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Section 6.7 Wet'suwet'en - HALHT'Ï'M BÏ C'OLDIW HALHT'Ï'M CL'A DICIN CYO

Written by: Veselin Jungic and Mark MacLean

Illustrated by: Simon Roy and Jess Pollard

Wet'suwet'en translation and narration by: Rita George of the Wet'suwet'en Nation

Wet'suwet'en transcript by: Gary George of the Wet'suwet'en Nation

C'oldiw halht’ï’m cl'a dicin cyo dië bighin c'oldiw halht’ï’m dinï yez kwon do di'at dehl bihl ti za i so'et 'oondzin bitso' adzen'nya silhtëhts'iyu këyikh cl'a hibi yintikh.

Small Number is a young boy who gets into a lot of mischief. With his sister Perfect Number he visits their Grandma who lives in a small village on their Nation?s traditional territory.

C'oldiw halht’ï’m nowh kwon do da ni gyoh odihl li bitso' biyikh in' zowh dzeen bitso' itsë diyahl tabï ondih. Ci oht ya ci adal lihl et nowada lahl dïn senha ndee siyh tabï c'izu' halht’ï’m kwon do kiy yi c'ak yi dihl ni.

Small Number likes to wander around grandma?s house because whenever he visits he discovers something new and exciting there. This time he finds an old woven basket“Look how beautiful these patterns are,” says Small Number while touching the smooth surface of the basket. “It was my aunt who made it”, said his grandmother. “Do you know that we always use cedar roots?”

Gi'in sa dikay 'et ni halht’ï’m bitso' 'et ni Budiclhye lïk ak'iykë kitëlh ës hët'il ïlh.

“It was made by my great aunt,” Small Number hears Grandma's gentle voice. “Do you know that this basket was made from cedar roots?”

Bitso? halht’ï’m int'ewh nï’z-ïl bitso' ï’dïhl c'it nyïn cl'a nihl taht' si wilhkan slegh hët'il c'has ta'k cahlt. Kihn' owht' c'itsowht ailh gihn yit ta das slelh ndu winï gi tabï Bï unic'it a? bë sa zihn zi yanee kwun di da iyehl lelh

Grandma looks at Small Number's puzzled face, and says, “You and Perfect Number will go with me tomorrow to help me gather cedar roots.” “Now let us eat and I'll tell you why cedar is a sacred plant for our people and how it can be used in many different ways.”

Ci' ouht gi' ha das' kalhs newilhtiy' cl'a uta lhghits 'et hots?inah khït wit sa ki ïet sa Khït bitso' 'et nï halht’ï’m. Bihl tis ta tabï soihnsen zeoh dicin ti nihn dihl

“I try to gather my roots in the fall after the rains and before the frost. That way I make sure that I have enough supply for the winter to make my baskets,” says Grandma to Small Number and Perfect Number when they entered the forest.

Sci' bin' s'il a' cyo gyoh da'h' halht’ï’m dicin ta nihn dïl dicin ta' dicin dzi' o' na' di'z dï dik dicin guh't goos'iy ciyeh cididlï ha' bu dilts'igh.

It is a misty morning and Small Number can smell the sweet scent of the forest. He hears how the birds sing to each other somewhere high in the trees.

Gyoh da'h' halht’ï’m dicin ho'ht dïn a' yin' në din ahl' tabï wë its'izaz u' di si' yë.

“What is behind those big trunks?” thinks Small Number and starts walking over the coarse woody debris on the forest floor.

Dicin ta hi yïlh wa' dit zitlh a' dicin në na nï hliz a deowh ta' c'ikwah wa' begh nehn nihn ya. Dicin lhk'iy ya' zu' nehn nihn ya sa' dik yë nïlh'en. Dë dicin dë dihl yez sabe tabï dihn yez.

He moves between fallen dead trees and the remains of large branches until he reaches the group of trees standing by a creek bank. Small Number gets close to one of the trees and looks up, “How straight this trunk is! This tree must be at least 50 meters tall!”

Gyoh da'h' halht’ï’m sit c'ikwah wë nïlh'en. C'oldiw halht’ï’m binëk'et yëz bidzï wëd zi a dïhl dis tsin c'ikwah wë nïlh'en hlok ow't yë onï ch'la c'ikwah ya dïs bin. Lhok zas' dï’ ëa la ghen hibi nïlh'en yë o'ni hli.

Then he looks down at the creek. Small Number's eyes widen and the beating of his heart fastens when he realizes that the creek is full of spawning salmon. “There must be thousands of fish here.”

Tabï a' dicin da nin ehn ye et wi ez soh nehnen ket ye dihl zut cl'a widah hi nihn suh tabegh cikwa yen wi'nïlh'en. C'en ki' tabï dïn yïz cl'a sis bis' cahk tanï dzï o' kwin dë dï at sihl si. A' hlo' inz'un sis lhok c'I'alh C'oldiw halht’ï’m wi' ots a yelhdic dzïn tabï dzï c'iziw' gh'en hibinic lh'ën.

Small Number lifts his head and quickly steps back behind the tree. After a few moments, gathering all his courage, he peeks out at the other bank of the creek. There he sees a huge cedar tree and a black bear with her three cubs just under it. “So it is true that bears eat salmon,” whispers Small Number. “This is the most exciting day of my life!”

Kun ouht so sihl in zin nï’ C'oldiw halhtï’m bitso biyïz ya dïz' di netsta ya nihl yelh nebey dïz'ay bitso sa a' yunt'an. T'so tabï nk'ësiy'! tabï nk'ësiy'! Sa wa a' nï kwa hits'ina' soh'aga'so nïts nï bitso.

“I told you to stay with me all the time, Small Number!” Small Number hears his grandma's quiet voice, coming just from behind him. He turns around and hugs grandma very tightly. “I love you so much, grandma!” “I love you very much too, but please don't scare me like this again!” replies grandma.

Hatih ya në'gyi t'alh C'oldiw halhtï’m et so a yilh ni' tabï hondiy dicin ta yilh nësiy ya'. Sis gya'alh sis lhok hiyo 'alh dicin da ba dicin ya tabi bin yïz dïnc'iy bin kyun ye n ani skuz a' sis dicin sis hibibe ni.

During dinner back at grandma's house, Small Number cannot stop telling grandma and Perfect Number about his adventure. “I saw bears eating salmon under the biggest tree ever. The trunk of the tree was so big that I would need at least eight of my friends to hold their hands to get around it. I'll call it the Bear Tree!”

Mom bë wat ta zuhn ni suk sa dicin tikh nesy guhl gak.

“Just don't tell Mom that I wandered through the forest on my own”

Sis dicin dë? dihl cyo ta?

Question: How wide was the Bear Tree?