t'i't'ut'um' (Little Wren)
Told by Cecilia Alphonse
Read by Ruby Peter
| 1: | hay thu t'i't'ut'um' ni' tssisul'u. |
| There was a wren and he had a granny. | |
| 2: | 'i' ne-e-m' tl'e' 'uw' hiiw'a'lum' hun'um' 'u ttthu tsa'luqw. |
| He used to go out and play up the mountain. | |
| 3: | nuts'a' skweyul 'i' lumnuhwus tthu skwukwith. |
| One day he saw something lying down. | |
| 4: | 'i' ne-e-em' t-suthut 'i' qwulsthwus, "t! t! t! t! t! t!" |
| He went closer and said, "t! t! t! t! t! t!" | |
| 5: | "a-a-a ha' ch tse' m'i t-suthut 'i' nilh tse' nusuw' lhup'tth'thamu." |
| "Ah, if you come closer I will slurp you up (as my food)." | |
| 6: | " o-o-o xwum tsun pe' nem' 'uw' nem' 'utl' nuwu 'i' 'uw' q'aythamu tsun." |
| "O-o-oh, I can really come over to you and kill you." | |
| 7: | " a-a-a tsustam'sh ch kwu'elh?" |
| "A-a-ah! Now what are you going to do to me?" | |
| 8: | "'i' kw' 'uw' hwnuw'nuw'ilumuthamu tsun p'e'." |
| "I'll go into you and all over your innards, of course." | |
| 9: | "m-m-m hey' lh kwiye'." |
| "Hm,m,m, okay, let's see you try it." | |
| 10: | suw' wulh nem' lhakw' thu t'i't'ut'um'. |
| So Little Wren went flying. | |
| 11: | nilh ni' yuw'en' tthu thathuns 'i' ni' tslhaqw 'u tthu slhulnutsth. |
| He first entered his mouth and went through and out his back-end. | |
| 12: | qul'et hwu'alum' 'i' hwi' xwte' 'u tthu muqsuns. |
| He went back in again into his nose. | |
| 13: | hwu'alum' hwi' xwte' 'u tthu nuts'a' muqsuns 'i' tthu qw'oon's |
| Then he went back in through the other nostril and his ear. | |
| 14: | hwun' xut'u 'i' ni' ts'u wulh wutl'uts'. |
| And finally, it fell down. | |
| 15: | wu'un'uxw "'uxe-e-e'" suw' hwuslhelhuq'. |
| It made a noise when it landed, " 'uxe-e-e'." | |
| 16: | lhakw's t'i't'ut'um', hwusts'ushin' le'lum'utus. |
| Little Wren flew on top and stood staring at it. | |
| 17: | "'a-a-a" tul'nuhwus tl'lim' ni 'uw' q'ay. |
| "Ah-h-h," he decided it was really dead. | |
| 18: | suw' huye' nem' t'akw'. |
| He then headed for home. | |
| 19: | hwun' tsakw 'i' wulh t'ilum: |
| When he was still far away he started singing: | |
| "yuq'yuq'e-e-en' lhu q'u, sisul'u. | |
| "Do some knife-sharpening, my dear grandmother. | |
| st'i't'e-e 'u kw' 'uw' skwi'kwthu lhunu shahwun'tsu." (Twice) | |
| What I have caught is like a little island." | |
| 20: | "a-a-a tst'amut yuhw 'a'lu shxut'us 'u tthey' 'u kw'u kw'ekw'i'?" |
| "Oh, what are you saying that for, to me who is hungry?" | |
| 21: | 'i' 'uw' yut'it'ulum': |
| But he kept singing: | |
| "yuq'yuq'e-e-en' lhu q'u, sisul'u. | |
| "Do some knife-sharpening, my dear grandmother. | |
| st'i't'e-e 'u kw' 'uw' skwi'kwthu lhunu shahwun'tsu." (Twice) | |
| What I have caught is like a little island." | |
| 22: | 'i' wulh q'el' thu s'eluhw sis nem' 'uw' lemutus. |
| Finally the old lady believed him and went to see. | |
| 23: | 'i' 'i-i-i ts'u thi tthu slhelhuq' shun'tsus— |
| And his big catch was lying down— | |
| 24: | thi-i-i kwewe'uts ni' q'uynuhwus shun'tsus. |
| a big elk was the catch that he killed. | |
| 25: | hwuqux smuyuth ni' kwunnuxwus tun'ni' 'u tthu ni' shun'tsus thu 'imuths, t'i't'ut'um'. |
| They had lots of meat from the catch of her grandson, Little Wren. | |
| 26: | ni' nexun 'u kwthey'. |
| That's the end of that (story). | |
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