Section 10.4 Gitxsan - TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI G?AN¡¯THL TX?ALPX?A LUU NO¡¯O WILPS G?AX?
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Gitxsan translation by: Jeanne Harris, Barbara Harris Sennott, and Catherine Blackstock
TS¡¯UUSXW¡¯M G?ABI HL ¡¯WA¡¯Y.
My name is Small Number.
LAX NII¡¯Y HL ANT¡¯IMAHLASXW TUN, MAHL DIS TS¡¯IITS LO¡¯Y IIT LAX¡¯NI¡¯HL HE¡¯S TS¡¯IITS¡¯T.
This is a story that I heard from my grandmother and she heard from her grandmother.
ANT¡¯IMAHLASXW TUN AHL WILA WIS DIP OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN, G?AAK?, G?AX? G?ANHL TX?ALPX?A LUU NO¡¯NAAHL WILPS G?AX?.
It is (A STORY) about a coyote, a raven, a rabbit, and the four rabbit holes (HOUSES).
G?ANWILA SAA YEE¡¯S OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN, MAHLA KII¡¯IHL SA.
Every day Coyote goes hunting.
HLOOK?¡¯T X?HLA MAG?AS 0S¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?ANHL ANJOK¡¯T,
Coyote leaves his den (HOME) in the early morning,
II LUUT KUU YEE¡¯T TS¡¯IM SBAG?AYT G?AN,
makes a big circle through the forest,
II GUUXWS ¡¯WITXW¡¯T AHL ANJOK¡¯T HLA YUXWSA.
and (he) comes back to the den in the evening.
WANHL TX?ALPX?A HUWILPHL G?AX? GO¡¯OHL LAX TS¡¯EEHL SBAG?AYT G?AN,
At the very edge of the forest there are four rabbit holes in a straight line,
II AM HLABUUHL G?ABIHL G?A?NAGWIT.
a few steps apart from each other.
SIM XWDAX¡¯T O¡¯S¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN AHL HIIHLUUXW TUN,
(Since) Coyote is very hungry in the morning,
G?ANWILA¡¯T YEEXSIS OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?ANHL AM KI¡¯I¡¯HL G?AX?¡¯M LUU NO¡¯O
he (Coyote) always checks only one rabbit hole
II HLA G?OOG? DIM TS¡¯IMX?SIS¡¯M TS¡¯IM SPAG?AYT G?AN.
before entering the forest.
"LUGWIL TS¡¯AXWHL G?AX? TUNSA,
"This rabbit is very smart,
II NIM AP GIDIIGUU¡¯T JO ¡¯KI¡¯I¡¯HL SA," DII YAHL O¡¯S¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN.
but I will catch him one day," says Coyote.
HLA AP HELDA SA, II AP HLGUUXW¡¯S ¡¯TSIT GIDIIGUUHL G?AX?.
But many days have passed, and Coyote couldn¡¯t catch the rabbit.
KI¡¯I¡¯HL HIIHLUUXW, II HETSIMO HLGUUXWS¡¯JIT ¡¯WAS OS¡¯M SBAGAYT G?ANHL G?AX?,
One morning, when once again Coyote couldn¡¯t find the rabbit,
LAX?NII¡¯IT WIL TS¡¯AHLXHL G?AAK?, LAX? UHL G?AN, "CR-R-RUCK, CR-R-RUCK, OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN!
he heard Raven laughing (from the top of the tree), "Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck, Coyote!
G?Y K¡¯YAA WILAKILS¡¯T G?AX? LUN! CR-R-RUCK, CR-R-RUCK!"
The rabbit is smarter than you are! Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck!"
SIM G¡¯YAA XWDAX?T O¡¯S¡¯M SBAAYT G?AN? AHL HIIHLUUXW TUUST
Coyote was very hungry that morning
II¡¯T SA A¡¯LAX?¡¯S HLA ALG?YAXS G?AAK? ¡¯NIT.
and Raven¡¯s words made him angry.
¡°YUGIMAHL GY¡¯G?A WILAKILSTHL G?AX? LO¡¯Y!¡±
¡°Maybe the rabbit is smarter than I am, but I am much smarter than you are!¡±
¡°CR-R-RUCK, CR-R-RUCK,¡± TS¡¯ALXW¡¯S G?AAK?.
¡°Cr-r-ruck, Cr-r-ruck,¡± laughed Raven.
¡°SIM K?YA LOOGIM WII GYAT ¡¯NIIN, OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN?, II SIM XWDAX?¡¯N, II A¡¯LAX¡¯N. NA ANT HLGUUXWS JIT GIDIGUUHL G?AX?.¡±
¡°You are an old, hungry, and angry Coyote who cannot catch the rabbit.¡±
¡°GUN GY¡¯A¡¯DIS WILAKILSTHL DIN.¡±
¡°Let me see how smart you are.¡±
"JI DAN MAHLAA¡¯T LUN MAHLAA KI¡¯I¡¯HL YUKWSA, II WOK?S G?AX? GO¡¯OHL TSIM NA¡¯NO¡¯O HINDA WIL KWO WOK?¡¯T DIM MAHLAA KI¡¯I¡¯HL YUKWSA
"If I tell you that every night, the rabbit sleeps in the hole that is next to the hole where he slept the previous night
II JI DIM G?ANWILA YEEXSIHL AM KI¡¯I¡¯HL NO¡¯O MAHLAA KI¡¯I¡¯HL HIIHLUUXW?"
and if you keep checking only one hole every morning, in how many days will you catch the rabbit?"
IIT GY¡¯A¡¯S OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN G?AAK?, IIT GY¡¯A¡¯HL NA¡¯NO¡¯O¡¯M G?AX? IIT HETSIMO ¡¯MIIN GY¡¯A¡¯HL G?AAK?.
Coyote looked at Raven, then looked at the rabbit holes, and then looked up at Raven again.
"G?AAK?, HANII G?OODIN MID DIM SI YELHL LIP LIGI¡¯T¡¯NAA.
"Raven, you think that you can trick everyone,
II MA MAHLAA¡¯T LOO¡¯Y HINDA NIM WILA GIDIIGUUHL G?AX?,"
but you just told me how to catch the rabbit," said Coyote and slowly entered to the forest.
GIDAG?ASXW: HINDAHL GABIHL SA HLAG?OK? DIM¡¯T GIDIIGUUHL OS¡¯M SBAG?AYT G?AN G?AX? AA?
Question: In how many days will Coyote catch the rabbit?
SGI NA DIM AM GOOHL ALGAYGUM.
I SHOULD REMEMBER OUR LANGUAGE.