Section 14.4 Gitxsan - TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI GANHL GWILA鈥橪鈥橳 SIM MAA鈥橸
Written by: Veselin Jungic, Bethani L'Heureux, and Betty Willson
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Gitxsan translation by: Jeanne Harris, Barbara Harris Sennott, and Catherine Blackstock
G滩AN WILA HA鈥橳AG滩UM T鈥橧HLXW鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI
Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
GII鈥橧HL GWINEEKXW鈥橫 SA AHL MAADIM IIT YEEX滩SDIS TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABIHL TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳
One cool winter day, Small Number visited his Grandma.
HANII G滩OOTS TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI JI鈥橳 AP TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 K滩鈥橝YA AMA JAMI鈥橳 LAX HANII JOK滩
For Small Number (he thinks), his Grandma is the best cook in the world (earth).
WILAAYIS TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 TSUUSXW鈥橫 G滩ABI WIL鈥橳 IXSTATINHL IIJAM ANAAX II SAG滩OOTXWS鈥橳 DIM鈥橳 JAPHL IIJAM ANAAX, DIMX滩 SILKXWSA DIIT
Grandma knows that bannock is Small Number鈥檚 favourite treat, so she decides to make bannock for lunch.
ALG滩AL鈥橳 TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI YUKW鈥橳 TWA鈥橪IXS TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 ANAAX, MO鈥橭N GANHL ESPOWDA TS鈥橧M 鈥榃II WO鈥橭S
Small Number watches Grandma as she mixes the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
IIT LUU TAHLIHLS TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 T鈥橧LIX T鈥橲IM SA ANAAX鈥橳 IIT LUU鈥橳 SAG滩AY鈥橳 TWA鈥橪IXS鈥橳 IIT HOX HAX滩SMAX HUGWIL鈥橸 LUU 鈥楾AHL DIT T鈥橲IM AKS IIT TWA鈥橪IXS鈥橳
Then Grandma adds oil into the mixture (bread) and whisks the ingredients together (with a fork), gradually adding water and stirring.
TS鈥橧ITS, HINDAHL WIN GAN WIHL NEMDIIN GYA鈥橝HL GABIHL G滩ASG滩OOHL ANAAX, MO鈥橭N GANHL ESPOWDAS LUU 鈥楾AHL DIN T鈥橲IM WO鈥橭S
鈥淕randma, how come that you didn鈥檛 measure how much flour, salt, and baking powder you put into the bowl?鈥�
HINDA NA WIL HLIMOO鈥橲 NOX鈥橸 AHL JAM HASAK滩鈥橳 NEEDIM DIIN TAK DIM鈥橬 LUU 鈥楾AHLIHL DAHL LIGI AGWI GILBIL AH DIM DIP WIL LA LUU YUXWHL ALGAX DII YA鈥橳 TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI
鈥淲hen I help my mom with cooking, she asks me to measure everything two times so that she is sure that we follow the recipe鈥� says Small Number.
MUMK滩鈥橳 TS鈥橧ITS
Grandma smiles:
AP LIP WILA鈥橸
鈥淚 know it myself鈥�
WILAA鈥橸HL G滩ASG滩OOHL ANAAX GANHL G滩ASG滩OOHL MO鈥橭N DIM HO鈥橸 AHL LIGI GILBIL, LIGI XWSDINS , LIGI K鈥橝P II LIGI X滩BIL GYAT
鈥淚 know how many handfuls of flour and how many pinches of salt I need if I am making bannock for two, five, ten, or fifty people.鈥�
ANSIWILAAKINSXW鈥橸 NIM JAPHL ANNAX AHL WILA WIS NOX滩鈥橲 NOX滩鈥橸 鈥� DII YA鈥橳 TS鈥橧ITS
鈥淚 learned how to make bannock from my mom鈥檚 mom,鈥� continues Grandma.
MAHL DIT LOO鈥橸 DIM WIL XWSDINS ANAAX DIM HO鈥橸, II SGIDIM TX滩ALPXHL AN鈥橭N鈥橫 ANAAX NII鈥橸
鈥淪he taught (told) me that (to make) for five pieces of bannock, I would need four handfuls of flour.鈥�
NEEDII HUGWAHL DII SA鈥� ANAAX鈥橸 AHL DII JAP鈥橳
鈥淢y bannock is not half as good as hers were.鈥�
GIDII HETXW鈥橳 TS鈥橧ITS IIT GY鈥橝鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI
Grandma stops and looks at Small Number:
SIM GYAA SIIP鈥橧N鈥橧IT TS鈥橧ITS IIT HOTI鈥橳 SIIP鈥橧N鈥橲 TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI
鈥淚 loved my Grandma very much and she loved me the same way I love you, Small Number.鈥�
鈥楴II MANIS TS鈥橧ITS ANAAX LAX HANII TOS鈥橳 IIT 鈥楴II MAAGAHL WO鈥橭S鈥橫 ANAAX LAX HANII TOS
Grandma dusted a part of the kitchen counter with flour and moved the dough from the bowl to the counter (cupboard).
IIT HUGWIL鈥橸 鈥楾ISHL ANAAX
Then she started to gently knead the dough.
NEEMA AM G滩OOHL LIXS T鈥橝A GY鈥橝鈥橫 G滩OOHL WILPS GIMXDII YUKW DIP SIL JOK鈥橳 GI SINT AA?
鈥淒o you remember the island that we could see from the porch of my sister's house when we stayed with her last summer?鈥�
KWOO DI YEE鈥橧ST DIP TS鈥橧ITS 鈥楴II鈥橸 GOOHL LIXS T鈥橝A. HOX DIITHL 鈥楳AL DIM HLIMOODIIT DIM WILA鈥橳 TAAHL DIITHL MAA鈥橸: NISK滩鈥橭鈥橭, II SIM 鈥楳AA鈥橸, II MII GUNT, II TS鈥橴USXWA SIM MAA鈥橸 , GANHL 鈥楳IYAHL
鈥淲hen I was your age, my grandma and grandpa (grandparents) would take me in their canoe to the island to help them collect all kinds (the) of berries: thimbleberries, huckleberries, wild strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.鈥�
BASAG滩ANS TS鈥橧ITSHL ANAAX TSIM K滩鈥橭O鈥橪T DIM HLIT鈥�
Grandma divided the dough into six balls
IIT SIT鈥橝 DIM鈥橳 BAHLX滩鈥橬 AHL TS鈥橧M AN鈥橭N鈥橳
and started flattening the first ball with the palm of her hand.
KWOO WOK鈥橳 NU鈥橴M GOOHL LAX LIXS T鈥橝A
鈥淲e would stay overnight on the island.鈥�
GUU ANT鈥橧MAHLASXW DIP YE鈥橢 GANT TS鈥橧ITS
鈥淏oth my Grandpa and my Grandma were great storytellers.鈥�
AM G滩OOT鈥橸 WIL KWOO WAN鈥橫 鈥楰滩AP STI DIIT LAX TS鈥橢EHLX AKS (BESIDE THE WATERS EDGE) YUKW NA GYA鈥橸HL BILUST, II YUKW NA LAX NIHL ANT鈥橧MAHLASXW鈥橬 AHL WILA WIS DIP G滩ANI YE鈥橢
鈥淚 remember sitting (with them) between them on the beach, staring (looking) at the stars and listening their stories about the ways of our ancestors.鈥�
LUU TAHL DIS TS鈥橧ITS 鈥楾ILIX ANDA IIJASXW II鈥橳 SA MIHL DIHL SDUUP
Grandma put the oil in the frying pan, turned the stove burner on.
TSUUSXW鈥橫 GIB鈥橸鈥橳 DIM WIL GYAMPHL ANDA IIJASXW IIT LUU 鈥楾AAHLIHL K滩鈥橭O鈥橪T鈥� TSIM ANAAX
(She) waited a few minutes and then placed each of the six pieces of dough in the pan.
II HLAAT XSI DOOX鈥橳S TS鈥橧ITS ANAAX IIT LUU DOOX鈥橳 TSIM ANDA IIJASXW
When Grandma took the bannock from the frying pan
II鈥橳 NII DOOX鈥橳 LAX HA鈥橤YMGYASW SA鈥橶NSXW TS鈥橝K鈥�
and put them on a paper towel lined plate
SIM W鈥橝LK滩A 鈥楴ITHL IIJAM ANAAX MOOJA X滩SLOGA LO鈥橭PXW鈥橳
each piece of bannock looked golden brown.
HANEEK DIS TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI IIJAM ANAAX II鈥橳 AATIX WIL A YEEHL GOOT鈥橳
Small Number could smell the freshly fried bannock and he felt his heart beating faster.
II YEE鈥橳 G滩OOS TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳 II鈥橳 LUU DA鈥橫IHLXWSHL TS鈥橧ITS II HET 鈥淗AA鈥橫II鈥橸A TS鈥橧ITS鈥橸鈥�
He went to Grandma and gave her a hug, (and said) 鈥淭hank you, Grandma.鈥�
SKIDIM DIP GIBA DIM WIL TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 GWINEEK滩XWHL IIJAM ANAAX
鈥淲e need to wait a bit until the bannock cools down.鈥�
II YUKWHL GIBE鈥橢SXW鈥橫, GWI DIM LISEEX鈥橫 AHL GWIDIM GITAG滩ASXW鈥橫 AS TS鈥橧ITS NAGWAT GI
鈥淪o, while we are waiting, let鈥檚 think about a question that my Grandma asked me a long time ago.鈥�
HLO鈥橭HL BAGADIL鈥橳HL NIGWOOT鈥橫 SMAX GANHL BAGADIL鈥橳HL HLGUUHL鈥橫 GYAT鈥橫 SMAX II SAKS DIIT TSIM SPAGYAT G滩AN DIM DIIT AN SIM鈥橫AA鈥橸 SUUDIIT AM KI鈥橧鈥橳HL MII鈥橸AHL
鈥淭wo father bears and two son bears go to the bushes (forest) to get a (huckle) berry each.鈥�
AM GWILALHL MAA鈥橧HL MANIT II DIM鈥橳 GUBHL MAHLA KI鈥橧鈥橦L SMAX AM KI鈥橧鈥橦L MAA鈥橸
鈥淭here are only three berries left, but each bear gets to eat one.鈥�
HINDAHL WILA HUGWAX鈥橳 AH, TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI?
鈥淪mall Number, how is that true?鈥�
YUK鈥橳 AM GOOS TS鈥橴USXW鈥橫 G滩ABI鈥橦L GITAG滩ASXW鈥橫. IIT LAX NIIHL AME鈥橲 TS鈥橧ITS鈥橳
Small Number was still thinking about Grandma鈥檚 question when he heard Grandma鈥檚 voice:
AM JI DIP GUPHL ANNAX GANHL 鈥楳II GUNT鈥橫 MANASXW (TO SPREAD)
鈥淣ow, shall we snack on some bannock with strawberry jam?鈥�
HINDAHL G滩AABIHL AN鈥橭N鈥橫 ANAAX DIM HOY鈥橫 DIM DIP JAPHL K滩O鈥橭鈥橪THL ANAAX
Question: How many handfuls of flour did Grandma need to make six pieces of bannock?
HINDA DIM 鈥楾 WILA BA SA G滩ANHL BAG滩ADIL鈥橳HL NIGWOOT鈥橫 SMAX GANHL BAG滩ADIL鈥橳HL HLGUUHL鈥橫 SMAX GWLAL鈥橳HL SIM鈥橫AA鈥橸
Also, how could two father bears and two son bears share three (huckle) berries equally?
