Section 14.6 Tla'amin - BETHANI AND THE THREE BERRIES
Written by: Veselin Jungic, Bethani L'Heureux, and Betty Willson
Illustrated by: Bethani L'Heureux
Tla'amin translation by: Betty Wilson of the Tla'amin Nation
Qajɛʔot čʊjoɬ Bethani ʔi payɛʔot gagayaɬtən kʷ ʔuk̓ʷ taməs.
Since Bethani was little she was always full of questions about everything.
Θo kʷʊtas šɛ čɩčyɛs šɛ paʔa tᶿokʷ. ʔi hɛw č̓ɩmč̓ɩm mot. Qajɛʔot sotič.
She went to see her grandmother one day. It is very cold. It is still winter.
Čɩgət mot kʷ kʷʊkʷ šɛ čɩčyɛs. ʔukʷ gət ƛʊxʷɛtstuxʷəs.
Her grandmother is the best cook. She can cook better than everyone else.
T̓oχnom šɛ čɩčyɛs saystɩgit Bethani kʷ č̓ik saplɛn. hɛsa ga č̓ikɛʔəms kʷ nɩginɛt.
Granny knows that Bethani likes fry bread. She decides that will be their lunch.
Jɛqanatəm ga Bethani šɛ čɩčyɛs. miqʷatəs šɛ puq, ƛaɬəm, hɛga pusaʔəmɛn šɛ ƛapəm kʷaɬt.
Bethani watches her granny. She mixes the flour, salt and baking powder in a deep bowl.
Miqʷatəs ga ta xʷas, hoyi nalxʷatəs, yiyq̓ašəs šɛ χɛχčɛmɛn. k̓iʔik̓lɛxʷstuxʷəs ʔot šɛ mamiqʷats ta qayɛ, hoyi nalxʷatəs.
Granny adds the lard, stirs the mixture, using a fork. Adding small amounts of water and stirring.
Gayaɬtən Bethani: “čɩmθ xʷa χʷɛχʷeymatuxʷ taθ puq, ƛaɬəm hɛga θ pusaʔəmɛn yiyqašuxʷ?”
Bethani asked: “why do you not measure the flour, salt and baking powder that you use?”
“ʔotč čɛgət tᶿ tən kʷʊkʷəs payɛʔot χʷaχʷaʔaθəs θamaʔən χʷɛmat tᶿ mamiqʷatən. χaƛs totχʷɛtstus kʷ čɛχatit.” natəm Bethani.
“When I help my mom with cooking, she always tells me to measure everything twice with our ingredients. She wants to make sure we are following the recipe”, says Bethani.
Qasqasɛm čɩčyɛ. “Χʷoχʷʔoɬ tᶿ haʔyɛʔəm čik saplɛn. payɛčʔot yiyq̓aš tᶿ čɛyiš tᶿ χatᶿəmɛn. Toχnɛxʷ č kʷʊnəs kʷɛnaɬ tᶿ yɛčət kʷ puq hɛga kʷɛnəs ƛaɬəm tᶿ tᶿipaʔəm. toχnɛxʷčot kʷʊnəs kʷɛn qaymɩxʷ haʔyɛʔəmtən – sɛsəʔas, θiyɛčɩsayɛ, ga paʔa təsɛʔɛčəs.”
Grandma smiles. “I have been making fry bread for a long time. I use my hand as a measure. I know how many scoops of flour and pinches of salt. I know how much I use to cook – if it is for 2, 5 or for a 100 people.”
“Hɛɬ tanos tᶿ tən tɩwšɛmštomšoɬ kʷ haʔyɛʔəm č̓ik saplɛn. hɛɬ taʔəwθoɬ. ʔot θiyɛčɩs saplɛn kʷatᶿ χaƛ, mos čɛyiš puqʷ yɛqašən.”
“I learned how to make fry bread from my mother's mother. It was her who taught me. For 5 pieces of fry bread I use 4 handful of flour.”
“Kʷɛhɛt ʔi nəs čik saplɛn θo tᶿ nə.”
“Her fry bread is way better than mine.”
Qakʷum čɩčyɛ. Kʷʊnostəs Bethani.
Granny stopped. She looked at Bethany.
“Θoxʷɛns tᶿ χaƛuxʷoɬ tᶿ čɩčyɛ. Χaƛnomšəsoɬ nəm kʷatᶿ χaƛnomɛ Bethani.”
“I really loved my grandmother. She loved me the same way that I love you, Bethani.”
Puqʷatəs ta θɛwθɛtən ʔi matəs ša pusaʔəm saplɛn, kʷatəs ta puʔɛqʷ θɛwθotən. ƛaʔayin hahays ƛɛƛtᶿɛtəs.
She dusted the table top and she took the dough and placed it on the dusted part. Then she began to gently knead the dough.
Qʷaqʷaysxʷəs Bethani: “Yɛχatačxʷ tums θo kʷʊtoɬ θ čɛpθtən, ʔətᶿ qɛχtən. payɛštʔot kʷʊnɛt ʔaʔgayqsɛn tums ʔaʔaguqsɛt.”
Granny spoke to Bethani: “Remember when we went to visit your aunty, my sister. We would see agayqsen while we sat outside enjoying the view.”
“Θuxʷɛnoɬč ʔa nɩgi, hočʔot payɛ qamqamɛtoɬ tᶿ čɩčyɛ hiyt tᶿ kʷʊkʷpa. hoč ga qəqmɛn θoʔos gawt̓ma ta kʷʊθays. Paƛəmšt ga kʷ ʔukʷtəm ƛaɬawum- hɛgən, maθkʷ, t̓oqʷom, čɩtoxʷɛn.”
“When I was about your age, I was always going everywhere with my granny and my grandpa. I would go along with them when they would row to the island. There we would pick all kinds of berries – strawberries, blackcaps, huckleberries and blackberries.”
T̓amɛqʷatəs šɛ pusaʔəm saplɛn: t̓aχəm talɛč. hɛɬ paqaɬsčɛyiš yɛqašəs p̓ɛtᶿɛgatəs.
Granny divided the dough into 6 balls. She uses the palm of her hand to flatten the dough.
Qʷaqʷθəmot čɩčyɛ: “Tətšt qayɩmoɬ ta kʷʊθays. Čačigət tᶿ kʷʊkʷpa hiyt čɩčyɛ kʷ χʷaχʷajɩm.”
Granny continued with her story: “We used to camp over at the island. My grandpa and my granny were great storytellers.”
“Qʷal ƛɛq̓ɛq̓aw,ʔaχɛθɛšt. Čʊxʷɛtč ga. Kʷas mot tums t̓amawʊkt. Čiʔyɛʔanač kʷ qʷaqwθamɛt ninijɛ sχʷoχʷoɬ. qajɛčot čiʔyɛʔana ʔi ƛačtiyišč. Hɛɬ ta qaχ mot kʷusɛn tums nɛkʷayi.”
“It starts to get dark. We go to bed. I lay in the middle. Our quilt is so warm. I listen to the stories of a long time ago. While I am still listening, I fall asleep. The many stars are our light.”
Χʷawɛtəs ta top. Kʷuɬqɛtəs ta čikɛʔəmɛn šɛ χʷas.
She lit the stove. She poured some oil into the frying pan.
ɬaqəm nanmaɬ. Kʷasəs ga ta χʷas. Čɛt ga nəpišəs ta t̓aχəm pusaʔəm saplɛn.
She waited for a while. The oil got hot. Then she put in the 6 pieces of dough.
Hoqʷnom Bethani šɛ č̓ɛč̓χ saplɛn. hɛw ʔi mot kʷaʔanəns.
Bethani smelled the frying bread. Oh, she felt so good.
Homɛtəs šɛ čɩčyɛs. p̓ɛtᶿɛgatəs. “χaƛnomɛč čɩčyɛ”, natəs.
She went towards her granny. She hugged her around the waist. She said, “I love you”.
T̓ɛkʷtəs ga ta čik saplɛn. kʷatəs šɛ papipə. Θʊxʷɛns ʔajumišs. Θʊxʷɛns ʔajɛqəps.
She took the fry bread out of the pan. She placed them on paper towels. They were so beautiful in colour. They smelled so good.
Čɩčyɛ: “ɬaqəmštəm kʷ nanmaɬ. Hanəm kʷas.”
Granny: “We will wait for a bit. It is too hot.”
“Nonpɛganəmštəm ninijɛ tət gayɛθitoɬ tᶿ čɩčyɛ sχʷoχʷoɬ.”
“We will think about a question that my granny asked me a long time ago.”
“Θoθo kʷa šɛ sɛsa?a təmtumiš mɛχaɬ hiy šɛ sɛsaʔa wawɩwlos mɛχaɬ maʔəmkʷ ɬu kʷa. Tətmašɛgəs kʷo kʷ pəpyɛ ƛaɬawum.”
“Two father bears and two son bears went looking for berries. They wanted one berry each.”
“Ho tasɛw, kʷʊnɛxʷɛgəs hoysot čɛləs maʔəmkʷ ʔaxʷi! mʊkʷʔəmitɛw kʷo kʷ pəpyɛ.”
“They got there they saw only 3 berries were left! Each bear got to eat one.”
“Čɩmčɛ?”
“How could that be?”
Qajɛʔot nonpɛganəm Bethani ʔi čɩyɛxʷəs šɛ čɩčyɛs yɛyɛɬatəm.
Bethani was still thinking when she heard her granny calling.
“Mat̓ostštəm tums čik saplɛn kʷ hɛgən čəm.”
“We will have fry bread with strawberry jam.”
Gayaɬtanč ga: kʷɛn čɛ čɛyiš puqʷ yɛqašəm čɩčyɛ kʷ hiʔyəmits kʷ t̓aχəm čik saplɛn. Hiyt. Čɩmčɛ muktit sɛsaʔə tumiš mɛχaɬ hiyt sɛsaʔa wawilos mɛχaɬ kʷ čɛləs ƛaɬawum.
Question: How many handfuls of flour did granny need to make 6 pieces of fry bread. AND how could 2 father bears and 2 son bears share 3 berries equally?
