLXW'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI
Small Number (is a young boy) who gets into a lot of mischief.
YEEX滩S DIS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI G滩ANHL HLGIIXW 'T SIM HUGWAG滩UMG滩ABI DIIT TS'IITS DIIT TS'UUSXWM ANJOK滩 LAX滩 YIP DIIT.
With his sister, Perfect Number, he visits their Grandma who lives in a small village on their Nation's traditional territory.
WII'US TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI DIM 鈥榃IHL YEE'T TS'IM WILP'S TS'IITS'T.
Small Number likes to wander around grandma's house
HINDA WILT YEEX滩SIS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI'T TS'IITS'T IIT G滩AN WILA 鈥榃AHL LIGI AGWII
because whenever he visits he discovers something new and exciting there.
鈥榃AY'ITHL LOOG滩'M 鈥楴OO'O
(This time) he finds an old (woven) basket.
鈥淕YA'AHL G滩ASG滩OOHL AMG滩OOGITHL WILA GYADIT,鈥� DII'YA'T TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI. YUKW'T DASHL YAHLXWA 鈥楴OO'O.
鈥淟ook how beautiful these patterns are,鈥� says Small Number while touching the smooth surface of the basket. (BIRCH BARK BASKET)
鈥淛ABIS 鈥榃II NIXDAA'Y,鈥� II'T LAX滩NIS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI HLA AM'E'S TS'IITS
鈥淚t was made by my great aunt,鈥� Small Number hears Grandma's gentle voice.
NEEMA WILAX WIL'T HOX DIITHL HLA WISHL HA'T'AL' AA?
鈥淒o you know that this (basket) was made from cedar roots?鈥�
GY'A'A'S TS'IITS'T WIL'T LIXSKEDIMSXW'S TS'A'A'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI
Grandma looks at Small Number's (puzzled) face,
II HE'T, 鈥�'NIIN G滩ANT HUGWAG滩UMG滩ABI DIM STILIS'M NII'Y. DIM HLIMOO'Y'N 鈥楴II'Y DIM DIP SAG滩AYT DOX滩'HL HLA WISHL HA'T'AL' JI TAA'HLAKXW'.鈥�
and says, 鈥淵ou and Perfect Number will go with me tomorrow to help me gather cedar roots.鈥�
鈥淒I'. HLA DIM TOOK滩XW'M鈥�
鈥淣ow let us eat鈥�
鈥淒IM MAHL DII LUN G滩AN WILA WIHL 鈥淪ACRED鈥� HA'T'A'L LO'OM G滩AN HINDA DIP WILA HOY'T.鈥�
鈥渁nd I'll tell you why cedar is a sacred plant for our people and how it can be used (in many different ways.)鈥�
鈥淪I' IX SAG滩AYT DOX滩'YHL HLA HA'T'AL' WIST AHL XWSIT, HLISHL 鈥楾IS WIS G滩ANHL HLAGOK滩 DIM SOX滩鈥�
鈥淚 try to gather my (CEDAR) roots in the fall after the rains and before the frost.鈥�
鈥淚I 鈥楴IT G滩AN WIHL NA MIDINHL HA'T'AL DIM HOY'M JI HLA MAADIM. DIM II DIP JAPHL 鈥楴OO'O鈥�
鈥淭hat why I make sure that I have enough (CEDAR) supply for the winter to make my baskets,鈥�
DII YA'T TS'IITS AS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI GANT HUGWAG滩UMG滩ABI HLA YUUK'T GY'A DIITHL SPAG滩AYT G滩AN
says Grandma to Small Number and Perfect Number when they entered the forest.
鈥楾IS YEEN IIT HANEEK DIS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABIHL MIYUXWSIM SPAG滩AYT G滩AN II SIM AMA HIIHLUUXW AHL TSIM YEEN WIL SA AP HLO'O DIIT
It is a misty morning and Small Number can smell the sweet scent of the forest.
IIT LAX鈥楴II WIL LIMX TS'UUTS TSIM SPAG滩AYT G滩AN
He hears how the birds sing to each other somewhere high in the trees.
II HANII G滩OOT'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI, 鈥淕WIHL DOX'IT HAKYOO'HL SPAG滩AYT G滩AN?鈥�
鈥淲hat is behind those big trunks?鈥� thinks Small Number
II YEE'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI GO'OHL LAX YIP TSIM HLA HANII WANHL SPAG滩AYT G滩AN.
and starts walking over the coarse woody debris on the forest floor.
II YEE'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI WIL DOX滩HL GAN GAN LAX YIP, II YEE'T IIT GYAA'HL HELDA GAN GAN LITXWIT GO'OHL TSIM AXS.
He moves between fallen dead trees and the remains of large branches until he reaches the group of trees standing by a creek bank.
II 鈥榃IDIN YEE'S TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI GOOHL WIL LITXWHL GAN GAN IIT MIN GY'A'T
Small Number gets close to one of the trees and looks up,
鈥淚IT GIDAHL HINDAHL G滩A'NAGWIHL G滩AN TUN! II HANII G滩OOT'S TSI XWSDINS WIL K'AP METERS G滩A'NAGWIT?鈥�
鈥淗ow straight this trunk is! This tree must be at least 50 meters tall!鈥�
IIT 鈥楾IP GYA'AHL HLGU AXS
Then he looks down at the creek.
HII LA'IHL TSA'A'S II TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI II BAX滩HL G滩OOT'T WILT GYAHL WIL HELTHL HON
Small Number's eyes widen and the beating of his heart RACES (fastens) when he realizes that the creek is full of (spawning) salmon.
鈥淗ELDIMAHL HON G滩OOSUN.鈥�
鈥淭here must be thousands of fish here.鈥�
鈥楳IIN GYATLASXW'T TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI II 鈥榃ILKII HETXW'T HAGYO'OHL G滩AN
Small Number lifts his head (LOOKS UP) and quickly steps back behind the tree.
HLA AMHL G滩ANAGWIT IIT XSI GY'A'HL HLI KI'IHL HLGU AXS
After a few moments, gathering all his courage, he peeks out at the other bank of the creek.
GYA'A'T 鈥榃II HA'T'AL G滩AN G滩ANHL TUUTSXWA SMAX GANHL GWILA'L'THL KUBA SMAX HLIHLAXW'T.
There he sees a huge cedar tree and a black bear with her three cubs just under it.
鈥淎P HUGWAX G滩A'DA WILT GUPHL SMAXHL HON.鈥� DII'YA'T TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI
鈥淪o it is true that bears eat salmon,鈥� whispers Small Number.
鈥淎P 鈥楴IT TUN SA, K'YA AMA SA AHL HLA DIDILSI'Y.鈥� DII'YA'T TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI
鈥淭his is the most exciting day of my life!鈥� (SAYS SMALL NUMBER)
鈥淗E'Y LUN DIM G滩AN WILA W'IHL WIN GO'Y, TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABI!鈥�
鈥淚 told you to stay with me all the time, Small Number!鈥�
LAX NII'IS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABIHL AME'S TS'IITS'T AHL HA'GYO'O'T
Small Number hears his grandma's quiet voice, coming just from behind him.
LUUT KUU 鈥楾AYXWSXW 鈥楴IT IIT SIM LUU 鈥楧A'MIXSXWS TS'IITS'T
He turns around and hugs grandma very tightly.
鈥淪IM LUKWIL SIIPIN'Y 鈥楴IIN TS'IITS!鈥�
鈥淚 love you so much, grandma!鈥�
鈥淎P HOTI SIM 鈥榃II O'Y 鈥楴IIN鈥� DIYET TS'IITS 鈥淚I HAP HA'O MIJA SA X滩BATS'OW'Y!鈥�
鈥淚 love you very much too, but please don't scare me like this again!鈥� replies grandma.
YUKHL TOOKXW DIIT, IIT G滩AN WILA LISEEXWS TS'UUSXW'M G滩ABIHL, HUGWAG滩UMG滩ABI GANHL TS'IITS'T.
During dinner back at grandma's house, Small Number cannot stop telling grandma and Perfect Number about his adventure.
鈥淕YA'A'Y WIL YUKW'T GUPHL SMAXHL HON HLI HLAXWHL 鈥榃II T'ISSIM G滩AN.鈥�
鈥淚 saw bears eating salmon under the biggest tree ever.鈥�
鈥淪IM 鈥楰YA 鈥榃II TIXW HLI SILKXWHL 鈥榃II G滩AN.鈥�
鈥淭he trunk of the tree was so big. (that)鈥�
鈥淗ASAG滩'Y DIM G滩ANDOO'LDUL'T DIM G滩ABIHL AN SIPSIIBINSXW'Y' DIM AN'T LUU DA'MIXWSHL G滩AN.鈥�
鈥淚 would need at least eight of my friends to (TO HUG THE TREE) hold their hands to get around it (THE TREE).鈥�
鈥淒IM SA WA'T DIITHL SMA(X)'A G滩AN!鈥�
鈥淚'll call it the Bear Tree!鈥�
鈥淣EM DIM DI MAHLIT AS NOX滩'Y WIL AM K'YUL'Y SPAG滩AYT G滩AN.鈥�
鈥淛ust don't tell Mom that I wandered through the forest on my own.鈥�
HINDAHL GAL'A'IHL SMA(X)'A G滩'AN GI?
Question: How wide was the Bear Tree?
