Section 2.13 Wet’suwet’en - Halht’ï’m Bï c’oldiw cla Ts’iy Tiyh’
Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean
Illustrated by: Simon Roy
Wet’suwet’en translation by: Rita George and Gary George of the Wet’suwet’en Nation
Skak biyïskit kwile’ Kwon dïts da et lëhlt.
Small Number is a five year-old boy who gets into a lot of mischief.
A dïnsa bitsets cl’a bitso’ haba ni yihl ya.
He lives with his Grandma and Grandpa, who patiently put up with his antics most of the time.
Dzïn tabï honzu bahlats wanï t’sac yë do’ggrëz skak Halht’ï’m ats no’iyilh’ah bilh skak bihl yilh nï.
Today, Grandpa needs to finish carving a feast dish and decides that Small Number should go out and play with his friends.
Tabï honzu hasa’dïn ët c’olilh tsëh o’ tabegh so’ ahl’ ggrëz nozigilyegh wënï.
It is a beautiful, sunny, spring day, and the boys run down to play near the water.
Ët sëna’ nozigilyegh tsëh o’ nëbisdikw tsë bin giht h’onat dihl zil’ tabï giht tsih bin to giht ’nyun h’onat dihl zil’.
Everything they see sparks a new game, and Small Number?s friend Big Circle suggests they see who can make a stone skip the farthest on the surface of the water.
Skak dïne yez dëhn zin tsë nïz dikw flat, hoyh d’it sik
The boys quickly learn that for a stone to go far it needs to be smooth, flat, and oval shaped.
Skak biyez giht halht’ï’m a’ nïn zin tobegh ndu tsë yï n’tahl yë ki dï ëhn.
Small Number wanders far along the shore looking for a winning stone.
Klo din yez yï ta hi’l gi’ yï nët ta’ neht dïhl t’is ts’iy ët klo yï dïn tan.
He scrambles through tall grass and trips over something, falling headfirst into an old canoe hidden in the grass.
Skak halht’ï’m ne tihl da bint’ak bighen ndïsde’ n’ïwh’ën ts’iy zi’.
Small Number stands up, rubbing his forehead as he looks around at the canoe.
Bintak Ndïsde’ a’ dïn za ga në yin tan Ya’gghrin hont’iy bihl skak so how’ihl be winic haba sohl giht.
Even though his head hurts, he is very excited at his discovery and he calls out to his friends, who come running.
Dinï yez ts’e’oh’ ts’iy hozu nï?l ggriz cl’a bile a’ cak ni’ dihl ni’.
The boys stand around the canoe, running their hands along its smooth shape.
Tabï zë a ba yin cyo tabï së giht a’ggra’ nïn ziht.
It looks very old and very big to them.
Skak halht’ï’m ya bu dihl ghut t’ël su’k dine sa bay ï dihl si’.
Small Number asks, “How many people do you think it could hold?”
Nëbisdikw tseghe lhot’il giht c’aht dëhl si’ da’ ci zel I’yë.
Big Circle asks, “How many generations ago was it built?”
O’ot ni wil’ yi ts’e’oh’ bï ts’iy hiyï ts’a hiyï yehldic cl’a ha’da seba ehl’ ya.
The boys forget their previous game and spend a long time talking about the canoe and who might have used it.
Ts’e’oh’ ai yehldic nebez duk cawzisnic negtodïlh cl’a diht nï ts’e’oh’ skak Ï yez dini ts’e’oh’ tabi cawzisnic.
As they are talking, Big Circle?s tummy starts to growl. “I’m hungry. Let’s go eat,” he says to his friends.
Cawzisnic bi këyikh yez o’nel ggrës.
The other boys realize they are hungry too, and they all run back to the village.
Skak halht’ï’m a’ bi yikh so nahl git bits’ets dicin yihdinighes ts’ac alë.
Small Number races home, where Grandpa is carving the surface of a huge wooden dish.
Tabï ah hla zihl tabï hont’iy bits’ets yihl nï giht.
Small Number is shouting excitedly and Grandpa looks up.
Bits’ets skak indïsde’ bint’ak yu dihl c’it denentgegh.
He sees the bruise on Small Number?s forehead.
Skak bighen indïsde’ wëu’ do na dihl bi’stets ts’iy në ïhn tan yihl nï.
“What happened?” Grandpa asks. Small Number has forgotten that he bumped his head and starts to tell Grandpa about finding the canoe:
Ts’iy Tobegh na’ nihn tan a kwus 100 years old.
“I found an old canoe down on the beach! It must be at least a hundred years old!”
Bits’ets khlo nin-zihn ts’iy budiclhye tabï a’ nen cis
Grandpa smiles. “I know that canoe. It was once the fastest canoe in our village.” Grandpa proudly continues:
Bihls ënï ayi tsë’iwh udiclhye nï
“All the sons of my grandfather were known as great wood carvers.”
K’iy tak’iy Ts’an yikh wis hondi’ sa tsë’iwh bi’tiy ’iyïnlegh.
“You know those three old totem poles in front of the longhouse? Each of them was built by one of my uncles.”
Bilh et’lat skak Ntilelh Halht’ï’m c’oldiw ts’iy ’ots ina side’nï k’ënïn’ay
That evening, just before falling a sleep, Small Number thought, “I’d like to build canoes and totem poles just like my ancestors.”
Ts’ets lhkan nu dihl c’it de nil sik bihl sëni nek Tak’iy Dïnc’iy ca cis Kwile’ wih nihn a nil suk.
“I have to ask Grandpa tomorrow how many brothers his father had. Two, three, four, five or more...”
Nduwa sibep c’oldiw halht’ï’m nïnzin bits’ets nduwa sba bihl tsëni dë nihl sik nehtnï, tani, tdïnc’iy kwile’ bi c’is wë nis dilik sen’ ihla?
Question: Why did Small Number think that his great-grandpa might have two, three, four, five or more brothers?
