squl'ew' sxwi'em'

The Beaver Story

told by Willie Seymour qwulthuts'tun

Stz'uminus First Nation


Hul'q'umi'num' transcription and translation by Theresa Thorne and Donna Gerdts. Funding from Canada Heritage, First Peoples’ Foundation, SSHRC, and SFU.



(1)nanulh 'uw' 'iyus tthu sxwi'em's tthu s'ul'eluhwulh.
Many beautiful legends were told by our Elders.
(2)nilh tthu 'uw' 'iyus 'al' q'puthut
They were always happy to get together
(3)'i' 'iyus xwi'em', xwi'em'.
and tell stories.
(4)suw' hwun' 'uhwin' 'al', 'uw' stl'i'tl'qulh 'al'
When I was very young
(5)'i' sq'uq'a' tsun 'u tthu nu si'lu
I stayed with my grandparents
(6)kws q'puthut-s tthu s’ul’e’luhw 'i' wulh xwi'em'.
and the Elders gathered to tell stories.
(7)nuts'a' ni' ts'elhum'uteen' ni' tsun tuw' he'kw'.
This is one that I heard and still remember.
(8)'i ts'u wa'lu thuytum tthu q'xuw'lh.
The people were building a canoe
(9)ni'us ts'twa' 'u kw'i. . . stutes nii kw'i tsa'luqw
way up in the mountain.
(10)'i' wa'lu shishuts', ni' shni's
Up in the bushes and trees
(11)kwus thuytum tthu q'xuw'lh.
they were making the canoe.
(12)'i' sis 'uw' tsakwum' tthu suw'uy'qe' ni' ya'yus, ya'yus.
So the men went uphill and worked and worked.
(13)hwun' xut'u 'i' ni' wulh shuqnehwus.
Finally, it was finished.
(14)'i' nii kw'i tsa'luqw
And, because it was way up in the mountain,
(15)suw' q'puthut-s tthu hwulmuhw
the people got together
(16)m'i t'uhwstum tthu snuhwulh, thi snuhwulh.
to bring the canoe down, the big canoe.
(17)sis 'uw' q'puthut tthu stl'ul'iqulh slhunlheni'
Even the children and women gathered
(18)sis 'uw' tsam
and went up into the mountains
(19)hwkw'astum yuhw tse' tthu snuhwulh.
to drag that canoe down.
(20)sis 'uw' yuthey'tum' lhe'lhuq'utum' tu ni' shni's tse'
They cleared a path
(21)kws nem's yu'i'mushstum'
to make way
(22)tu ni' tse' hwkw'astum' thi q'xuw'lh hwutus
to drag this heavy canoe.
(23)sis 'uw' sq'uq'ip tthuw'ne'ullh
They got together
(24)suw' q'eputum tthu xwi'lum'.
and gathered up ropes.
(25)sis 'uw' kw'iinu tthu yuhwakw'ul's,
Many people were pulling,
(26)sis 'uw' yukwukwtseem' tthuw'ne'ullh. . . “Hup ho! Hup ho!”
and they hollered. . . “Hup ho! Hup ho!”
(27)hwkw'els tthuw'ne'ullh.
They all pulled.
(28)ni' nem' tuyqul tthu snuhwulh
They moved the canoe
(29)'i' ni' nem' tuyshum tthu syalh
and each time they would move the wood from underneath,
(30)ni' hunum'ustum', tuw' shhwul'akw' syalh.
they would bring the round wood.
(31)ni' kw'in skweyul kwus sq'uq'ip
It took many days
(32)yelh sus hun'tsuwunum.
before they managed to get it down to the beach.
(33)ni' kwu'elh tuw' hith
Many days later,
(34)'i' ni' nem' tsam 'um'mush tthu na'nuts'a swuy'qe'.
one man was going hunting up in the mountain.
(35)hwun' yu'i'mush 'i' wulh ts'elhum'utus. . . “Hup ho!”
As he was walking, he heard. . . “Hup ho!”
(36)a. . . hwi' nutsim' yuhw 'a'lu?
“Oh, I wonder what’s going on?
(37)mukw' tthu ts'lhhwulmuhw suw' 'a'mut.
Everyone is at home.
(38)'i' hwi' ni' yuhw 'a'lu nuts'uwmuhw tu'i tsa'luqw.
It must be a stranger up here on the mountain.”
(39)sis 'uw' yutl'itl'uts'ul's nem' lemutus tu'i
So he decided to go and see what was happening
(40)ni' 'u kw'i tsa'luqw.
up here on the mountain.
(41)ni' wulh hwustutes
He snuck up closer
(42)kwus yuts'its'elhum'utus. . . “Hup ho!”
and could hear. . . “Hup ho!”
(43)sis 'uw' yutl'itl'uts'ul's suw' lemutus 'i' squl'ew'
He crept closer and saw beavers
(44)sq'uq'ip kwus yuhwakw'tus tthu thqet
tugging together on a tree
(45)yuhunum'ust-hwus 'u tthu qa'. “Hup ho!”
bringing it to the water. “Hup ho!”
(46)ni' wa'lu yuxi'xlhem'utus tthu. . .
They must have been watching
(47)kwus yut'at'uhwstum' tthu snuhwulh, tthu q'xuw'lh.
when they brought down the canoe, that big canoe.
(48)'u shus tl'uw' yuxut'e' 'u tthey' tthuw'ne'ullh.
So they were copying.
(49)nanulh 'uw' 'iyus kws tl'uw'
Very happy
(50)sis s'ul'eluhw xwi'em' 'u tthey'.
were those old stories
(51)nilh kwu'elh ni' nuts'a' ni' he'kw'me'teen', nuts'a' shxwi'em'.
This is one story that I remember.
(52)huy ch q'a.
Thank you.

Revised 2014-02-12.Back to Table of Contents